Living the Life of Ally
by DarkSideofParis
Summary: Alex Locke was a simple-minded girl with a troubled past who came to Leadworth to start fresh. But she never expected to meet the Doctor! Now, Alex and her friends are traveling with the Doctor and Alex couldn't hope for anything more. Well, maybe the Doctor kissing her that is. And figuring out what the heck is up with River Song. 11/OC AU Season 5
1. Meeting Alex

Alex furiously pressed her foot to the gas pedal and sped off down the winding country road. She had finally gotten her car sent over and she needed to go off on a long drive and let off some steam.

Turning up the volume on her Josh Turner CD, Alex took a sharp right turn and felt her blood pounding in time with the music. She had been living in England for two weeks and trouble was already surrounding her.

The decision to move to England had been sudden. Tired of working at a Vegas strip club after getting kicked out of the best university outside of the Ivy League, Alex had been desperate to get away from everything and had by chance come across a documentary on TV about life in England. Ten minutes later, her belongings were being packed and she was using her tip money to buy a one-way ticket to London.

Of course, the cost of living in London was expensive and Alex was already paying a fortune for sending her beloved 56 Chevy over. As if searching for a job in London that didn't require a college degree wasn't bad enough, she had received a call today from Carla concerning her inheritance. The old bat had happily informed Alex that there was no way she was getting her inheritance until her twenty-fifth birthday, by which it would probably be spent up by the trustee, none other than Carla herself.

Alex grimaced and pressed the pedal down even harder. Just thinking of the low-life grandmother she had lived with for thirteen years made her angry. Carla was greedy and loved dangling Alex's rightful money in her face. It was _her _money, dammit! Alex knew that by the time she received it, it would probably be completely drained.

Alex took another sharp turn and found herself nearing a town square. Well, that was lovely. She could find more people to completely humiliate herself around. Pursing her lips and turning the volume up higher, Alex sped through the empty square, kicking up dust all around. Had she bothered to notice, she would've seen a few people gape out their windows at the American car speeding through town, completely oblivious to the peace it was disturbing.

Alex was too blinded by the anger racing through her veins to even notice how quiet the village was. It was the total opposite of London, which she had found to be pretty noisy and crowded, just like Vegas. In fact, had she been paying attention, the village almost would have reminded her of Bristol on a February afternoon when everyone was cooped up inside with blankets and a bottle of gin to keep themselves warm.

Racing through the square, Alex almost didn't notice the two people coming out of a small clothing boutique and stepping right into her path. Their eyes widened and they dove back to the safety of the sidewalk. Alex snapped out of her angry daze and swerved sharply to avoid them, nearly hitting a tree in the process. "Oh shit!" she cried, turning the car off.

Meanwhile, Amy Pond was furious. What the hell?! What kind of maniac just speeds through a village and doesn't care if they nearly hit people? _Well, a maniac, that's what,_ she thought wryly as she turned to look at the man sitting on the sidewalk next to her.

"You okay Rory?" she asked.

Rory nodded, not mentioning the fact that his heart was still racing from nearly getting run over. "Yeah, I'm cool," he panted.

Amy nodded and stormed across the street to the foreign-looking car. She didn't care who the occupant was, she was going to give them a piece of her mind…these thoughts flew out of her mind however as she saw a girl about her age scramble out of the car.

The girl was really pretty with light brown hair that contained blonde highlights. She was about 5'4 and was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, black skinny jeans, scuffed-up combat boots, and a gold ring on the ring finger of her left hand. However, as Amy got closer, the thing she really noticed about the girl was her eyes. They were hazel but it seemed that every time she looked at them, they changed color. The first time she looked, they were honey colored; the second time, forest green.

Alex ran a hand through her hair and dashed over to the red-headed woman she was sure was about to give her a stern-talking to. "Okay!" she interjected before Amy could say anything. "I am really, really, _really_ sorry about almost running you and your friend over! Really, I am! I'm not usually a reckless driver, I swear! It's just I was so angry but not that you care, and it's really no excuse…"

Amy's eyes widened as the girl rambled on nervously, swearing up, down, and sideways that she was sorry for almost hitting her. The girl was clearly American, probably southern judging by her accent, and was clearly _very _sorry for nearly killing her. She hadn't even paused to take a breath yet!

"…and I don't blame you if you want to press charges, although I'm begging you not to! I swear, it was an accident and won't happen again and-,"

Amy held up her hand to get the girl to stop talking. "Okay, you're forgiven!" she cried. "Just take a breath, please."

Alex nodded and took a few deep breaths. As soon as she felt her heart go back down to regular beats, she started talking again. "Right, sorry. I tend to ramble when I get really upset."

Amy smiled at her. Despite nearly getting run over by her, she had to admit, she kind of liked the girl. "It's fine, it happens to the best of us. I'm Amelia Pond, but everyone calls me Amy."

Alex nodded. "Alexandria Locke, but call me Alex."

As the two were doing introductions, they didn't notice Rory coming over to them or his sudden gaping at the car that had nearly killed him. "Holy crap!" he cried, attracting the girls' attention. He looked at Alex. "Is this a 1956 Chevrolet?"

Alex nodded and smiled, pleased. "Yep! My pride and joy." She patted the roof of the car gently on this.

Rory crouched down to study the hood. "Incredible," he breathed. "It looks brand new."

While Amy rolled her eyes, Alex leaned against the car door. "My dad got it from a car collector when I was three," she explained. "It was always meant for me to drive when I turned sixteen but my gr-…_guardian_ never would let me." On this, Alex reflected on the times when she would sneak the car out of the garage and drive it to school during the many weeks when Carla left her home alone. "That's why it looks as though it's never been used."

"God, I would love to own a car like this," Rory said.

Amy shook her head. "Boys and their toys," she muttered. "I'll never understand it."

"This car's a classic Amy!" Rory cried and Alex furiously nodded her head in agreement.

Amy gave him a look. "And this _classic car_ nearly ran you over." As an afterthought, she turned to Alex and said "No offense."

"I almost appreciate being run over by it," Rory joked. He then turned to Alex. "Seriously though, you were going pretty fast, nearly a hundred if you want my opinion. Why?"

Alex shifted. How could she explain her complicated relationship with Carla and how pissed off she became today by it? "I was mad," she admitted quietly. "Family drama and I needed to let off some steam. I never meant to nearly hit you two, I swear. I was just overcome with road-rage or something."

"What could make you so mad to go a hundred miles an hour?" Amy demanded. She crossed her arms and gave Alex an expectant look. After nudging him with her arm, Rory copied her but it looked more like he was doing it for laughs then actually meaning it.

Alex bit her lip to keep from laughing at the ridiculous stance and instead tried to figure out how to answer Amy. "It's kinda a long story," she said.

Amy shrugged. "We've got plenty of time. There's not much to do here anyways."

Alex looked around the town square, surprised to find that it was still empty. You would think that a near vehicular homicide would've attracted people. "Yeah, where is _here _exactly?"

"Leadworth," Amy said. Alex could hear the disapproval in her voice.

Rory shook his head at her. "It's not that bad," he argued.

"It's completely boring and you know it," Amy insisted.

"Okay, I get that you would much rather travel with the Doctor but-,"

"RORY!" Amy screeched. Glancing at Alex, whose eyes appeared pretty surprised, she said softly "We don't need to bring _him _up. I've gotten over that."

"Who are you talking about?" Alex interjected. Contrary to what Amy and Rory were thinking, she could hear them loud and clear. "Who's the Doctor?"

Amy waved dismissively. "Nobody," she insisted, ignoring the doubting look on Alex and Rory's faces. "Anyway, you were saying about what spurred your case of road rage?"

Alex shifted from one foot to another and Rory sensed that the girl was pretty nervous. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go back to Amy's? It's better to talk there and Sharon will be out."

"Good idea," Amy agreed. She turned to look at Alex. "You don't mind, do you?"

Alex shook her head. "No, I'll drive if you just tell me the way."

"We came in Rory's car," Amy explained. "Just follow us. It's not a long drive."

Ten minutes later, Alex pulled up behind Rory's car in front of a large house. She had to admit that it was very pretty but it also seemed pretty large for just Amy and her aunt.

"Do you have siblings?" Alex asked as they headed up the walk.

Amy shook her head. "No, I'm an only child. My parents died when I was a kid and my aunt moved in with me." On this, she paused for a moment, thinking. "Never really felt like she was my aunt though. She was always leaving me home alone for hours on end while she went off drinking or something."

Alex nodded, empathy written in her eyes. She was glad that she knew somebody else who had grown up a lot like her. "Yeah," she said quietly, staring at the ground. "I know the feeling."

Amy gave her an inquisitive glance but by that point, Rory had unlocked the door and was quickly ushering them inside. As Amy and Rory removed their jackets, Alex gazed around the entryway. It was a bit grander than the huge house she had lived in back in Kentucky but it wasn't bigger than Lacey and Marigold's house. The walls were wallpapered dark blue with purple accents, the floor was covered in rich red carpet, and the staircase banister was in a slight need of dusting.

Alex wandered over to a nearby mirror and studied her reflection. Her hair was in need of a slight trim, especially her bangs, which were getting closer and closer to touching her eyelashes. She hadn't gotten her highlights done since her last appointment two months ago and they were fading a bit. She quickly studied her eye color. She had often been complimented by her eyes and she had been asked more than once if she wore contacts. At the moment, they were topaz.

Amy watched her out of the corner of her eye. "I hope you don't mind me saying this," she said suddenly, "but it's really freaky how your eyes change color and all."

Hardly bothered, Alex laughed. "No, I don't mind," she assured her. "They're hazel and they've been this way for as long as I can remember. Everyone's always asking me if I wear contacts or something."

Satisfied with this explanation, Amy shrugged and flounced into the parlor, Alex and Rory following. Alex looked around the large parlor. The robin's egg blue walls needed to be repainted and the dark blue carpet had recently been vacuumed. The drapes were pulled back from the window, allowing the dim February sunlight to shine into the room.

Amy plopped down on a gray velvet sofa with Rory settling in next to her. Alex sat across from them on a matching sofa. She crossed her legs and then uncrossed them nervously. This was new. She rarely got nervous. Even during all those A.P. classes she had taken her junior year, she hadn't gotten nervous about the exams or essays or anything. Academics was simple for her, as easy as breathing. Being interrogated by two English people she had nearly hit…not so much.

Amy leaned back against the couch and crossed her arms. "Explain," she demanded. "What made you so angry that it nearly made you kill us?"

Alex let out a long breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding and bit her bottom lip. "Like I said, it's a long story."

"And as I said, we've got plenty of time," Amy reminded her, not changing her posture in the slightest.

Alex nodded and swallowed hardly. "Okay, if you insist. It all really begins when I was five. My parents…died and I was sent to live with my grandmother in Bristol."

"You don't sound English," Rory interjected.

Alex smiled and laughed a little. "Not the Bristol over here," she clarified. "I mean Bristol, Kentucky, population 2,200 last I checked."

"I thought you were from the south," Amy admitted. "Your accent is pretty hard to miss."

"Thanks," Alex said. "Anyway, it wasn't easy. My parents were really rich and according to their will, I would get my inheritance when I turned twenty-five. In the meantime, it would be under control of my grandmother and guardian, Carla." Rory and Amy noticed how Alex practically spat the name out and also caught a flash of hatred in her eyes.

"But Carla was hardly a satisfactory guardian," Alex continued. "She was a drinker - got kicked out of AA - partied until the wee hours of the morning, I'm almost positive she did pot, and she was absolutely greedy. Being in charge of my inheritance, she could do what she liked with it." On this, Alex cast her eyes down at her jeans and picked at a loose thread along the side. She didn't want to look at the pity in their eyes as she said this next part.

"She spent a lot of money on alcohol, drugs, whatever she liked." Alex grimaced and shifted a little in her seat. "I hated her. She never hit me or abused me like some kids that I went to school with were, so in that way I was lucky, but we still resented each-other. The thirteen years I lived with her were hell, total hell.

"I mainly focused on my schoolwork, telling myself that if I got a first-class education, I'd be much better off. I did extra-credit hours for my freshman and sophomore years until my guidance counselor insisted it wasn't healthy for me to be working that much at my age. During my senior year, I found out that I got accepted to my first pick college, Octavian University, the best college outside of the Ivy League."

Rory perked up upon hearing this tidbit of information. "Wait, I've heard of that university," he said. "Wasn't there a big scandal a few months ago involving the dean or something?"

Alex swallowed and nodded stiffly. "Yes, there was," she said sourly. "I flew off to Vegas and was at Octavian for a few months when the scandal occurred. I had gotten a full-scholarship along with nine other students. The scholarship fund wasn't big so it was an absolute privilege to get in. The dean was in charge of it and it was his biggest responsibility."

Amy could sense the direction this story was taking. "Let me guess," she said quietly. "He misused the scholarship fund."

"You could say that. What no one knew was that the dean was cheating on his wife, sleeping with prostitutes and paying them off with money from the scholarship fund. He figured that no one would notice; thought that it couldn't be tracked back to him."

Rory shook his head. "Christ, for a dean of a big university, he wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer."

"That's one expression for him," Alex said. She decided not to tell them about all the names she had called Dean Forrester in her diary over the last few months. "Well, during tax season, the accountants discovered that the books on the fund didn't match up with what was really in the bank." Staring straight ahead, she said slowly "Dean Forrester had completely drained the scholarship fund. My whole future tossed out the window in favor of a bunch of sleazy, slutty Vegas girls with fake tans."

"But you sound so smart!" Amy cried. "Surely you could've stayed in!"

Alex shook her head. "I couldn't. Imagine it Amy; the university was totally _disgraced_. After all this talk about being better than the Ivy League, they were like Penn State, but worse! Plus, most of the kids who won the scholarship were from rural areas; they couldn't afford to attend the university anymore. Therefore, two weeks later, we were kicked out."

Amy was absolutely indignant. For God's sakes, Alex sounded so intelligent! Amy herself had heard a few things about Octavian and she knew it was a good school, equivalent to Harvard or Oxford. How could they kick her out for the sole purpose of embarrassment? "Couldn't you apply to another college?" she asked.

Alex sighed. "It was too late to apply to any other colleges. I figured that out pretty quickly and moved to Vegas. I got a job…at a club but I hated it. I decided that if I could get into my inheritance, I could get some tuition and apply to colleges when the new deadlines came out. I then called my parents' attorney and asked him to look into it."

"But it didn't work?" Rory asked. He knew the answer though; there wouldn't be any reason for Alex to be sitting here talking to them if she had gotten into her inheritance.

Alex shook her head, her long light brown hair swinging around. "No. It's impossible. Carla completely controls it and she rules over whether or not I can get any access to it before I'm twenty-five. I always knew that was the most-likely possibility, but I still hoped. However, after receiving a call from the lawyer saying that it didn't look so good, I simply gave up. I saw a documentary on TV a little while after that call about life in England so I thought what the hell? It wasn't like there was anything worth living for in America.

"So I packed my bags, got a plane ticket, and moved to London. I spent a lot of money sending my car over and I quickly discovered that not a lot of places in London are looking for girls who got kicked out of college. I've been staying in a hotel for the past few weeks. My car got here today and right after that, Carla called."

"What did she say?" Amy asked nervously, thinking about how angry Alex had been just a little while ago. Whatever Carla had said must've been enough to set Alex off into a case of road rage.

Alex clenched her jaw and her eyes narrowed slightly. In addition to them changing color, Rory and Amy both thought they were even freakier when they narrowed like that. It was literally like they were holding back a storm of rage that was just threatening to escape Alex's body and wreak havoc all over the parlor.

"Carla happily told me that there was no way I was getting my inheritance before I was twenty-five," Alex revealed. Her jaw clenched even tighter as she remembered the conversation that had taken place less than two hours ago. The glee in Carla's voice…it made Alex angry and upset all at the same time.

"She then started going on about how I was an ungrateful little lout who she took in out of the kindness of her heart." Alex rolled her eyes dramatically. "Please. We both knew the reason she took me in was to get her hands on all that money, pure and simple. When I pointed this out, she started yelling at me, accusing me of wasting all her money on frivolous things during my thirteen years with her."

"That cannot be true," Amy argued. In the hour she had known Alex, she could already tell that Alex was a person who would work for what she wanted and not grovel and beg for it.

"It's not," Alex said dryly. "I worked my butt off in high-school to earn my own money to pay for practice ACT tests, clothes, shoes, jewelry, books, anything that I wanted so that I wouldn't be forced to ask for it." Alex gazed off into the distance, deep in thought. "I'm pretty sure the only thing that I asked her for was a Barbie Dream House when I was eight. She shot that down, naturally."

"What happened next?" Rory asked hesitantly.

Alex remembered what she had been talking about before she had begun thinking about the disappointment her eight-year-old self had suffered when she hadn't gotten the only birthday present she had asked for. "Oh yeah," she blinked. "Well, I argued this, pointing out the jobs I held in high-school and how she abandoned me for weeks on end during her drinking and drug binges…and we started yelling at each-other."

Alex shook her head, remembering the conversation. She truly didn't want to relive it any more than she already had to. "You don't need a complete play-by-play do you?" she asked Amy.

One look at her tired eyes gave Amy her answer. "No, I think we get the picture."

Alex nodded, relieved, and leaned back into the couch, finally feeling comfortable enough to do so. "So in the end, she screamed that she was going shopping and that I was paying for it. I knew she meant my trust fund. Then she hung up." She let out a dry laugh. "She's probably in Lexington buying the most expensive Coach purses she can find right this minute.

"Anyways, I got furious and since I had my car, I decided to get away for a little while and…" Her voice trailed off and she smiled slightly. "You two know the rest. So there you have it. My Cinderella story that still doesn't have me wearing glass slippers and finding my prince."

There was silence for about five seconds before Amy quickly leaped up and dashed to Alex's side. Almost without warning, she threw her arms around her. "I am _so_ sorry about that," she said sincerely. She stared into Alex's surprised eyes and nodded quickly. "Really, I am."

"That goes for me as well," Rory added. He smirked at the two. "Though, unlike Amy, I'm not nearly as expressive about it."

Amy stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to Alex. "Seriously though, I can't believe you had to go through all that. Some of it I could quote from my own experiences but the rest I can't."

"I thought you went through something similar," Alex confessed. "Especially when you said your aunt used to leave you alone for hours on end while off drinking."

Amy sighed. "Yeah, that wasn't fun for a seven-year-old. Still, I was luckier than others. She didn't abuse me or anything. She's mostly pretended I don't exist unless I need something, which is never nowadays."

"Does she still live here?" Alex asked. "Rory said that she wouldn't be home."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, she hasn't been here for the past two weeks. Not that I care. It's technically my house now. She mentioned once that in my parents' will, I got the house when I turned eighteen." She then smirked. "And I'm nineteen now, so I can do whatever I want with it!"

Alex laughed. "It's a nice house," she observed, looking around the room again. "It reminds me of the house I lived in back in Kentucky. Carla spent a ton of money on a mansion on the outskirts of town. It's huge with two gables on either end. When I was a kid and still believed in fairytale endings, I would sit up in the gables and pretend I was Rapunzel right after her mean step-mother had chopped off all her hair, just waiting for her prince to ride up and rescue her."

"I know the feeling about fairytales too," Amy agreed. She gave a fleeting thought to the Doctor and how he had said her name was like a fairytale name when she was a kid, but she immediately pushed it aside. She was an adult now. The Doctor had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination she had dreamt up during her lonely childhood. He was as real as that prince that Alex mentioned.

Alex sighed and gently remover herself from Amy's embrace. "Well, you two wanted to know why I nearly ran you over," she said as she started getting up. "Now you know and you'll never have to see me again."

Rory and Amy simultaneously frowned and Amy yanked Alex back down. "Oh no, forget it," she protested.

"You're not going anywhere," Rory chimed in.

Alex stared at them. "What do you plan on doing to me then?" she demanded, her voice shrill. "Holding me hostage for ransom? I'll tell you right now, Carla will give you a fortune to keep me here." Of course, she was being sarcastic, but Amy and Rory still burst out laughing anyways.

"Nothing like that," Rory insisted.

"You're staying here!" Amy exclaimed. "I mean, you can't be living in a hotel for the rest of your life."

Alex felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for these two people she barely even knew but it was just as quickly replaced with a well-known feeling; pride. It was the same emotion that kept her up late studying for exams, the same emotion she felt when Lacey gave her an _old prom dress_ that had the pricey tags still attached, the very same emotion she had developed ever since she was five and her kindergarten teacher had tried to give her permission to not do the family portrait assignment, since she had lost her parents just a week before.

"I don't need charity," she said tightly as she tried to get up again but Amy yanked her back down.

"It is _not_ charity," Amy argued. "I'm going to help you find a job and you can pay rent if you like." Secretly, Amy didn't care if Alex laid around the house for the rest of her life, just as long as she wasn't living in a hotel out of a suitcase.

"I'll pay rent," Alex said quickly. "A hundred bucks a week," she offered.

Amy was thinking a much lower price than that. "Fifty," she said. "I don't need that much money."

Alex was tempted to raise the price again but after seeing the look on Amy's face and then glancing over to see the same one on Rory's, she decided not to challenge it. "Deal," she agreed, shaking Amy's hand.

"Great!" Amy chirped. She leapt up and pulled Alex along with her. "Come on. I'll show you around. Then, we can go to your hotel and get the rest of your things."

Alex smiled. "Actually, you won't have to. As soon as my car arrived, I put all my stuff in it. The hotel I was staying at was quite seedy and I didn't like leaving all my stuff lying around where anyone could steal them."

"That's brilliant!" Amy exclaimed. "Rory can unload it all for you."

"What?" Rory cried, but the girls ignored him and walked upstairs, chattering away.

Amy led the way into a hallway and waved her hand around. "There are five rooms up here. One's mine, one's Sharon's, two are bathrooms, and the spare is over there." She pointed to the door closest to the window at the end of the hallway, which sat right above a radiator.

Alex looked around the hallway and her eyes narrowed in confusion as she saw a door directly across the hall from the window. Amy had said there were only five rooms but that door led off to a sixth. "You're sure there are only five rooms up here?" she asked.

Amy nodded. "Of course! I've lived here since I was seven, so I'm pretty sure." Alex watched as Amy passed the sixth door without even a glance. It was as though Amy didn't even see it. She walked over and opened the door to Alex's new room. "Here you go. Check it out."

Alex walked cautiously past the mysterious sixth door and over to her new room. As she stepped across the threshold, she gasped. The room was gorgeous.

The walls were white and two windows on one wall overlooked the backyard. On one side of the room was a black iron framed bed with a white bedspread and purple pillows on it. A white nightstand sat next to it with a purple lamp on it. There were two empty bookshelves on the other side of the bed with a white desk and black swivel chair further down. A large chest of drawers sat next to the closet door and the middle of the room was dominated by a purple and white striped rug. It reminded Alex of her room back in Kentucky and also made her think how large and freeing the room seemed with the minimal decorating scheme.

Amy grinned upon seeing Alex's expression. She almost looked like a kid in a candy store. "Do you like it?" she asked. "It hasn't been redecorated in ages. I think we made it like this when I was eleven."

"I love it," Alex said sincerely. "It reminds me of my old room back in Kentucky. It was all purple and black and white and I would spend a little of my paycheck each week on one new thing for it because I was _obsessed _with decorating." Laughing at the memory, Alex trailed a finger on the soft white bedspread. "It's perfect. I'll be getting my money's worth."

"Glad to hear it," Amy joked. "My room's right next door." Disappearing from the doorway, Amy headed next door and Alex quickly followed her, something she found herself doing a lot of lately.

"Wow," Alex said as she looked into Amy's room. If her room was understated and minimal, Amy's was cluttered and screamed _look at me!_

The walls were blue, a deep brilliant shade of blue Alex had never seen before. She liked it immediately because it was so different and resolved to find something with that color for her room. Amy's wrought iron bed also had a white bedspread with little Christmas lights wrapped around the headboard. A desk sat in one corner of the room cluttered with what appeared to be an assortment of stuff. Curious, Alex wandered over.

"Um, none of that stuff is meant to be taken seriously!" Amy called nervously as Alex stepped closer to the desk. She stared in wonderment and curiosity at the clutter.

The first thing that caught her eye were some drawings. They were all of a little girl with red hair and a matching coat standing next to a man in ratty, tattered clothing. Alex looked over and found a paper-Mache doll of that man and girl, looking the same as they did in the drawings. In addition to the dolls, there were also little paper-Mache boxes painted that same shade of blue on the walls. Scribbled on them were the words POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX and Alex counted at least five on the desk.

She turned to look at Amy, who had an embarrassed look on her face. "What is all this?" she asked. "Should I be worried you have a ton of drawings of a man after a bear attack?"

Amy giggled at Alex's assumption of the reason for the tears on the man's clothing. "If you knew me when I was seven you would be," she admitted.

Alex smiled and picked up one of the blue boxes. "What's a police public call box?" she asked.

"It was a type of telephone booth for calling the police back in the fifties and sixties," Amy answered. "They used to be all over London, but not so much now."

"And you made these…why? Because you thought they were really cool?"

"In a way," Amy said vaguely. She let out a long breath and flopped onto the bed. "You'd think the truth is silly."

"No, I wouldn't," Alex insisted. She set the box back down and went over to sit next to Amy. Placing her hands in her lap, she gave Amy her best attentive face. "Come on, just tell me. It can't be that silly."

"You say that now." Amy sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She already knew that Alex wasn't going to let the subject drop so she decided to oblige her. If Alex thought she was a freak afterwards, it wouldn't be anything she hadn't heard before.

"Okay, one night twelve years ago, when I was seven, when Aunt Sharon was out bar-hopping, I was home alone thanking Santa for my Easter gifts." Seeing the quizzical look on Alex's face, she added "It's a British thing. I don't think they do that in the States. Anyway, I was also asking him to send someone to fix that." She then pointed to the opposite wall and Alex turned to see a huge crack.

"Holy crap," she breathed and she involuntarily shivered. She wasn't normally scared of anything but that crack just screamed menacing.

Amy nodded in sympathy. "I know. It scared the hell out of me when I was little. That's why I was asking someone to come and fix it. Anyways, as I was doing that, I heard this weird grating and groaning sound coming from the backyard. Right after that was a crash. Something had just broken the original shed." Amy smiled thoughtfully. "I raced to the window and saw a huge police box lying on its side in the place where the shed used to be. Being so clever, I threw on my coat and boots and raced outside."

Alex laughed. "If that had happened to me, I'd be calling the cops."

Amy laughed as well. "I know. Kids are so intelligent, aren't they? Well, after I got outside, I could see that the box was on fire on the inside. There was a bunch of smoke coming out of the doors. Right as I was thinking about going back inside, the doors suddenly flung open and that man in the drawings popped out, asking for an apple."

Alex blinked. "What?"

"I know, I couldn't understand it either. The man, whose name he told me was the Doctor, said something about cravings and how that was new and all that. I then asked him if he had come about the crack in my wall. Just as he was asking what crack, he fell to his knees and…this weird light came out of his mouth."

Alex frowned, trying to visualize Amy's words. "What, like a flashlight kind of light?"

"No, no," Amy shook her head. "It was like this little orange glowing wisp of light. It disappeared a few seconds later. I asked him what was going on and he said he was still cooking. He then asked me if it scared me and I said no, it was just weird, but he really meant the crack."

Alex shook her head. "He would've scared me when I was a kid. We kept a pistol in the dining room sideboard and I knew how to shoot it when I was only seven years old. I probably would've shot him if I were you."

"Good things are a bit different in Leadworth than in Kentucky," Amy joked. "But he didn't seem scary to me. A little bit mad maybe but not scary."

Alex nodded, although she couldn't really see a difference between being insane and being scary. "Okay, so what happened next?"

"Well, he told me his name was the Doctor and that I was not to ask stupid questions or wander off." Amy rolled her eyes. "As if I would wander off, it was my own house! Right after that, he walked into a tree." Alex snorted. "Yeah, he said the steering was a bit off."

"Good lord," Alex said. "It sounds as though he wasn't physically in control of his body. Kinda like he was a toddler learning how to walk."

Amy's eyes brightened. "That's it exactly! I've never been able to come up with a good comparison but that's a great one! Well, since he was still muttering on about cravings, like a good little girl, I let him into the house and gave him an apple." She then made a face. "He took one bite and spat it out onto the floor."

"If he did that with me, I would've smacked him," Alex declared.

"Wait, it gets worse. So, after I reminded him that he said he loved apples, he said that they were rubbish. He then requested - no, _demanded_ - yogurt. He spat that out too."

"Jesus," Alex cried disapprovingly. "Did he not remember what he liked or something?"

"Or something," Amy said dryly. "He said it was a new mouth, new rules." Amy leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I can't remember every single thing I gave him that he spat back out but I do remember the final thing. After I tried to give him carrots, he started rummaging around in the refrigerator, muttering he knew exactly what he needed."

Alex sat up straight and bounced a little in anticipation. "What was it?" she cried eagerly.

Amy prepared herself for the disappointing look on Alex's face. "Fish fingers and custard."

Alex blinked. "Huh?" What kind of food was that?

"I think you call them fish sticks in the States," Amy said. "As for the custard, it's the same."

"So, you're telling me, that this man actually ate fish sticks with custard? That that, out of everything you gave him, was the one thing he didn't spit back up?" When Amy nodded, Alex shook her head, eyes wide. "Now I know you must be joking."

"I wish I was about that," Amy answered. "It _is _a disgusting combination."

"You can say that again," Alex muttered. "Go on then. What happened next?"

"Well we were eating at the table and the Doctor asked me my name and I told him. He said he liked it, that it was a fairytale name." Alex flashed back to their conversation about fairytales and not having faith in them anymore. She wondered if that encounter with the Doctor made Amy that way. But she realized Amy was still talking so she tuned back in.

"…asked where my parents were, that we should've woken them by now, and I told him I didn't have a mum and a dad anymore, just an aunt. When he asked where she was, I said she was out. He looked appalled at the thought that she had left me all alone and said so. I told him I wasn't scared and he said of course I wasn't. And if I wasn't scared of him, then it must be a pretty scary crack in my bedroom."

Alex was pleased at the thought of this Doctor disapproving of Amy's aunt. She certainly felt the same way, having grown up with an American version. "Did he ask about…your home life?" she said uncomfortably.

Amy shifted slightly. "No, he didn't ask and I didn't volunteer. I'm sure he guessed it though, or at least had a hunch. I mean, what reasonable explanation is there for leaving a seven year old all alone at eleven thirty at night?"

_None_, Alex thought but she knew it was a rhetorical question so she didn't reply. "So, he looked at that crack," she guessed, nodding her head at the aforementioned crack. "What'd he say about it?"

Amy grinned. "Now, here comes the weird part. There were these voices coming through the crack and they kept saying _Prisoner Zero has escaped_. I'd grown up hearing them so this wasn't a surprise. But then he used this weird metal tube thing to open the crack up. He said that if I knocked the wall down, the crack would still be there because it wasn't in the wall."

"Where was it then?" Alex asked.

"It was a crack between two points of time and space," Amy said, her voice grave.

"But that's not possible," Alex said slowly. She thought over that physics book she had read one summer and tried to recall if it said anything about cracks in the universe. She was pretty sure it hadn't and that there were no such things. "There cannot be a crack in the universe. It's physically impossible."

Amy shrugged. "I'm just going by what he said. I don't really understand it either, to be honest. Anyway, he opened up the crack and we were staring into this big black hole. Then this _huge_ eyeball appeared and said _Prisoner Zero has escaped_. It then closed and as it was closing, this little beam of light shot out and flew into the Doctor's pocket. He pulled out a wallet, something he called psychic paper, and on it was _Prisoner Zero has escaped_."

"So, that eyeball was what?" Alex tried to figure out what that eyeball could possibly be and why it kept blabbering on about an escaped prisoner. "Was it a guard in some kind of prison?"

Amy looked surprised that Alex had deduced this so quickly. It certainly spoke volumes about her intelligence level. "Yeah actually," she said. "You're good at this."

Alex smiled. "Years of cramming knowledge into your head, you tend to gain a few deducting skills. Comes in handy on tests you barely studied for. Anyways, what'd the Doctor do?"

Amy was pleased that Alex seemed to believe her. It had taken forever for Rory to believe her and even then, he was still skeptical. "The Doctor started muttering on about why the guard kept telling us that and then he said that maybe Prisoner Zero had escaped through the crack."

"Wouldn't you two have noticed?"

"That's what he said. Suddenly, he stiffened and ran out of the room. He paused in the hallway and seemed to look at something at the end of the hallway," Alex immediately thought about the door that Amy didn't seem to notice, "and he said something about being in the corner of his eye. All of a sudden, there was this loud clanging noise and he raced down the stairs yelling _no, no, no_ over and over again. We ran back out to the blue box and he started climbing back in, saying something about the engines phasing."

_But boxes can't have engines,_ Alex thought, _unless…_ "That blue box wasn't just a blue box, was it?"

Amy nodded enthusiastically. She was glad that Alex could keep up with her. It was pretty refreshing having somebody immediately believe her and guess what she was going to say before she said it. "No, he said it was…a time machine."

Alex blinked, shocked. A time machine?! She had always believed that time machines were just works of science fiction, like the DeLorean in the _Back to the Future_ movies or Hermione's Time-Turner in _Harry Potter_. But if Amy was to be believed (and truthfully, Alex did believe her because no one had the imagination to come up with a story that crazy) time machines weren't just a concept of science fiction movies and books and a possibility in the world of quantum physics. They were real.

"So…the Doctor, for whatever reason, crashed the time machine in your backyard that night and it started malfunctioning," Alex summarized. "Okay, then what?"

"He said that he wouldn't have a time machine much longer if he couldn't get it stabilized. A five minute hop into the future should work, he added," Amy continued. At this, sorrow and slight resentment filled her eyes and Alex couldn't help but dread the words to come out of her mouth next. "I asked if I could come with him, because I couldn't imagine a time machine really being in my backyard. He said it wasn't safe, which I guess is true considering it was still smoking and everything…" She trailed off, clearly caught up in what happened next.

Alex reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey," she said. "If it's too painful for you to talk about, you don't have to tell me anything else."

Amy's shoulders quaked with silent laughter. "No, I'm fine," she dismissed, although they both knew she really wasn't. "Really, I can talk about it. You are one of very few people who haven't called me crazy upon hearing this."

"Because you aren't," Alex insisted. She knew that something had happened to Amy that night when she was seven and if this was what Amy said happened, then that was what happened and Alex would accept it and not judge her.

"Thanks," Amy said, her gratitude filling her voice. "Anyway, he said I couldn't come with him because it wasn't safe. He told me to give him five minutes and that he'd be right back." Amy leaned back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I told him people always say that, because it is the truth. Aunt Sharon would say it to me before she would go out on drinking binges and I wouldn't see her for hours, a couple times days."

Alex's heart sank for her new friend. She truly wished that the Doctor hadn't done what she was sure he had done. "And what did he say?"

Amy smiled slightly. "He jumped down and asked me if he was people, if he looked like people. Makes sense, since he had a bloody time machine. He then told me to trust him, because he was the Doctor." Alex didn't say that that seemed like a pretty weak reason for someone to trust you but she hadn't been there that night, so who was she to judge?

Amy sighed. "Then the Doctor hopped into the time machine, shouting _Geronimo _all the way down."

Alex's head dropped to her chest in disbelief. "He really said _Geronimo_?" she repeated, her voice expressing more disgust than it had when she learned the Doctor had eaten fish fingers and custard.

"That's what I heard," Amy confirmed. "Then there was that wheezing, grating noise again and the box started fading in and out, fading a little more until it was completely gone. The second it left, I raced upstairs and packed a little suitcase and ran back outside to wait for him." Amy stopped talking and fell quiet.

Alex felt her heart sink even lower than it had before. Damn the Doctor! How could he destroy a little girl's hopes like that? "He didn't come back, did he?" she said quietly.

Amy shook her head and Alex could've sworn there were a few tears in her eyes. "No," she confirmed. "I stayed out there waiting all night for him, so long that I fell asleep and woke up the next morning to hear Aunt Sharon screaming about the shed being broken. I tried to tell her about the Doctor but she dismissed it as childish notions and figured the shed fell down due to termites."

"Did you tell anyone else about the Doctor?"

"Oh yes," Amy winced. "I told _everybody_ about him. All the adults were convinced I was crazy and I was sent to a grand total of four psychologists."

Alex's eyes widened. "Four?" she repeated. "Why so many?"

Amy looked a little embarrassed. "I…uh, kept biting them because they said the Doctor wasn't real." Alex chortled at this and fell back laughing. Amy attempted to glower at her but she kept smiling.

"It's not funny," she said in a supposedly cross manner but the smile on her face completely ruined her intentions. Alex kept laughing and eventually, Amy was forced to laugh along with her. "Okay, maybe it is a _little_ bit," she conceded.

"Freaking hilarious actually." Alex sat back up and crossed her arms over her chest. "So the Doctor hasn't come back at all? That's pretty low of him."

"Maybe so," Amy admitted, "but I've grown up since then. For all I know, I just imagined him due to suffering a lonely childhood for so long."

Alex frowned. She highly doubted that the amount of drawings and dolls on the desk was created from a lonely imagination. They had seemed so real and detailed. Alex was sure that this Doctor was real and that Amy had met him that night. But if Amy wanted to pretend that that event never happened, then it was her business.

Amy sighed and then jumped off the bed. "Okay, enough with my crazy childhood ramblings. Let's go get your stuff. I've known Rory long enough to know that it'll take him days to get all that stuff to the door, let alone the second floor."

As Amy dashed out into the hallway and hurried down the stairs, Alex lingered and walked over to study the crack in the wall. Tracing it lightly with her fingernail, she couldn't help but think of how an alien prisoner (because it _had_ to be an alien prison, right?) could escape through the crack into Amy's house. And if that had taken place twelve years ago, where was Prisoner Zero now?

Alex shrugged and stepped back from the crack. Despite Amy's story of the crack having been closed, she still felt a little wary towards it. She made a mental note to stay away from it and went out into the hallway to go and help Amy and Rory. But as she headed towards the staircase, she stopped at the door at the end of the hall and stared at it.

There was no mistaking she could see it. There was also no mistaking that there were six rooms on this floor and Amy had said there was five. Maybe she didn't count this room? Maybe it was a storage closet or something. Knowing she wouldn't be satisfied until she looked, Alex reached out and turned the knob.

Cautiously entering the room, Alex looked around. The room didn't appear to be in use. Actually, it looked as though it had never been used. The wallpaper was gray and peeling, dust and dirt covered the floorboards and several crates, and gray painter's canvas was stretched out in various places. The room seemed big enough to double as another bedroom or a small study if a responsible adult actually lived in the house. Alex couldn't help but wonder why it had been sealed off.

Alex stepped into the center of the room and looked all around. She wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly, just that she was looking for something. She felt a weird prickling sensation at the back of her neck, warning her about something, and she whirled around only to see…nothing. There was nothing there.

But there was something in this room. She could _feel _it. But whatever it was, it didn't want to be seen. Was it Prisoner Zero? Had he been hiding in here all these years, making the room invisible from Amy so she wouldn't guess he was here?

Alex bit her lip and quickly whirled around again. She couldn't see anything but she just knew that Prisoner Zero was here. "Listen up Prisoner Zero," she suddenly called, surprising herself. "I know you're here and I know that you've done something with this room to make sure Amy doesn't notice it."

Alex's voice was powerful and commanding, something she had only found herself capable of doing when she was threatening somebody from doubting her, in the past usually a boyfriend or a rude patron at the diner she had worked at. "I don't care whether or not you escaped from prison; that's your problem. What I do care about, however, is you being here in the same house with Amy for several years." Alex narrowed her eyes, even though she was currently facing an empty wall. "If you hurt her in any way, so help me God, I will kick your alien ass. Oh and the Doctor? He'll show up soon, I'm sure. I seriously doubt a man like him would allow an alien convict to wreak havoc on a human girl's house and mind."

She waited for some kind of sign from Prisoner Zero but she still didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Dismissing it that the alien (if there was one here) wasn't going to reply to her demands, Alex twirled on her heel and headed out of the room. Reaching for the knob, Alex looked around the room again. She still felt like that there was something in here that wasn't good. It wasn't much to go on, but Alex knew that there was something in this room that was best not let out.

She turned the lock on the knob and pulled the door behind her. Hopefully, Prisoner Zero couldn't work a simple lock. She leaned against the door, slightly winded by what she had just done, when Amy's voice rang out from downstairs. "Alex! What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"

It took a moment for Alex to find her voice. She swallowed and called back "Yeah! I'm coming!" She straightened up and headed towards the stairs but paused on the top step to turn around and look at the sixth door. There was something in that room that Amy didn't know about. Somehow, Prisoner Zero, if he was really in there, was making sure Amy couldn't see the room. But that brought up another point. How come Alex herself could see it?

Shrugging, Alex started down the stairs again. Asking herself these questions wouldn't lead anywhere and she needed to help Amy and Rory anyways. But as she walked down, Alex resolved to keep an eye on the sixth door, just to be safe.


	2. The Eleventh Hour Part 1

Alex rolled back and forth in the swivel chair, flipping through the pages of the latest Jess Walter novel. She had started it this morning and she was already halfway through it.

It had been two months since she moved in with Amy and already, she, Amy, and Rory were the best of friends. Amy had quickly helped her get a job at the Leadworth Public Library and after Alex's first day, they shared a bottle of scotch and traded stories of their lives up to that point. Amy had confessed about how she had once done gymnastics tricks to impress a boy and had ended up spraining her ankle. Alex had told her about her friends back in Bristol and about how she had once eaten nothing but Hershey bars and Diet Coke for a solid month when she was a freshman.

Rory was great fun too. When she wasn't hanging out with Amy, Alex tagged along with Rory at the local hospital. Alex loved teasing him about his huge crush on Amy and Rory let her, calling her the little sister he never had. In fact, Alex had once advised him of where to take Amy on a date. It was a huge success and Alex and Amy had spent that night dissecting every single word Rory said, trying to find hidden meanings within them.

It had been a long time since Alex had done that. Back in Bristol, her best friend was Lacey. She and Lacey would spend countless days gossiping about boys they thought were cute, teachers they hated, and Lacey would gave Alex the complete Fashion 411 whenever she got a new magazine. Alex remembered skipping school with Lacey on boring pep rally days and going to Lexington to window-shop while sipping spiked pink lemonade.

After she had moved to Vegas, she still called Lacey regularly, but it wasn't the same as actually hanging out with her. There were a few girls in her classes at Octavian that were nice. One had even invited Alex to a sorority party that wasn't half bad. But at Octavian, she had been all about studying and hadn't had the time to make close friends. But after the scholarship scandal broke out, there had been more than enough time, not that Alex could find the time for socializing what with trying to figure out her next move.

But now, she finally had friends she could confide with, laugh with, and tease each-other with. All of them accepted each-other's faults, such as Alex's failure to cook or bake anything edible that didn't originally come from the frozen food section at the grocery store or Amy's partial belief in the Doctor that she tried to hide as much as possible. Even Rory was respected despite the fact that could not change a single light-bulb in Amy's house, try as he might. It was great and thrilling and Alex couldn't ask for anything more.

Well, there was one thing she wouldn't mind. That would be for Amy and Rory's friend Mels to fall off a cliff. After one meeting, Alex and Mels quickly discovered that they did not get along at all. Part of this was to blame on the fact that Mels took Alex's car on a joy ride and got a scratch on the hood. The other part was that Alex had attempted to tackle her to the ground after she discovered this, only to be held back by the combined efforts of Amy, Rory, and Amy's friend Jeff. Now, whenever the girls saw each-other, they would hurl insults at one another until either Amy or Rory grew aggravated enough to separate them.

Alex shrugged and flipped a page. Concentrating on that wasn't healthy and besides, Mels was off in Greece on some backpacking trip. She didn't have to worry about Mels for a good month.

As Alex sat twirling and reading, the chorus to a Rascal Flatts song started playing. Had the library been crowded, Alex would've been mortified. But this was Leadworth and Alex was quickly grasping the fact that Leadworth was not a busy town. Most people stayed home and watched _EastEnders_ and drank tea than experienced a social life. In other words, the library was completely empty.

Putting her book down, Alex grabbed her cell phone and took a quick glance at the caller ID before answering. Ever since she moved here, the only people who called her were Amy and Rory. Rory was currently working a shift at the hospital so that only left Amy. "Hello?" Alex chirped.

"_Alex?_" Instantly, Alex was on high alert. Amy's voice sounded worried and scared and Alex briefly wondered if Amy had finally noticed the sixth door. Over the past two months, Alex had kept an eye on it but nothing strange had happened.

"Amy? What's wrong?"

"_I-It's…I-I can't explain it!_" Amy cried nervously.

"Amy breathe," Alex drilled. "It can't be that bad."

"_It is Alex!_" Amy practically screamed. "_Look, c-can you just come home now? It's better if you actually see h-…__**it**__._"

_Well that's weird,_ Alex thought. Had Amy been about to say _him_? But who could she be talking about? Holy crap, what if it was the Doctor? Alex clenched the phone tightly. "Don't worry Amy. I'll be there in five minutes tops."

"_Okay, just hurry,_" Amy begged before hanging up.

The second she heard the dial tone, Alex was on the move. She grabbed her purse and flung her book and phone inside it and hurried out of the library. The good thing about being the only librarian in town was that she could make her own hours and come and go as she pleased. Upon reaching her car, she jumped inside, put her keys into the ignition, and raced off.

Alex sped past the village and the few people out today didn't even bat an eyelash. People were becoming quite used to Alex's car speeding past, en route to the library or home. Alex didn't notice this though, instead concentrating on keeping her foot on the gas pedal as she sped towards the house.

Reaching the house in a record five minutes, Alex switched the ignition off and looked around the front yard. Nothing seemed different but then again, appearances could be deceiving. Grabbing her purse, Alex jumped out of the car and dashed into the house.

"Amy?" she called, her voice echoing through the foyer. There was a loud "SHH!" and Alex quickly spotted Amy at the top of the stairs, dressed in her kissogram police woman outfit. That was weird. She wasn't scheduled to work again for two days and that was supposed to be as a nurse.

"Amy, why in the name of sanity are you wearing that?" Alex demanded as she walked up the stairs. Alex didn't think highly of Amy's occupation and had made that point clear when Amy had tried to convince her to become a kissogram with her.

"Keep your voice down!" Amy hissed. She grabbed Alex's arm and dragged her up the stairs to stand by the stair railing. "Look," she pleaded, cocking her head to the radiator down the hall.

Alex gave in and as soon as she saw who was at the end of the hall, her eyes widened and she stumbled slightly. She now understood Amy's panic on the phone and it was concerning exactly who she had suspected. Handcuffed to the radiator, unconscious, was none other than the Raggedy Doctor, as Amy had occasionally called him, looking exactly the way he did in all of Amy's drawings.

Alex found herself walking closer to him to get a better look, ignoring the desperate tugs on her arm from Amy. The Doctor had floppy brown hair and a pretty fit, if thin, frame. He was dressed in a blue button down shirt with several holes and rips in it, a loosened blue and purple striped tie, brown pinstriped pants, and white and brown Converse All-Stars. Alex shook her head at the fashion choice. What kind of person wore sneakers with what appeared to be suit pants?

"I know," Amy said behind her, misinterpreting the headshaking. "I can't believe it myself."

Alex let off a little snort but she was still entranced by the Doctor's looks. He had really good looking lips and his hair appeared to be perfect for running your fingers through. _God, he's hot,_ Alex thought appreciatively.

She jumped slightly. Whoa. Where did _that_ come from? Shaking her head, Alex straightened up and turned back to Amy. "Why's he handcuffed to the radiator?"

Amy cringed. "I panicked! I was just in my room reading and all of a sudden I heard all this shouting for me to get out of the house because Prisoner Zero was here. I peeked out, saw him, and grabbed the cricket bat I keep for self-defense. I just knocked him out and then called you. After I hung up, I got my handcuffs and handcuffed him to the radiator and changed into this."

"But why?" Alex asked. She really didn't get what dressing up as a policewoman would do.

"I need to know who he is and what he's doing here," Amy explained as rationally as she could. She gestured to her outfit. "What better way of doing that than pretending to be a policewoman?"

"We could try asking him like a normal person," Alex retorted. She loved Amy but she had to admit, she tended to choose the most complex option instead of simpler solutions.

Amy shook her head, knowing that Alex couldn't follow the logic in her head, and dragged her into her bedroom. Laid out on Amy's bed was an exact copy of her police woman outfit. Alex took one look at it and groaned.

"NO!" she cried adamantly. "No way, forget it, _I won't_."

Amy pouted. "_Please_ Alex!" she cried. "You have to admit, you're a little curious too."

Despite thinking that Amy's plan to pretend to be police women was completely stupid, Alex did have to admit that she had a point. She wanted to know why the Doctor had only just come back now and a part of her was curious about what lay underneath that hot exterior. _Alexandria Nicole, stop it!_

Groaning in defeat, Alex shrugged out of her gray sweater, skinny jeans, and black two-inch heels into the police woman outfit, which consisted of a white blouse, a short black skirt, a tie, and a vest. She opted not to put on the matching tights and quickly put her heels back on. Amy passed her a hat to tuck her hair underneath and once that was done, the two went back out into the hall.

Alex leaned against the wall while Amy leaned against the staircase banister opposite her. A few seconds later, the Doctor showed signs of coming around and Amy started talking into her pretend radio. "White male, mid-twenties, breaking and entering," she said as the Doctor opened his eyes. "Send us some backup, we've got him restrained." She turned to look at the Doctor. "Oi! You sit still."

Meanwhile, the Doctor grimaced slightly as he woke up. Oh God, his head was pounding…what the hell had he been hit with? His eyes traveled over to look at one girl leaning up against the wall across from him. She was dressed in a police woman's outfit which he mostly noticed had a _very _short skirt. His eyes traveled up her long legs all the way up to her eyes, where he blinked in surprise. The girl's eyes seemed to change color; one second they were brown, the next they were light green.

Alex bit her lip self-consciously as she saw the Doctor looking at her. She didn't know what was running through her veins at the moment, but she was pretty sure she hadn't taken some intoxicating substance that made her want to reach down and kiss the hell out of this man. Once she saw him looking at her eyes in surprise (trust her eyes to always attract attention), she smirked coyly at him and giggled slightly.

The Doctor wasn't sure if he should stop staring at the girl or not. She was quite pretty after all. He was a little surprised by her eyes but he actually liked it. It was unexpected, a lot like him. He looked at her in surprise and blushed slightly as she smirked at him and then giggled. His blushing got harder, which only made her giggle more.

Meanwhile, Amy stared at her friend in surprise. She had known Alex for two months and already, she knew that Alexandria Nicole Locke was _not_ a giggler.

Suddenly, the Doctor groaned. "Cricket bat," he said, his face flashing with a mixture of pain and confusion. "I'm getting cricket bat!"

"You _were _breaking and entering," Alex pointed out.

The Doctor glanced at her again and started to get up only to be yanked back down by the handcuffs. He whirled around in surprise and tugged on them, but to no avail. Alex rolled her eyes. He had broken into Amy's house. Of course he was going to be restrained!

"Oh that's much better," he said, turning back to face the two young women now. "Brand new me, knock on the head, just what I needed!" Alex shook her head. She was certainly starting to see the insane side that Amy had mentioned.

Alex shrugged. "And here I was thinking that all we needed was some fish fingers and custard."

The Doctor looked at her with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. "How'd you know that?" he asked, incredulous. Alex only shrugged.

Amy turned to glare at her and then the Doctor. "Do you want to shut up now?" she snapped to both of them. "I've got back-up on the way."

The Doctor quickly stared at them, just now realizing what they were wearing. "Hang on, no, wait…you're policewomen."

"And you're breaking and entering. You see how this works?" Amy scoffed. Alex let out a little snort and waltzed over to the staircase banister, hopping up on it so she could better observe the scene.

"But what are you doing here? Where's Amelia?" the Doctor asked worriedly. He looked around the girls, as if waiting for her to pop her head out of a doorway.

Alex saw Amy's back stiffen. "Amelia Pond?" Amy repeated, surprise and shock evident in her voice. Alex couldn't blame her friend for being so surprised; up to today, Amy had occasionally thought the Doctor was a figment of her imagination and now she was realizing her imaginary friend really wasn't so imaginary. It was probably a lot to take in.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied. "Little Scottish girl, where is she? I promised her five minutes but the engines were phasing." Alex shook her head. He must be a great driver. "I suppose I must have gone a bit too far." _Oh, you think?_ Alex thought, slightly miffed. "Has something happened to her?"

"Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time," Amy told him stiffly. Alex considered this choice of words. It was kinda true; Amy had once mentioned that she started calling herself Amy not long after the Doctor left. Still considering this, Alex hopped down from the banister to stand next to her friend, subtly bumping her shoulder to let her know she was there.

"How long?" the Doctor demanded.

"Six months," Amy automatically replied. Alex's eyes widened and she turned to stare at Amy in shock. What the hell?! Why would she say six months when it had really been twelve years?

Luckily for her, the Doctor didn't notice her surprised look, as he was caught up in what he believed to be the current date. "No, no, no!" he shouted. "I can't be six months late! I said five minutes. I promised."

Amy walked down the hall a little while Alex remained standing in front of the Doctor. She looked at him with slight pity, slight annoyance. She figured that he felt bad for not arriving in five minutes time but she was still annoyed with him for breaking her best friend's heart. Honestly! Amy's seven year old self had been crushed!

The Doctor looked over at her, suddenly registering she was now the one standing in front of him. "What happened to her?" he asked her. "What happened to Amelia Pond?" Alex didn't say anything and bit the inside of her lip to keep from blurting out the truth. Honestly, Amy and her ridiculous schemes…

She then realized that Amy was talking into her pretend radio again. "Sarge, it's me again. Hurry it up; this guy knows something about Amelia Pond." Alex sighed and crossed over to the wall next to the Doctor. She could just tell that today was going to be very long and very draining on her mind.

* * *

"I need to speak to whoever lives in this house now," the Doctor demanded a few minutes later, after he and Alex had listened to Amy chatter on into her 'radio'.

"I live here," Amy declared.

"_We _live here," Alex corrected, gesturing between her and Amy.

"But you're the police," the Doctor argued. Alex frowned. What, just because they looked like police women, it didn't mean they could live here? Was the Doctor a little bit chauvinist?

Amy's eyes narrowed, most likely thinking the same thing. "Yes and this is where we live. You got a problem with that?" Alex bristled slightly at her friend's intense gaze. She had never seen her look so pissed off, except for that time when she had almost hit her and Rory, their first meeting.

The Doctor didn't even pause to consider this though. "How many rooms?" he said suddenly. Alex stiffened and pressed herself against the wall. She had a feeling on what was coming and she wasn't sure she was going to like it.

Amy blinked at him. "I'm sorry, what?" she cried. She looked over at Alex, who was suddenly focusing intently on something at the end of the hall. Good grief, her best friend was acting loony too!

"On this floor. How many rooms? Count them for me now."

"Why?" Amy questioned.

The Doctor looked at her seriously. "Because it will change your life."

Amy sighed and quickly said "Five." Without turning around, she pointed each door out, except for the one at the end of the hall. "One, two, three, four, five."

"Six," Alex and the Doctor interjected. The Doctor looked over at her in surprise. How did this girl know about the perception filter covered door? Alex caught his gaze and shrugged.

Amy stared at the two like they had officially lost it. "Six?" she scoffed.

"Look," Alex urged. She was starting to really become worried that Amy couldn't see the sixth door and that only she and the Doctor could see it. Why was that exactly?

"Look where?"

"Exactly where you don't want to look. Where you never want to look, the corner of your eye. Look behind you," the Doctor instructed. Amy frowned but upon an encouraging nod from Alex, did as he said. Turning around, she stared in shock at the door that up until this point, she never knew existed.

"That's…that's not possible," Amy stuttered. "How's that possible?"

"There's a perception filter round the door. Sensed it the last time I was here. Should've seen it," the Doctor reflected, slightly scolding himself.

Alex considered his words. A perception filter…well, based on the name, it was some kind of device that manipulated a person's sense of sight to make sure they didn't see something, in this case a whole room. But how could she see it? She shouldn't have been able to see it, just like Amy.

The Doctor looked over at her, wondering the same thing. He had noticed the girl stare at the sixth door without even looking out of the corner of her eye. How could she see it? Whoever she was, this girl must be pretty smart.

Alex turned to him, a slightly indignant look on her face. "Yeah, you really should've seen it! I'm able to see it and I'm not some weird, intelligent alien like you obviously are!"

"How'd you know that?" the Doctor demanded, his eyes widening. Good lord, who _was_ this girl? She was whip-fast smart, smarter than him maybe!

Meanwhile, Amy hadn't even noticed their interaction, otherwise she probably would've told Alex to shut up about now. "But that's a whole room!" she blurted out, still staring at the door. "That's a whole room I've never even noticed."

"The filter stops you from noticing," the Doctor explained, turning to look at her back. "Something came a while ago to hide. It's still hiding and you need to uncuff me now!"

Amy ignored him, instead choosing to walk slowly towards the door. "I don't have the key. I lost it." She said this slightly trance like as she inched more towards the door.

The Doctor shook his head and looked at Alex hopefully. Alex shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, I'm American. They don't trust us," she joked.

"How could you have lost it?" the Doctor shouted, focusing back on Amy after Alex had let him down. "Stay away from that door!"

"Listen to him!" Alex begged. She had been in that room once and she knew that she wasn't meant to be in there a first time, let alone another time. "Do not open that door!" the two called together but Amy continued to ignore them.

Grimacing, Alex bit her lip. "She never listens to me," she muttered before storming down the hall to stand next to Amy.

"Not you too!" the Doctor groaned.

"Listen to me!" Alex cried as Amy grabbed the knob. "Do not open that…" Alex trailed off as Amy turned the knob and stepped inside. Alex figured that the Doctor must've gotten the door unlocked somehow before Amy knocked him out.

Alex winced and quickly followed her, ignoring the Doctor's protests. She wasn't about to let Amy go in there alone. Distantly she could hear the Doctor yelling "Why does no one ever listen to me? Do I just have a face that nobody listens too? Again…" _No, you have a pretty good looking face,_ Alex thought wryly before mentally slapping herself. _Focus Alexandria!_

Amy looked around the room just as Alex had a few months ago. As Amy studied the room, Alex looked for Prisoner Zero. She still felt like something was in this room even though she couldn't see it. Suddenly, the Doctor called out "My screwdriver, where is it?" Alex frowned in spite of herself. How could a man be thinking about tools at a time like this?

"Silver thing, blue at the end," he added. "Where did it go?" Alex quickly corrected herself. Okay, not a regular screwdriver then. Looking around the room, she spotted a strange silver and blue cylinder object lying in a bunch of black goo on one of the crates in the center of the room. She stepped closer and cautiously picked it up, being mindful of the strange black gunk.

"There's nothing in here!" Amy shouted over her shoulder as Alex continued to study the strange device.

"Whatever's there stopped you seeing the whole room," the Doctor called back. Alex could practically feel the exasperation in his voice. "What makes you think you could see it? Now, please, just get out!" Now, Alex could feel the worry and desperation in his voice.

"Silver, blue at the end?" Alex called out for confirmation of the device in her hand.

"My screwdriver, yeah," the Doctor confirmed.

"It's here," Amy told him, picking up the device from Alex's cupped hands.

"Must have rolled under the door," the Doctor mused.

"Yeah. Must have," Alex said, thinking out loud. "Then it must have jumped up on the table."

Outside, the Doctor's eyes widened. "Get out of there!" he cried. "Get out of there! Get out! GET OUT OF THERE!" Alex could hear him straining on his handcuffs.

She reached out and grabbed Amy's arm. "Come on!" she begged, trying to drag Amy towards the door. But Amy wasn't having any of it, as she continued to stand her ground and survey the room.

"What is it? What are you two doing?" the Doctor bellowed.

"Trying to leave!" Alex shot back at the same time that Amy called "There's nothing in here, but…"

"Corner of your eye," the Doctor reminded them. Taking this advice, Alex started to look out of the corner of her eye but she quickly caught a flash of gray move from her center line of vision.

"What is it?" Amy asked as Alex continued to follow the flash of gray right to behind Amy.

"Don't try to see it!" the Doctor cautioned. "If it knows you've seen it, it will kill you." _Oh well, that's comforting, _Alex thought sarcastically. "Don't look at it. Do not look…" The Doctor was cut off as Amy screamed, having turned around in time to see the creature. Alex peeked behind her and nearly screamed as well.

Prisoner Zero was _disgusting_. He looked like a giant gray worm, all slimy and wormlike. That was probably where the goop on the screwdriver came from. At the moment, he was snarling at Amy, allowing Alex to see several rows of sharp teeth in his mouth.

"Come on!" she cried forcefully, pulling Amy away from the creature and out into the hall. Alex paused long enough to slam the door behind them before racing down the hallway to stand beside the Doctor and Amy. Amy handed the screwdriver to the Doctor, who immediately pointed it at the door. A weird sound came from it along with the blue light flashing at the top and Alex stared at it, wondering what he was doing.

It took the Doctor a few tries to sonic the door as Prisoner Zero had clearly tampered with the sonic screwdriver a bit. "Oh, what's the bad alien done to you?" he cooed to the device. Alex's head dropped and she stared at him.

"Boys and their toys," she said, shaking her head at him. "Always the same no matter where they're from."

The Doctor looked up to smile at her and was pleased when she smiled back as well. God, she was cute when she did that. _Oh, what am I doing?_ The Doctor snapped to himself. This was hardly the time or the place to test out his new body's flirting skills. Luckily, he was pulled out of these thoughts by Prisoner Zero banging at the door. Alex silently cheered for having the sense to lock the door a few months ago and close it just now.

Amy stared at the door, terrified. "Will that hold it?" she asked quite seriously. Alex and the Doctor both turned to stare at her.

"Oh, yes, 'course!" he cried. "It's an interdimensional multiform from outer space, they're all terrified of wood!" The sarcasm was so evident in his voice that Alex couldn't resist adding "Yeah, they all have support groups every Tuesday night." The Doctor looked up from fiddling at his screwdriver to wink conspiratorial-like at her. Alex was about to wink back when she caught a bright flash of light coming from underneath the doorway.

"What's it doing?" she demanded at the same time as Amy asked "What was that?"

The Doctor turned to give Amy a dry look. "I don't know, getting dressed?" he answered Alex. He started fiddling even more with the sonic. "Run," he dismissed. "Just go. Your backup's coming, I'll be fine. Seriously, I'm fine."

Alex winced. "Yeah, there's no backup," she admitted.

The Doctor, eyes wide, turned to look at Amy. "I heard you on the radio," he said. "You called for backup."

Amy looked panicked. "It's pretend, it's a pretend radio," she admitted.

"You're policewomen," the Doctor said, more to himself than the girls. If they weren't policewomen, how the hell were they going to get out of this?

"We're kiss-o-grams!" Amy screamed, yanking her hat off and allowing her long red locks to tumble down.

Alex glared at her, indignant. "I am NOT a kiss-o-gram!" she cried, slumping down the wall next to the Doctor. "I'm a respectable librarian!" With his free hand, the Doctor reached over and knocked Alex's hat off, watching in amazement as her long light brown hair fell down and realigned itself.

"With a speeding problem," Amy added dryly. Alex was about to retort when the door at the end of the hall banged open to reveal an older man in a blue uniform with a Rottweiler on a chain standing there, growling at them.

Amy stared at them. "But that's just…" she breathed.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, it isn't. Look at the faces." Alex followed his directions and her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw that the dog wasn't growling; rather, the man was!

"What?" Alex screeched. She stood up and stared down at the Doctor. "I'm sorry, but what?"

The Doctor tossed her kiss-o-gram hat at her feet and turned back to the creature. "It's all one creature. One creature disguised as two," he explained. As Prisoner Zero stared at them, the trio stared back and the Doctor continued talking. "Clever old multiform. A bit of a rush job though. Got the voice a bit muddled, did you?" he called, slightly taunting the monster which neither girl thought was a good idea.

"Mind you," the Doctor continued, "where did you get the pattern from? You'd need a psychic link, a live feed. How'd you fix that?" All Prisoner Zero did was growl and stepped forward, baring his teeth a bit.

"Stay back!" Alex called sharply. Prisoner Zero turned and growled at her, a bit more menacingly than what he had been doing before, but stayed where he was.

"Good job," the Doctor complimented. "But why does it look like he hates you more than he does us?"

Alex winced. "I may have told him that if he hurt my friend here, I'd personally kick his ass." Now, Alex winced at her choice of words. Prisoner Zero was a freaking _space worm_. That would make ass-kicking a little difficult.

Amy gaped at her. "You knew that thing was here?!" she cried.

"Not exactly," Alex explained. "I knew _something_ was in that room but I didn't know what!"

The Doctor snickered a little but quickly grew serious again when Prisoner Zero started growling more again. "Stay," he warned. "Them and me, we're safe. Want to know why? She sent for backup!" He patted Amy's foot triumphantly but then Amy had to open her mouth.

"I didn't send for backup!" she whisper-shouted, quite loudly, in Alex's opinion.

"Yeah, I think he knew that!" Alex shot back.

"It was a clever lie to save our lives," the Doctor added. "Okay, yeah, no backup and that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we had backup, then you'd have to kill us."

"_Attention Prisoner Zero!_" a voice suddenly bellowed from outside, causing Amy and Alex to jump. "_The human residence is surrounded! Attention, Prisoner Zero, the human residence is surrounded!_"

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"That would be backup," the Doctor answered as Alex leaned over him to look out the window. She frowned. There was nobody outside. All she saw was grass, blue sky, and her car that's oil needed to be changed. Over her shoulder, she could hear the Doctor saying "Okay, one more time. We do have backup and that's definitely why we're safe."

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated,_" the voice suddenly announced, pretty much destroying that statement.

"Well, safe apart from, you know, incineration," the Doctor admitted, slightly sheepish. He pointedly ignored the sharp glare Alex gave him as she turned back around. She watched as the creature ducked into one of the bathrooms as the voice repeated its warning.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was trying to get his sonic screwdriver to work. "Work, work, work. Come on!" he growled. This seemed to do the trick as the sonic screwdriver started working and unlocked the cuffs for the Doctor. "HA!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

He jumped to his feet and ordered "Run! RUN!" Amy bolted down the stairs and the Doctor grabbed Alex's hand, dragging her down the stairs and outside to where Amy was waiting for them. Both of them ignored the way their hearts jumped when they had skin-to-skin contact.

The two raced out of the house and the Doctor released Alex to focus on sonicing the door shut. _You could've just turned the lock,_ Alex thought but didn't say. For all she knew, the sonic screwdriver had some extra locking mechanism on it. As soon as he was done, he turned around to look at them. Alex was standing in place, slightly giddy from the adrenaline rush the running had caused while Amy was standing next to her, arms crossed, looking like she had a million questions.

"Kiss-o-grams?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes," Amy admitted as Alex shrieked "NO!" Amy simply shook her head at Alex's response.

"Why'd you pretend to be policewomen?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"You broke into our house!" Amy cried, quite shrill, as she trailed behind the Doctor, who was suddenly racing towards something on the other side of the lawn. "It was this or French maids and Alex would've killed me had I made her dress up as that!"

The Doctor looked at Alex. "I'm assuming you're Alex?" he said.

Alex nodded and smiled. "The one and only," she chirped.

The Doctor looked at her outfit again and a smirk graced his face. "Lovely outfit Alex," he said, causing Alex to giggle again.

Amy ignored this though. "What's going on? Tell me! Tell me!" she demanded.

"An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house. Any questions?" the Doctor said distractedly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. He walked a little further and stopped in front of a large blue police box that was clustered behind a group of trees, explaining why Alex hadn't seen it when she drove up.

He stuck the key into the lock, twisting it every which way but no matter what he tried, the door wouldn't open. A distraught look fell upon his face. This went unnoticed by Alex and Amy though, who both screamed "Yes!"

"Me too," he added, dejected. "No, no, don't do that, not now! It's still rebuilding, not letting us in!"

Alex walked around him to study the box. She hadn't thought much of Amy's paper-Mache models back in her bedroom but now that she was seeing the real thing, she was quite impressed. "Wow," she breathed. "She's gorgeous. I approve."

The Doctor looked at her, both impressed and curious. "How'd you know the TARDIS was a she?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. She just feels like a she." Alex placed a few fingertips on the box and felt a slight humming noise beneath them. Apparently, the TARDIS liked her if that hum and the grin on the Doctor's face was any indication.

But the cute moment was broken up when the voice again shouted out "_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated!_" Alex and Amy turned around to look at the house and noticed that Prisoner Zero was now watching them from Amy's bedroom window. Amy immediately turned and grabbed the Doctor's arm. "Come on!" Amy ordered, dragging him away.

"Somebody could use a visit from Miss Manners," Alex said, snarky. It seemed that potentially dangerous situations didn't damage her sarcastic wit.

The Doctor didn't hear Amy though. He was quickly distracted by the shed sitting against a group of trees just a ways ahead. Alex inwardly grimaced and she was sure that Amy was doing the same thing. "No, wait, hang on, wait, wait, wait!" he cried, running over to it. "I destroyed that shed last time I was here, smashed it to bits."

"So there's a new one," Amy said, racing up behind him to drag him away and keep him from discovering the truth. "Let's go!"

"But the new one's got old," the Doctor argued. "It's ten years old at least." Studying it, he smelled the wood before running his finger along the side and tasting it.

Alex stared at him, horrified. "That is disgusting!" she shrieked. "You don't know where that wood has been!"

The Doctor ignored her. "Twelve years. I'm not six months late, I'm twelve years late." He walked over to Amy, a questioning look on his face and even more so in his eyes.

"He's coming," Amy pointed out. But Alex knew it was a meaningless distraction, proven when the Doctor said "You said six months. Why did you say six months?"

"We've got to go!" Amy argued, growing closer to losing her temper with each word that came out of her mouth.

"This matters," the Doctor persisted. "This is important. Why did you say six months?"

Amy officially lost it. "Why did you say five minutes?!" she screeched. The fake English accent she had been using around the Doctor was quickly dropped in favor of her natural Scottish one, effectively revealing she was really Amelia Pond, the girl who had waited twelve long years for the Doctor to return. Alex cringed, simultaneously watching Amy for another outburst and the Doctor's horrified and confused expression.

"What?" the Doctor said quietly as he stared at Amy, eyes wide.

"Come on," Amy urged.

"What?" he cried, a little louder this time.

"Oh, come on!" Alex cried, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the shed. "Is that all you can say right now? _What, what, what?!_"

"What?" the Doctor sounded again. Alex gave him a deep glare, startling him slightly into a small silence. He liked her eyes - at that moment they were brown again - but they were pretty threatening when she was angry. It reminded him of how some had said they could see the rage in his eyes when he was dealing with criminals or Dalek's or something; as though an entire storm was between the host and the unlucky receiver.

The trio raced past Prisoner Zero, who was now in the front doorway, and neither of them spoke until they were on the cobblestone walkway leading into the center of town. As soon as they were far away from the house, the Doctor stopped and turned to Amy.

"You're Amelia," he stated.


	3. The Eleventh Hour Part 2

"You're Amelia," he stated.

"I could've told you that Captain Obvious," Alex retorted, calmly walking alongside him. Despite everything that was happening, she was having fun. This was the craziest thing to happen to her since she arrived in Leadworth. Normally, she didn't go for crazy but with the Doctor, she somehow forgot about it and just went with the flow. It exhilarated her and slightly scared her but it didn't mean she wanted to stop.

Ignoring Alex's comment, Amy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her as far away from the Doctor as possible. "You're late," she told him coldly before storming down the road.

The Doctor raced to keep up with them. "Amelia Pond, you're the little girl."

Amy glared at him. "I'm Amelia, that's Alexandria, and you're late!" she snapped. Alex waved at the mention of her name and then grimaced as Amy pulled her along even faster.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, still racing alongside them.

"It's an interesting process Doctor," Alex said. "You see, it's called growing and sometimes, people change during it."

The two ignored her. "Twelve years," Amy spat.

"You hit me with a cricket bat!" the Doctor accused.

"Well, you did break into our house," Alex said. She was now jogging to keep up with Amy. Who knew she could walk so fast?

"Twelve years," Amy repeated.

"A cricket bat!" the Doctor copied.

"Twelve years and four psychiatrists!"

"Ow! Amy, Christ, that's my shoulder blade you're popping!" Alex cried, wrenching away from Amy's death grip. She returned to the Doctor's side, liking the jolt in adrenaline she got when she stood close to him.

"Four?" he questioned.

"This is freaking hilarious," Alex smiled.

"Alex, shut up," Amy told her.

"Well, it is!" Alex argued.

The Doctor kept staring at Amy and Amy bit her lip. "I kept biting them," she admitted, pointedly ignoring Alex's cackling.

The Doctor looked amused. "Why?" he asked, smiling.

Amy shrugged. "They said you weren't real."

"Told you it was hilarious," Alex chirped, prancing around them…

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated._" That weird voice rang out again, this time from the direction of an ice-cream van across the road. Alex stopped her prancing and raced over to it, followed closely by the Doctor and Amy.

"No, no, no, come on…What? We're being staked out by an ice-cream van?" Amy cried rhetorically as she stopped beside them.

Alex stared at the radio and then looked over at the vendor. "Hi Michael!" she greeted. "Why's it playing that? It's supposed to be Claire de Lune, right?"

Michael was cut off from replying by the Doctor. "What's that? Why are you playing that?" Alex was slightly alarmed to hear the fear and franticness in the Doctor's voice. The reason behind the metallic voice playing on the radio was probably not very good.

"Like I just said," Alex said, aggravated, "it's supposed to be playing Claire de Lune. From Debussy, I think."

The Doctor nodded and picked up the radio, holding it to his ear. "_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated. Repeat, Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated._"

The message repeated several more times and tired of listening to it, Alex looked around. She quickly noticed a jogger and a woman staring at their iPod and phone respectively in confusion. Alex tapped the Doctor on the shoulder and gestured over to them. "I think that message is playing on their devices as well."

"Good job Alex," he complimented. He dropped the radio back onto the cart and grabbed Alex's hand. He noticed that he felt a lot more complete touching her but dismissed it. It reminded him of how it had been with Rose and he did not want to repeat past mistakes. He leapt over a fence, something Alex surprisingly copied, while Amy ran around. The two entered a small house together to see an elderly woman in the living room, flipping through the channels on the TV. Each channel showed a giant eye repeating the same message over and over again.

"Hi Mrs. Delia!" Alex greeted, skidding to a stop.

The Doctor skidded to a stop next to her a few seconds later. "Hello! Sorry to burst in, we're doing a special on television faults in this area." He looked over at Alex and Amy's costumes, the latter having just entered. "Also crimes. Let's have a look." He went over and gently took the remote out of Mrs. Delia's hand.

"I was just about to phone. It's on every channel." Once she was through explaining, Mrs. Delia looked over at the two girls, addressing Alex first. "Hello Alex dear. How are the college applications going?"

Alex winced and the Doctor looked over at her. "Um…not so well. They won't offer full scholarships or anything I can afford." Over the last few weeks, Alex had decided to try and apply for a scholarship at one of the English colleges but she had quickly learned English colleges were a lot tougher than their American counterparts.

"Well, they are making an absolute mistake. You should be working as a CEO somewhere, not stuck working in a library all day." Mrs. Delia turned to Amy. "Hello Amy, are you a policewoman now?"

Amy shifted slightly. "Well, sometimes."

"I thought you were a nurse," Mrs. Delia said. Alex saw the Doctor raise his eyebrows.

"I can be a nurse," Amy said evasively. Alex pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Served Amy right for choosing such a ridiculous profession!

"Or, actually, a nun," Mrs. Delia accused.

Amy laughed nervously. "I dabble!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air.

Mrs. Delia shrugged, dismissing the matter. "Well, Amy, Alex, whose your friend?"

"Who's Amy? You were Amelia." The Doctor looked up from the TV to stare at Amy.

"Yeah, and now I'm Amy." The Doctor looked over at Alex, remembering how Amy had once called her Alexandria.

"And my full name is Alexandria Nicole Locke, but everyone calls me Alex," she supplied.

"Amelia Pond - that was a great name," the Doctor objected. "Alexandria Locke is a great one too."

"Bit fairy tale," Amy said, staring at the Doctor, eyes narrowed. Alex remembered the conversation about fairytales on the first day she and Amy met. No wonder Amy had changed her name. It reminded her too much of how the Doctor had left her.

"Personally, I just feel my first name is too long," Alex jumped in, trying to break the awkward moment.

Mrs. Delia didn't seem to hear the conversation, instead focusing all her attention on the Doctor. "I know you, don't I?" she asked. "I've seen you somewhere before." Alex instantly thought about all those drawings Amy had on her desk back in her room.

"Not me," the Doctor said happily. "Brand new face." Alex walked over to him and studied him. As he was saying "First time on," Alex studied his lips and flicked a lock of his hair. She smirked at him. "New face huh?" she said. Then, before she could stop herself, she added "Looks _really_ good. I approve. But the clothes are just another thing entirely."

The Doctor glared at her playfully and Alex simply giggled a little in reply. He surprisingly liked that he had her approval. He didn't know why it mattered so much for a girl he had only met twenty minutes prior to like his new body, but for some reason, it just did.

Amy gawked at them. What the heck? She had never seen Alex act around anyone the way she acted around the Doctor. It was almost freaky.

The Doctor reluctantly tore his eyes away from Alex to look at Amy. "And what sort of job's a kiss-o-gram?"

Amy cleared her throat nervously, not liking the direction this conversation was heading. "I…uh, go to parties and I kiss people."

"With outfits," Alex added.

"It's a laugh," Amy defended, shooting her a _shut up or die_ look.

The Doctor seemed to have the same type of attitude for Amy's job as Alex did. "You were a little girl five minutes ago," he stated.

"Twelve years actually," Alex corrected. "Time flies when you can't fly a time machine properly."

The two ignored her again, offending Alex somewhat, who went over to sit on the couch and pout. "You're worse than my aunt," Amy accused.

Alex shook her head. "I've met Sharon, Amy, and he cannot be worse than that old bat." Alex had had the unfortunate luck to meet Sharon one day shortly after she moved in. Sharon was drunk and had nearly thrown her down the stairs until Rory quickly arrived, having been alerted by someone who saw Sharon's car, and throwing Amy's wretched aunt out. Since then, Sharon had moved out of the house and both Amy and Alex were quite happy about having the place to themselves.

Amy tilted her head slightly, allowing this, as the Doctor said "I'm the Doctor. I'm worse than everybody's aunt." He then turned to Mrs. Delia. "And that is not how I'm introducing myself." The Doctor quickly got up and started to fiddle with a radio sitting on the fireplace mantel. Using the sonic on it, the group heard the same message about Prisoner Zero, this time in French and German, before the Doctor switched it off.

"Okay, so it's everywhere in every language," he deduced.

The dots started connecting in Alex's head. "They're broadcasting to the whole world," she said. Simultaneously, she and the Doctor raced over to look out a nearby window.

"What's up there? What are you looking for?" Amy asked. Neither of them answered, for all they could see was blue sky, green grass, and a bunch of people staring at their technological devices in confusion, wondering why a message about a prisoner was playing on it.

The Doctor pulled himself out of the window and started talking. "Okay, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core…they're going to need a 40% fission blast." Alex frowned and pulled herself out as well. That did not sound good.

As Mrs. Delia's grandson Jeff stepped through the door, the Doctor walked up to him, still talking. "But they'll have to power up first, won't they? So, assuming a medium-size starship, that would give us twenty minutes at most." He leaned in and got close in Jeff's face, amusing Alex. "What do you think, twenty minutes?" Then, still talking, he said to himself "Yeah…twenty minutes. We've got twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes to what?" Amy demanded.

The dots quickly connected to form a full picture in Alex's mind and she shivered nervously. Just as she was about to call out her thoughts, Jeff beat her. "Are you the Doctor?" he asked, awe on his face.

"He is, isn't he? He's the Doctor!" Mrs. Delia said triumphantly. "The Raggedy Doctor. All those cartoons you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor, it's him!" Alex started shaking with silent laughter from the embarrassed look on Amy's face and the stunned and amused expression on the Doctor's face.

"Cartoons?" the Doctor asked, bemused. He went and sat down on the couch, followed by Alex, who was starting to fall over from laughing so hard.

"Gran, it's him, isn't it? It's really him!" Jeff cried, moving to the side of the couch. This only served to fuel Alex who promptly burst into a bunch of mad cackling, the Doctor chuckling slightly along with her.

"Jeff, shut up!" Amy snapped. She pointed her finger at Alex. "You too missy!" Alex only laughed harder and clutched her side, leaning into the Doctor slightly. The Doctor didn't bother shifting away from her. "Twenty minutes to what?"

Alex suddenly stopped laughing upon hearing Amy ask this question. "The end of the world," she said in perfect sync with the Doctor. The Doctor looked in amazement at her, impressed with her for figuring this out so quickly, despite the fact that he had seen her do that many times already that day.

The Doctor quickly got up from the couch, pulling Alex up, and then, still holding her hand, walked out onto the streets of Leadworth, followed closely behind by Amy. "Where is this place? Where am I?" he asked Alex.

"Leadworth," she answered.

"Where's the rest of it?" he asked, swinging her hand.

"This is it," Amy called from behind them.

"Is there an airport?"

"No," the girls answered in union.

"A nuclear power station?" Amy snorted and Alex said "No."

The Doctor was getting desperate. "Even a little one?" he persisted.

"Nope," Alex said.

"Nearest city?"

Amy took this one. "Gloucester, half an hour by car."

"We don't have half an hour," the Doctor reminded her. "Do we have a car?"

"Back at the house but the oil needs to be changed," Alex said, shuddering when she thought about the Doctor driving her beloved 56. If he drove a car like he did a time machine…Alex forced herself not to think about that.

Amy caught her shudder and smirked. "And like Alex would let you anywhere near her beloved car."

"It is a classic Amy," Alex retorted.

"Well that's good!" the Doctor cried sarcastically. "Fantastic, that is. Twenty minutes to save the world and I've got a post office." He gestured to the building as the trio passed it. "And it's shut!" Alex was about to reassure him that he'd come up with something (she just had a feeling that he would) when his attention was distracted by something ahead of them. "WHAT is that?" he screeched, running towards a small pond.

"It's a duck pond," Amy said, slightly impatient.

"Why aren't there any ducks?" the Doctor demanded. Alex pondered on why he was asking this. Unless these aliens had a secret plot to make Earth ducks extinct, then this really didn't pertain to the matter at hand.

"I don't know!" Amy huffed. "There's never any ducks!"

"Then how do you know it's a duck pond?"

"Because it just is!" Alex jumped in, irritated that the Doctor was getting off-topic. "Is it important, a duck pond?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered, trembling slightly. "Why would I know?" Still shaking, he sat down on the curb and clutched his chest. Alex crouched down to him and looked at him worriedly. She sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know she was there. The Doctor looked over at her and grinned weakly. Alex's presence seemed to make him forget about the pain running through his still-new body.

"I'm not ready, I'm not done yet," he groaned as another flash of pain went through him.

"Just rest for a minute," Alex urged. The Doctor seemed to be willing to take this advice when the sky suddenly darkened. All three looked up.

"What's happening? Why's it going dark?" Amy asked nervously.

Alex racked her brain. She watched as the sun reappeared but it was now gray and flickering, like the screen to a black and white movie. "What's wrong with the sun?" Amy asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor said.

Alex finally came to a reasonable explanation. "We're looking at it through a force-field, correct?" she asked the Doctor, who nodded. He picked up from where Alex left off, knowing that she wouldn't know this information. "They've sealed off the upper atmosphere and now they're getting ready to boil the planet." The girls turned to stare at him in horror.

The Doctor stood up, supported slightly by Alex. He ignored the slight buzz he got when she was touching him, instead focusing his attention on several people standing around the small park where they were at. "Oh and here they come, the human race. The end comes, as it was always going too, down a video phone!" He said this last part with total disgust and Alex couldn't help but agree with him.

Meanwhile, Amy was breathing heavily. This day had already been so long and she wasn't sure if she could handle anything else. "This isn't real, is it?" she questioned. "This is some kind of big wind-up."

The Doctor stared at her, confused. "Why would I wind you up?"

"You told me you had a time machine."

"And you believed me," the Doctor reminded her. _Of course she believed you!_ Alex thought. _She was seven freaking years old!_

"Then I grew up," Amy said, pressing her fingertips to her temple.

"Oh, you never want to do that," the Doctor said gravely. "No, hang on, shut up, wait! I missed it!" He slapped his forehead, startling Alex.

She stared at him. "Good grief, are you bipolar or something?"

"I saw it and I missed it!" the Doctor declared, smacking his forehead again. He looked at Alex. "And it's or something. Now, what did I see? I saw…what did I see?" His voice trailed off and he stared into space for a few moments, evidently doing his own version of connecting the dots. Suddenly, his face brightened and he looked at the two girls.

"Twenty minutes. I can do it," he declared. "Twenty minutes, the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye or stay and help me."

"I'm in!" Alex said quickly. Of course she was in; she had been since she first saw the sixth door. She just hadn't known it until now. Meanwhile the Doctor grinned at her. He knew she was in, he could see it in her eyes when they first met. That just left Amy…

"No," Amy said bluntly, a split second after Alex had declared the opposite.

The Doctor and Alex blinked at her. "I'm sorry?" he said, surprised. He would've expected Amy to pitch in, as did Alex.

"No!" Amy cried, a bit louder. She grabbed his tie and started dragging him off towards a small parking lot next to the green. "No, no, no, no! Amy!" the Doctor protested along with Alex shouting "Amy what the hell are you doing?!" She dragged him next to a just-parked car, opened the backseat door, slammed his tie into it, and closed it. She then grabbed the key from the startled owner and used it to lock the doors.

"Amy! Have you lost your mind?" the Doctor demanded.

Amy ignored this though. "Who are you?" she demanded, ignoring the shocked owner of the car and Alex, who went up to stand right beside the Doctor. She started fiddling with his tie, attempting to take it off so he could get out. It was harder than it appeared though.

"You know who I am. I'm the Doctor," he tried. He moved closer to Alex so that she could work on the tie a little better. He studied her eyes, now a pretty topaz color, and noticed the tiny flecks of brown and green in them, the reason why they were constantly changing colors.

"No, really," Amy argued. "Who are you?"

"Look at the sky!" Alex snapped. "End of the world in twenty minutes!" She slapped the roof of the car in frustration as the tie seemed to tangle itself around her fingers. "Damn tie!" she screeched.

"Well, better talk quickly then," the Doctor mused to himself. Alex nodded in agreement, not taking her eyes off the tie.

"Amy," the owner of the car cut in. "I am going to need my car back."

"Yes, in a bit," Amy snapped impatiently. "Now go and have coffee." The owner quickly scurried off, deciding it was better to agree than to argue with a clearly pissed off Amy Pond.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the apple that Amy had given him. "Catch," he said, tossing it to her.

Alex looked over and watched shock appear on Amy's face as she studied the apple. What the heck? What did an apple have to do with any of this?

"I'm the Doctor," he repeated gently. "I'm a time traveler. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go now, everything you've ever known is over."

"I don't believe you," Amy insisted. The Doctor reached out and gripped her wrist.

"Just twenty minutes. Just believe me for twenty minutes. Look at it. Fresh as the day you gave it to me. And you know it's the same one." Now, Alex stopped fiddling with the tie and stood on tiptoe to get a better look at the apple. She could now see that it had a smiley face carved into it and she remembered Amy saying that her mom used to do that to get her to eat them.

Now, she jumped in. "Amy," she said softly, "believe for twenty minutes." Amy considered this and a second later, the door unlocked and Alex quickly freed the Doctor.

"What do we do?" she asked him.

He smiled at her. "Stop that nurse!" Then, grabbing her hand, they set off back across the green, Amy following alongside them. The trio approached Rory and the Doctor didn't hesitate in snatching his cell-phone. "The sun's going out and you're photographing a man and a dog, why?" he demanded, getting into Rory's face the same way he had Jeff just a little while ago.

"Hi Rory!" Alex chirped, bouncing up next to him.

"Amy? Alex?" Rory cried.

"Hi!" Amy greeted. "Oh, this is Rory, he's a…friend."

"Boyfriend," Alex and Rory corrected simultaneously. The two looked at each-other. "I seem to be doing that a lot today," Alex reflected.

"Kind of boyfriend," Amy said, looking at the Doctor to see what he thought.

"Amy!" Rory and Alex cried and Alex shook her head. Christ, the Doctor was hot but really, Amy was already involved with Rory! Sweet Rory! Meanwhile, Rory looked at Alex since they had just done another round of synchronized words. Wanting to break some of the tension in the air surrounding Amy's obvious attraction to the Doctor, Alex cried out "Jinx! You owe me a coke!"

"Is that an American thing?" Rory questioned.

The Doctor interrupted them though. "Man and dog, why?" he tried again.

Only then did Rory realize who he was talking to. "Oh my god, it's him!" he said, eyes totally wide.

Amy grimaced. "Just answer his question, please."

"It's him though!" Rory objected. "The Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor!"

"Yeah, he came back."

"But he was a story," Rory argued. "He was a game."

By this point, the Doctor was getting pretty impatient and quickly grabbed Rory by the collar, pulling him so their faces almost touched. "Man and dog-why? Tell me! NOW!"

"Sorry," Rory stuttered, surprised. "Because he can't be there. Because he's in a hospital, in a coma." This last part was said by the Doctor and Rory together and Alex couldn't help but think that this simultaneous repeating of words seemed to be a recurring theme today.

"Yeah," Rory said, rather unnerved.

"Knew it," the Doctor said triumphantly. "Multi-form, you see?" he continued, releasing Rory. "Disguise itself as anything, but it needs a live feed, a psychic link with a living but dormant mind."

Alex nodded, grasping this quickly. "And what better link than with coma patients?" she said. At that moment, the multi-form ahead of them snapped and snarled at the group. The Doctor walked a little closer, unconsciously putting himself right in front of Alex.

"Prisoner Zero," he greeted.

"What? There's a Prisoner Zero too?" Rory asked, incredulous.

"Yes," Alex answered.

At that moment, there was a loud electrical buzzing and the group looked up to see a large spaceship flying over the green. The spaceship was really a large eye, like the one on the TV in Mrs. Delia's house, and was swiveling back and forth, obviously searching for Prisoner Zero. The Doctor slid out his sonic screwdriver. "See, that ship up there is scanning for non-terrestrial technology. And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver."

He held the sonic screwdriver above his head and pressed a button, causing absolute chaos. A few nearby streetlights shattered, car alarms and sirens were going off everywhere, and people began shouting, demanding to know what was happening. Much to Alex's amusement, a fire truck drove off on its own, forcing several firemen to chase after it.

"I think someone's going to notice, don't you?" the Doctor grinned and Alex giggled again, attracting his attention. He smirked and winked at her. Alex happily winked back. This was so crazy but so fun at the same time. It was also an added bonus that the Doctor was part of it all.

Prisoner Zero barked, forcing the Doctor back to the task at hand. He lowered his hand and aimed the sonic screwdriver at a phone booth. The glass in the booth exploded and a split second later, the sonic screwdriver seemed to want to get in on the action as it promptly sparked and fizzed, causing the Doctor to drop it onto the ground.

"No, no, no, don't do that!" he cried as the ship went away.

"Look, it's going," Rory stated. _Look who gets an A+ for observation!_ Alex thought wryly.

The Doctor whirled around. "No, come back, he's here! Come back! He's here, Prisoner Zero is here! Come back, he's here! Prisoner Zero is…" Unbeknownst to him, the three humans watched as Prisoner Zero melted and disappeared down a storm drain.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, interrupting his pleas. "The drain! It just sort of melted and went down the drain."

"Well, of course it did," the Doctor huffed, now incredibly annoyed.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through her hair nervously. She watched as the Doctor just stared at the storm drain, defeat nearly visible in his eyes. She then looked over at Amy, who was still checking the Doctor out quite appreciatively. Alex made a mental note to talk about that with her later, and by talk, she meant lecture. Rory was still staring at the Doctor like he was a purple cow so Alex took it upon herself to take charge.

"Right!" she cried, forcing them to look over at her. "What do we do now? Because, frankly, I don't particularly want to get toasted to death! Especially not in this outfit," she added, taking a glance at her short skirt.

The Doctor eyed her legs for one brief moment, making Alex rethink her dislike of her outfit. "It's hiding in human form," he stated. "We need to drive it into the open. No TARDIS, no screwdriver, seventeen minutes. Come on, think. Think!"

A few minutes later, the group was staring at the storm drain. Amy shivered, creeped out. "So that thing, THAT lived in my house for twelve years?"

"He should've been paying rent," Alex observed.

"Multi-forms can live for millennia," the Doctor revealed. "Twelve years is a pit stop."

"So how come you show up again on the same day that lot do?" Amy quizzed. "The same minute?"

"They're looking for him but followed me. They saw me through the crack, got a fix," the Doctor explained. "They're only late 'cause I am."

"Aren't alien races supposed to be intelligent?" Alex muttered.

"What are you two on about?" Rory asked them. Alex was trying to figure out a way to answer but the Doctor jumped in.

"Now, sport, give me your phone."

"How can he be real? He was never real." It seemed to Alex as though Rory was also freaking out like Amy had just a little while ago. She only hoped that Rory wouldn't try and pin the Doctor in a car door. Frankly, she sucked at undoing knots of any kind.

The Doctor ignored his questions. "Phone, now, give me!" he demanded sharply. Rory reluctantly passed him the phone and turned to Amy.

"He was just a game. We were kids. You made me dress up as him!"

Alex snickered. "I would pay a ton of money to see that!" she cackled, teetering slightly on her heels.

The Doctor scanned through Rory's pictures of Prisoner Zero's many disguises. "These are all the patients?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"No, they're all the multi-form," he corrected. "Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero."

"He had a dog though," Amy pointed out. "There's a dog in a coma?"

Alex had already arrived to the answer though, so she took this one. "The coma patient dreams he's walking a dog, Prisoner Zero gets a dog." She looked to the Doctor, hoping for an approving statement, but he was thinking.

"Laptop!" he cried out suddenly. "Your friend, what was his name? Not him," he clarified, gesturing to Rory. "The good-looking one."

"Thanks," Rory said sarcastically, offended.

"Jeff," Alex supplied.

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh, thanks!" he groaned, a million times more insulted.

"He had a laptop in his bag, a laptop. Big bag, big laptop, I need Jeff's laptop. You two,"  
he said, gesturing to Amy and Rory, "get to the hospital, get everyone out, clear the whole floor." He then turned to Alex. "Ally, you come with me." Just before he dragged Alex off, she called over her shoulder "Phone us when you're done!"

As the two raced off in the direction of Mrs. Delia's house, Rory looked at Amy. "Did he just call her Ally?" he asked, wondering if he had imagined that part.

Amy nodded, just as shocked as he was. Rory had once called Alex Ally and had nearly gotten his head bitten off. Mels did on occasion too, just to annoy Alex, something that always worked and always ended in Alex being dragged away from Mels by either Amy or Rory.

"Wonder why she didn't snap at him," Rory mused. Amy shrugged and the two quickly focused on getting to the hospital.

At the same time, the Doctor and Alex ran into Mrs. Delia's house. Racing past the empty living room, the two burst into Jeff's bedroom. Jeff was lying on the bed with his laptop and looked startled to see the two there. Alex sat down at the foot of the bed, wrinkling her nose at a pile of dirty clothes, as the Doctor wrestled the computer away from Jeff.

"Hello. Laptop, give me!" The Doctor grabbed the laptop and tried to pull it away from Jeff but Jeff wasn't having any of it, if the iron-tight grip on it was any indication.

"No, no, no, no, wait, hang on!"

"It's fine, give it here." The Doctor succeeded in getting the laptop from a mortified-looking Jeff and sat down next to Alex. However, the two looked at the screen only to jump in horror.

"EW!" Alex screamed, covering her eyes. The Doctor shook his head and immediately set to work closing the interesting sites on Jeff's computer. "Blimey! Get a girlfriend Jeff!" he cried, typing rapidly.

The door opened again and Mrs. Delia walked in. "Gran," Jeff complained, staring up at the ceiling in exasperation.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Delia asked politely.

"The sun's got wibbly, so right now, somewhere out there, there's going to be a big video conference call." He answered this as he was still typing, not even bothering to look up. Alex peeked over his shoulder to see a bright blue screen with computer symbols running down it. "All the experts in the world, panicking at once, and do you know what they need? Me." He looked up long enough to express a very smug look before turning back to the computer. "Ah, and here they all are. NASA, Jodrell Bank, Tokyo Space Centre, Patrick Moore."

"Ooh, I like Patrick Moore," Mrs. Delia exclaimed.

Alex nodded in agreement. "An absolute genius!" she squealed. "I read one of his books over the summer a few years ago. Very fascinating."

"I'll get you his number, but watch him, he's a devil." The Doctor turned to Alex. "And I'll get that book signed for you, if you like."

"But you can't just hack in a call like that!" Jeff objected.

"Oh can't he?" Alex teased. She was starting to realize that the Doctor was capable of many things. The Doctor smiled at her words and held up his psychic paper to the screen where it was now showing a bunch of people on webcam.

"Who are you? This is a secure call. What are you doing?" one of the people demanded.

"Hello. I know, you should switch me off. But before you do, watch this." Alex watched in curiosity as the experts started flipping out over something.

"It's here too, I'm getting it," one expert confirmed.

"Fermat's Theorem, the proof, and I mean the real one, never seen before. Poor old Fermat, got killed in a duel before he could write it down." Alex raised her eyebrows. The Doctor knew Fermat and he had proof of Fermat's Theorem? Now she was truly impressed.

"…my fault, I slept in. Oh, and here's an oldie but a goodie - why electrons have mass. And a personal favorite of mine, faster-than-light travel with two diagrams and a joke. Look at your screens. Whoever I am, I'm a genius."

"That's putting it mildly," Alex said.

The Doctor gave her a slightly flirty look and Alex bit her lip, her eyes sparkling. Ever so reluctantly, the Doctor turned back to the screen. "Look at the sun. You need all the help you can get. Fellas, pay attention." The Doctor then started talking in what Alex could only describe as 'nerd-talk', stuff even she was unable to understand. He then started typing at Rory's phone.

"Sir, what are you doing?" a man asked.

"I'm writing a computer virus," the Doctor answered casually. "Very clever, super-fast, and a tiny bit alive, but don't let on. Why am I writing it on a phone? Never mind, you'll find out. Okay, I'm sending this to all your computers. Get everyone who works for you sending this everywhere. Email, text, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, radar dish - whatever you've got."

"You can skip MySpace though," Alex added. The Doctor gave her a look. "What? No one uses that anymore!"

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, the Doctor turned back to the screen. "Any questions?"

"Who was your lady friend?" Patrick Moore asked, looking at Mrs. Delia over Alex's shoulder. Alex wasn't sure whether to laugh or hurl.

"Patrick behave," the Doctor lightly scolded.

"What does the virus do?" somebody else asked.

"It's a reset command, that's all. It resets counters; it gets in the Wi-Fi and resets every counter it can find. Clocks, calendars, anything with a chip will default at zero at exactly the same time." The experts looked a little doubtful so he added "But, yeah, I could be lying, why should you trust me? I'll let my best man explain."

There was a long silence and Alex turned around to look at Jeff. "Jeff, I think you're his best man."

"His what?" Jeff cried. The Doctor closed the laptop partway.

"Listen to me," he instructed. "In ten minutes, you're going to be a legend. In ten minutes, everyone on that screen is going to be offering you any job you want. But first, you have to be magnificent. You have to make them trust you and get them working. This is it Jeff. Right here, right now. This is when you fly. Today's the day you save the world."

"Why me?" Jeff asked.

Alex and the Doctor shrugged. "It's your bedroom," they said together. The Doctor shouted "Now, go, go, go!" before quickly grabbing Alex's hand and pulling her out of the room. Just as quickly though, he poked his head back into the room. "Oh, and delete your internet history." He darted out and pulled Alex back outside.

Glancing around, the Doctor's eyes settled on the empty fire truck and he looked down at Alex, who spotted it just seconds after he did. She stared at him. "You're not serious," she deadpanned.

He grinned at her. "Wanna bet?" He didn't give her time to answer, instead dragging her to the fire truck. Noticing how small she was, he picked her up by the waist and settled her into the passenger side. Both of their ears were ringing from this contact but they continued to ignore it, the Doctor quickly settling into the driver's seat and driving off.


	4. The Eleventh Hour Part 3

They were about halfway there when Rory's phone rang. The Doctor glanced down at his pants pocket, preoccupied with driving. Alex quickly took charge, reaching over and digging her hand through the Doctor's pocket and pulling out the cell phone. The Doctor jumped at her very straight forward action and stared at her, shocked, but a little voice in the back of his head reminded him he hadn't _hated _it.

"_Doctor?_" Amy's voice called out when Alex opened the phone.

"Nope, just me," Alex said. "What's up?"

"_We're at the hospital but we can't get through._"

Alex felt like reaching through the phone and shaking Amy. "Look in the mirror," she said tightly.

"_Oh!_" Amy cried on the other end. "_Look in the mirror! Ha! Uniform! Are you on your way? You're going to need a car._"

"Don't worry. We've commandeered a vehicle!" the Doctor called out to her, flipping on the sirens. Alex hung up and leaned back in her seat.

She studied the Doctor's profile as they drove. He was really good-looking and Alex didn't even bother to mentally yell at herself. His hair was a little messy but in a cute and endearing way. His clothes were absolutely horrible, but she was sure he would change as soon as it was convenient.

Unbeknownst to Alex, the Doctor was studying her as well. Her hair was long and loose and the blonde highlights in it only accented the light brown. Her legs seemed long and never-ending, despite her 5'4 stature. He especially liked her intelligence and quick sarcasm. All in all, he liked this girl and couldn't imagine how she had ended up in a dreary town like Leadworth.

Seeing as they still had quite a ways to go, he decided to interrupt the silence between them. "So how'd you end up in Leadworth?" he asked. "You're American, judging by your accent."

Alex let off a little smile but the sadness in her eyes contradicted this. "It's kind of a long story. Shortened version is that I got kicked out of my dream college, Octavian, because the dean misused the scholarship fund that my scholarship came from."

The Doctor winced. He had heard about the Octavian scandal in his last incarnation with Donna when they accidentally landed near Vegas. Both had been disgusted with the dean and he had practically had to tie Donna to the TARDIS console in an effort to keep her from going out and killing the man. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "You seem pretty smart. I have no doubt you deserved that scholarship."

Alex brushed the comment aside modestly, but secretly, she was pleased. "I didn't work my butt off in high school for nothing. Well, afterwards, I was broke and university deadlines had ended, so I had to work at a club to make some money. I hated it though."

The Doctor decided that he didn't want to know what she meant by _club_. "And you ended up in England, how?"

"I saw a documentary on TV one night and I decided 'what the hell?' I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket, and sent my car over. I, um…_ran into _Amy and Rory while blowing off steam and Amy practically begged me to move in with her." Alex shrugged. "And here I am!"

The Doctor nodded, but a part of his mind was mulling over something Alex had said. "Blowing off steam?" he repeated, sending her a curious look before turning back to the road.

"Have you never heard that expression before?"

"Oh, I've heard it," the Doctor assured her. "I'm just wondering why you would need to blow off steam, as it were."

"Family problems." Alex shifted uncomfortably. "I have a rightful inheritance and my greedy grandmother refuses to let me have any part in it. She spends it all on Gucci bags and cocaine."

The Doctor winced. "Less than ideal home-life," he stated more than asked.

"You could say that," Alex agreed. "My parents died when I was five. It was a boating accident." She paused and looked out the window as she said the next part. "I was with them. I almost drowned along with them. I don't know whether it was a miracle or not but I somehow survived. To this day, I'm terrified of water. Never put me within spitting distance of a pool unless you like seeing people have panic attacks."

"I thought your last name sounded familiar," the Doctor admitted. "G-Locke Publications? Malcolm and Daphne Locke?"

"So you've heard of it," Alex mused.

The Doctor grinned. "Something like that." He wasn't about to freak Alex out by saying that in the future, G-Locke Publications was the biggest magazine and book publishing company in the universe. Then, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he reached over and patted her shoulder. "In all seriousness though, I am sorry about Octavian and your parents. Nobody should have to go through that within thirteen years."

This time, Alex looked over at him and genuinely smiled. "Thanks," she whispered, so quiet that he almost didn't catch it.

They probably would've stayed like this for the remainder of the drive until Rory's phone rang. The mood having been broken, the Doctor reached over and grabbed the phone out of Alex's lap. "Are you in?" he asked. "You need to get out of there." Suddenly, the Doctor's brow furrowed as the two heard some running and a bang on the other end. "Amy? Amy, what's happening?" he demanded. "Which window are you?"

Alex peered through the windshield at the fastly approaching hospital as Amy answered. The Doctor hung up the phone and quickly started aiming the fire truck, now with the ladder completely up, towards a certain window. "Text them 'duck'!" he instructed Alex, tossing the phone to her.

Alex did as he said and heard the sound of glass breaking a second later as the ladder broke through the window. A minute later, she found herself climbing up the ladder behind the Doctor, getting an excellent view of a certain part of his anatomy in the process. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," she muttered as they climbed.

The Doctor just chuckled and stepped through the window into the coma ward. He reached out and carefully pulled Alex through, setting her down on the floor. Alex noticed Amy and Rory standing next to her, looking slightly terrified of a woman in a purple suit with two girls in matching purple dresses. _Must be Prisoner Zero in another disguise_, she figured.

The Doctor walked over to him. "Right! Hello! Are we late? No, three minutes to go. So still time."

"Time for what, Time Lord?" Prisoner Zero asked cockily. _Time Lord?_ Alex thought. _That's not a pompous title at all!_

"Take the disguise off. They'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies."

"The Atraxi will kill me this time," Prisoner Zero retorted. "If I am to die, let there be fire."

"You can't do that!" Alex interjected. "This planet's completely innocent!"

"Okay," the Doctor said, waving a hand to let Alex know to be quiet. "You came to this world by opening a crack in time and space. Do it again - just leave."

Prisoner Zero stared at him as though he were a complete dunce. "I did not open the crack."

"Somebody did." Alex nodded her agreement, remembering the creepy crack in Amy's room.

"The cracks in the skin of the universe - don't you know where they came from?" Prisoner Zero demanded. Suddenly, the truth dawned on him. "You don't, do you? The Doctor and his Ally in the TARDIS don't know. Don't know, don't know!" It sang this like a cheerful little schoolyard song.

The Doctor and Alex visibly started at the words _his Ally_. "Ally…er, _Alex_ is not my anything!" the Doctor snapped.

Alex took a step forward and crossed her arms. "Exactly! We're NOT a couple. We've only just met!"

Prisoner Zero ignored their protests though. "The universe is cracked," he continued. "The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall." An ominous mood perpetrated the room until a distinct clicking sound was heard.

"And we're off!" the Doctor cheered, pointing to the clock on the wall that now read 0:00. "Look at that! Yeah, I know, just a clock, whatever, but do you know what's happening now? In one little bedroom, my team are working. Jeff and the world. And do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast. The word is out. And do you know what the word is? The word is zero. Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communications, I'd take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute? Wouldn't you say a minute Ally?"

Alex nodded. "I'd say a minute Doctor," she said, pleased to see the slightly nervous look on Prisoner Zero's face.

The Doctor took the mobile out of his pocket. "The source, by the way, is right here." At that moment, a bright light shined through the room, searching for the mobile.

"Oh!" Alex cheered, eyes sparkling. "I think they just found us!"

"The Atraxi are limited," Prisoner Zero said. "While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me."

The Doctor and Alex exchanged mischievous looks. "But this is the good bit. I mean, this is my favorite bit," the Doctor smirked.

"Mine too!" Alex chimed in.

"Do you know what this phone is full of?"

"Pictures of you," Alex informed the now slightly worried alien.

"Every form you've learned to take, right here," the Doctor continued, sliding his finger over the touch-screen. "Oh, and being uploaded about now." He looked at Prisoner Zero smugly. "And the final score is - no TARDIS, no screwdriver - two minutes to spare," he held his arms out victoriously, "who da man?"

Total silence. Alex groaned and slapped a hand on her forehead. Amy and Rory stared at the Doctor like the alien he truly was. Even Prisoner Zero failed to say anything. "Doctor," Alex said slowly. "No one has said that since 1995!"

The Doctor flinched slightly, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm never saying that again! Fine," he huffed.

Prisoner Zero suddenly smiled evilly. "Then I shall take a new form."

"Oh, stop it, you know you can't," the Doctor retorted. "Takes months to form that kind of psychic link."

"I've had years." Prisoner Zero began to glow and started transforming. Behind them, they could hear someone gasp and Rory call out "Amy!"

Whirling around, the Doctor and Alex raced over to Amy, the Doctor managing to catch her just before she banged her head on the ground. Alex carefully settled Amy's head on her lap and the Doctor put his hands on either side of Amy's head.

"You've got to hold on. Amy! Don't sleep! You've got to stay awake, please." Alex brushed a piece of hair off Amy's forehead and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Amy, please wake up," she begged. "Listen to the Doctor. Hell, listen to me for that matter, just this once. _Please_ wake up."

"Doctor? Alex?" Rory suddenly said. Glancing up, Alex was surprised to see a copy of the Doctor standing where Prisoner Zero had been.

"Well that's rubbish," the Doctor said, examining the copy. "Who's that supposed to be?"

Rory stared at him. "That's you."

The Doctor shuddered slightly. "Me? Is that what I look like?" He looked down at himself to make sure of this before looking back up at the copy at the front of the room.

"You don't know?" Rory asked incredulously as Alex nodded her head excitedly.

"Busy day," the Doctor said absentmindedly.

"Like I said," Alex chimed in, "I approve."

The Doctor smiled at her. Well, so long as he had her approval… He trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. He stood up, Alex following him. "Why me though? You're linked with her. Why are you copying me?"

"I'm not," a small Scottish voice replied. Out from behind the Doctor came a little red-headed girl Alex guessed was a seven year old Amy, holding the Doctor clone's hand. "Poor Amelia Pond," Prisoner Zero bemoaned. "Still such a child inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor she knows will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, she's dreaming about us 'cause she can hear us." The Doctor pulled Alex over to Amy and dropped down on the floor. "Amy, don't just hear me, listen. Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see. Remember you went inside. Alex and I tried to stop you, but you did. You went in the room. You went inside."

Alex caught on to what he wanted Amy to do. "Amy, dream about what you saw," she instructed.

"No…no…NO!" Prisoner Zero cried, transforming back into his wormy self.

The Doctor stood up again, turning to face Prisoner Zero. "Well done, Prisoner Zero. A perfect impersonation of yourself," he taunted.

A light came in through a window and surrounded Prisoner Zero. As he withered around in it, the Atraxi announced "_Prisoner Zero is located. Prisoner Zero is restrained._"

Prisoner Zero fixed his eyes on the Doctor and Alex. "Silence Doctor and Ally," he hissed. "Silence will fall." With this ominous message delivered, Prisoner Zero disappeared. A whoosh of air came from outside, announcing that the ship had left. The second it did, the Doctor raced towards the window and started dialing on the phone.

"The sun - it's back to normal, right? That's…that's good, yeah?" Rory asked, obviously quite relieved. Amy groaned and stirred slightly before slowing sitting up, Alex reaching out and holding her steady.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"You feel okay?" Alex asked worriedly. "Don't feel like you're going to pass out or anything?"

"Alex, you're worse than Rory," Amy scolded playfully. "What happened?"

"He did it. The Doctor did it!" Rory responded quite happily.

"No, I didn't," the Doctor corrected. He typed some more on the phone before holding it up to his ear.

"What are you doing?" Rory questioned.

"Tracking the signal back. Sorry, in advance."

"About what?"

"The bill," the Doctor answered before he was connected to whoever he was calling. "Oi, I didn't say you could go! Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully established Level 5 planet, and you were going to burn it? What…? Did you think no one was watching? You lot, back here. NOW!" Hanging up, he tossed the phone to Rory and winked at Alex. "Okay, now I've done it." He reached out, grabbed Alex's hand, and pulled her up. As they left the ward, Alex heard Amy and Rory following them.

"Where are you going?" Amy asked behind them.

"The roof. No, hang on." The Doctor and Alex took a sharp turn and ducked into a changing room. The Doctor immediately started sorting through the clothes, quickly finding a tweed jacket and holding it up for Alex to look at.

Alex shook her head. "You cannot be serious," she said exasperatedly.

The Doctor just grinned at her. This one time, he wasn't seeking her approval in his new regeneration's taste.

"What's in here?" Amy asked, shuddering slightly at the jacket.

"I'm saving the world," the Doctor replied. "I need a decent shirt. To hell with the raggedy!" He tossed a shirt over his head, which Rory caught at the last second. "Time to put on a show!"

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth. Actual aliens, deadly aliens, aliens of death…" Rory trailed off as he saw what the Doctor was doing next. "And now you're taking your clothes off." Alex and Amy noticeably perked up at this information. "Amy, Alex, he's taking his clothes off!"

"Turn your back if it embarrasses you," the Doctor told him as he took his shirt off. Rory immediately followed this advice while Amy and Alex stayed put, both admiring the muscles in his back. Alex felt her breath hitch and fought the insane urge to grab him and pin him to the floor as she kissed his face off. Glancing over at Amy, she saw that she was doing the same thing.

This unnerved Alex, who wanted Amy to turn around, not just for the sake of her relationship with Rory, but also because Alex wanted to be the only one to see the Doctor like this. Beside them, Rory babbled "Are you stealing clothes now? Those clothes belong to people, you know." He then looked at Amy sideways, unnerved just as much as Alex was by Amy's gaze on the Doctor. "Are you not going to turn your back?"

"Nope," Amy answered, eyes still trained on the Doctor.

This time, Alex turned and narrowed her eyes at Amy. "Amy," she said faux sweetly while a storm blazed in her eyes, "turn around." Still frightened of the look in Alex's eyes when they were narrowed, despite after knowing her for two months, Amy quickly whirled around. Rory shot Alex a sideways _thank you_ look. Alex nodded, still keeping her eyes on the Doctor.

The Doctor could practically feel Alex's stare burning a hole in his back. It made him shiver slightly but also excited him, for whatever reason. He couldn't explain his weird physical attraction to Alex but he could contest to the fact that he liked her personality-wise. She was intelligent, witty, sarcastic, adventurous, beautiful, had gorgeous long legs…and he really needed to shut up and concentrate on defeating aliens.

A few minutes later, the Doctor, now wearing a red long sleeved shirt, pants with red suspenders - or braces, as he had told Alex on their way up - and a number of ties draped around his neck, headed out on the roof to meet the Atraxi ship. Amy and Rory stood back a bit while Alex stood just a step behind the Doctor.

"So this was a good idea, was it?" Rory sarcastically questioned. "They were leaving."

"Leaving is good. Never coming back is better," the Doctor said as he strode up to the Atraxi ship. "Come on, then!" he called up to the ship. "The Doctor will see you now!" The giant eye disconnected from the ship and scanned the Doctor. Surprisingly, it scanned Alex as well, who shifted closer to the Doctor as it did.

"You are not of this world," it said to the Doctor.

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it," the Doctor said as he examined a tie.

"Is this world important?" the Atraxi asked.

Alex gaped at it. "Important? Of course it's important!" she nearly screamed.

"What's that mean, 'important'?" the Doctor asked, not acknowledging her outburst. He tossed the tie he didn't like to Rory and said "Six billion people live here - is that important? Here's a better question. Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?" He tossed a tie over his shoulder to Amy, who passed it along to Rory. _Acting like a clothes-rack,_ Alex thought humorously, sending Rory an apologetic look over her shoulder.

When the Atraxi didn't respond, the Doctor added "Well, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. IS this world a threat?" The Atraxi responded by shooting out a round hologram of Earth, several scenes of history flashing by before Alex could register them all.

The hologram ended and the Atraxi said "No."

The Doctor smirked and tossed a few more ties over his shoulder. "Are the people of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?" The way he said this, Alex knew that he knew what the answer would be.

Another hologram appeared, this one showing wars, religious festivals, and more. "No," the Atraxi said once this hologram finished.

The Doctor smiled and started fixing his shirt collar. "Okay. One more. Just one more. Is this world protected? Because you're not the first lot to come here." As the Doctor spoke, another hologram appeared, this one showing strange creatures Alex had never seen before. She studied each one as they appeared. There was one of some strange marching silver robots, what looked like an upside down trashcan with a sink plunger sticking out of it that she thought she recognized, a giant cackling spider, a blue humanoid in a space suit, and so many more.

The Doctor watched her as she studied the Cybermen, Dalek's, the Racnoss Queen, the Sontaran's and more, looking completely fascinated. He had expected her to react in horror to these aliens but she seemed to be intrigued by them. He continued as the hologram showed the Vashta Nerada. "Oh, there have been so many! And what you've got to ask is…what happened to them?"

The hologram switched to show an old man with Edwardian clothes. Alex frowned. Who was that? It then switched to a man with a bowtie followed by a man with curly white hair and wearing a smoking jacket. Several more appeared; a brown-haired curly man with a multi-colored scarf, a man with short blond hair, more youthful than the previous ones wearing a cricket suit with a piece of celery on the lapel, another blond-haired man wearing a hideous multi-colored coat, an older looking man with question marks on his suit, a man with shoulder-length curly brown hair wearing Victorian clothes, a man with a crew cut and leather jacket, and finally, a rather good-looking guy with brown hair and sideburns and wearing a pinstriped suit.

Suddenly, the Doctor dramatically stepped through the projection. He smiled cockily at the Atraxi before saying "Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically…run."

The Atraxi looked terrified and wasted no time in zapping away, back to the safety of space. As soon as it was gone, Alex threw her arms around the Doctor and cheered. "You did it!" she cried. "I didn't think you wouldn't, I had the utmost confidence in you! You did it!"

The Doctor chuckled a little and moved to hug her back until he felt a sharp burn in his jacket pocket. Shifting slightly, he managed to pull out the glowing TARDIS key. Alex watched him look at the key for a moment before she turned and ran towards her friends.

Amy, Alex, and Rory shared a hug, all extremely thrilled with the idea that the Earth was safe. Amy broke away and said "Is that it? Is that them gone for good? Who were they?" She looked around for the one person who could answer these questions but the Doctor was already gone.

Amy's eyes widened. "He's leaving again!" she cried, racing off. Rory and Alex ran along behind her and got to her backyard just as the TARDIS was dematerializing. A spilt second later, it and the Doctor were gone. Alex turned away, not wanting to see Amy so upset and headed upstairs to her room.

Alex flopped onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She had expected the Doctor to run off again…it seemed like something he was supposed to do. She laid her head on her pillow but sat back up when she felt the crinkle of paper underneath her. Frowning, she examined the writing on the paper and her eyes widened as she read the letter.

_Alex,_

_ I don't have a lot of time. The TARDIS is finally ready and she just needs a hop to the moon to settle her in and then, I'll be back. Hopefully, I won't be too late and when I get back, I hope you'll travel with me. There are a lot of questions running through my mind about you, although I'm sure you know that. _

_ You realize that you saw past a perception filter, which no one is meant to do? It wasn't a cheap fluke, although I hope it was. But don't let that scare you. I think it's brilliant._

_ Oh, the key is burning a bit more than before. The TARDIS is itching to leave. Gotta go! See you soon!_

_ The Doctor_

Alex grinned and bounced a little on the bed. She hoped the Doctor would hurry back, if not for her sake but Amy's. Hopefully, the Doctor would invite Amy along as well. Amy had known him longer and deserved to see time and space.

Still grinning, Alex carefully taped the letter to the inside cover of her diary lying on the nightstand, and raced over to her closet. She needed to get a head start on packing….

* * *

Two years later, on June 25th, 2010, Alex was curled up in her desk chair, re-reading _The Count of Monte Cristo_. It was one of her favorites and reading it kinda reminded her of the Doctor, always traveling like the main character in the book.

Even after two years, the Doctor still hadn't turned up. Alex hadn't been surprised and reassured herself with the fact that the Doctor would show up eventually. She just hoped it was sooner and not later, especially twelve years later. She didn't want to see the Doctor again when she was thirty-three. She shuddered to think what she might look like at that age.

Suddenly, from outside, she heard a distinct wheezing, groaning sound. The last time she had heard that sound, it had been when the Doctor was leaving. Now, he was back. Alex got up and ran to her window overlooking the backyard. Sure enough, the TARDIS was right there and the Doctor was just stepping out of it.

Alex wasted no time in grabbing the bag she kept packed and ready to go under her bed along with her diary, which she hurriedly shoved into the sack. The Doctor's letter was still taped to the inside cover, although a bit wrinkled now from so many readings. As she headed to the stairs, she saw that Amy's door was ajar and she smiled. It looked like her best friend would get to see the stars as well.

Alex noticed that the back door was open and saw that Amy, still in her nightgown, was standing outside talking to the Doctor. She leaned back and listened to their conversation.

"…kept the clothes," Amy said, sounding surprised. Sure enough, the Doctor was still dressed in that ridiculous tweed jacket and bow-tie. Alex shook her head at this.

"Well, I just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me! I kept the clothes."

"Including the bow-tie?" Amy questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, it's cool," the Doctor said, straightening the garment a little. "Bow ties are cool."

Alex let out a snort at that, attracting the attention of the Doctor. He looked over and grinned as she stepped out, dressed in a white tank-top, black leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a black charm bracelet. Tossed over her shoulder was a green knapsack, indicating she had gotten his letter and had been ready all this time. She skipped over to the two of them and smiled at him.

"Hello," she chirped.

"Hello," he said back, his eyes twinkling at her. Again, he couldn't explain his physical attraction to her…he just liked her, a lot.

Amy stared at them for a moment but quickly resumed her interrogation on the Doctor. "Are you from another planet?" she demanded.

_Obviously,_ Alex thought. How Amy hadn't arrived to that conclusion yet was beyond her.

"Yeah," the Doctor answered.

"Okay…"

"So what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Other planets. Want to check some out?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means…Well, it means…" The Doctor stuttered awkwardly, searching for the right words. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Wherever you like."

Amy shook her head, trying to register everything that was happening. "All that stuff, the hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero…"

"Oh, don't worry," the Doctor dismissed. "That's just the beginning. There's a load more."

"Yeah, but those things, amazing things, all that stuff…" Her voice trailed off and she suddenly looked furious. Alex winced, knowing what was coming next. "That was TWO YEARS ago!" she screamed.

The Doctor looked rightfully embarrassed. "Oh. Oops."

"Yeah," Amy commented, snarky.

"So that's…" The Doctor trailed off, trying to do the math but Amy beat him to it.

"Fourteen years!" she cried.

"Fourteen years since fish custard," the Doctor summarized. Neither of them noticed Alex stick her finger down her throat at the mention of fish custard. She still thought it was disgusting. "Amy Pond, the girl who waited, you've waited long enough." He turned to Alex. "You too, Alex Locke."

Amy looked at the TARDIS in amazement and ran her hand down the wooden surface. "When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was_ in_ the library."

Alex shifted slightly. _Okay, staying away from the library,_ she thought. She was still just as much afraid of water as she had been two years ago.

"Yeah, not sure where's it's got to now," the Doctor admitted casually.

"I'm sure it'll turn up," Alex dismissed, not liking the talk of swimming pools. "So?" she smiled, looking at Amy. "Coming?"

"No!" Amy cried.

Alex gaped at her. "WHY?!" she shrieked. "You wanted to come fourteen years ago!"

"I grew up."

"Don't worry. I'll soon fix that." The Doctor snapped his fingers and the TARDIS doors swung open, bathing the girls in a warm, orange light. Amy entered first with the Doctor and Alex bringing up the rear. Alex placed a hand on a nearby wall and smiled as a warm buzz ran up her arm. The TARDIS remembered Alex and was happy to see her again. The Doctor smiled at seeing Alex's reaction. His ship had kept begging him to get back to her after they had reached the moon.

Alex retracted her hand and entered the console room, carefully setting her bag down by a staircase. The console was seated on a glass floor and contained various gadgets and gizmos. She spotted a typewriter, what appeared to be a paper weight, and other items that looked like they had been arranged there by some deranged child. Regardless, she liked it.

"Well?" the Doctor said expectantly. "Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all."

Amy said "I'm in my nightie," at the same time that Alex answered "I love it!"

"That's good," the Doctor replied to Alex. He turned to Amy and called "Oh, don't worry. Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe; and possibly a swimming pool."

Alex tensed slightly and sat down in a nearby console chair. She was going to make sure she stayed as far away as possible from the swimming pool…wherever it was, that is.

"You are so sure that I'm coming," Amy remarked. She knew that Alex was going. Nothing would stop that girl from tagging along with the Doctor.

"Yeah, I am," the Doctor confirmed.

"Why?"

"Cause you're the Scottish girl in the English village, and I know how that feels."

Amy looked surprised at this. "Oh, you do?"

"All these years living here most of your life…and you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming."

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" Amy asked. Alex breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. Amy was still going through with her wedding tomorrow.

"It's a time machine," the Doctor reminded her. "I can get you back five minutes ago. Why, what's tomorrow?"

Alex was about to answer when Amy shot her a warning look. For some reason, Amy didn't want the Doctor to know about her wedding. That didn't sound good in Alex's opinion. Luckily for Amy, the Doctor hadn't noticed her glare at Alex. "Nothing, nothing," she dismissed. "Just…you know, stuff."

_Yeah, wedding ceremony stuff! _Alex mentally cried.

"All right then. Back in time for stuff." As he said this, a beep rang out through the room and a device similar to the Doctor's previous sonic screwdriver extended out of the console. The only differences were that this device was bulkier, had retractable claws, and the light on top was green.

"Oh! A new one!" the Doctor exclaimed, grabbing the new sonic screwdriver and testing it out. The familiar whirring noise rang out, echoing around the room. He leaned down and patted the console lovingly. "Thanks dear," he whispered.

As he set the controls, Amy asked "Why me?"

"Why not?"

"No, seriously," Amy said. "You are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why me?"

"I don't know. Fun. Do I always have to have a reason?"

"People always have a reason," the girls chorused.

"Do I look like people?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Amy answered.

"Been knocking around on my own for a while - my choice - but I've started talking to myself." Alex snickered a little at this. "It's giving me an earache."

"You're lonely," Amy deduced. "That's it? Just that?"

"Just that. Promise."

"Okay," Amy agreed.

"So, are you okay then?" he asked, stepping around the console to stand next to her by the railing. "'Cause this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit…you know." Alex stepped up to them, standing on the Doctor's other side.

"I'm fine. It's just…there's a whole other world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought…" Amy trailed off but she managed to find her voice again. "Well, I started to think that maybe you were just a madman with a box."

"Amy Pond, there's something you'd better understand," the Doctor said seriously. "It's important, and one day, your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box." Amy laughed. "Ha-ha! Yeah!" the Doctor crowed and raced back to the console.

The girls followed him and gripped onto the console. "Goodbye Leadworth. Hello, everything!" The Doctor threw a lever and the TARDIS shook off to its next destination.


	5. The Beast Below Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who. I wish I did though. I only own my OC, Alex.

After the Doctor piloted the TARDIS into outer space, he grabbed Alex's arm and pulled her over to one of the staircases that led off into the further depths of the ship. Amy was still looking around the console room and didn't notice.

"Excited?" the Doctor asked, cocking an eyebrow. He already knew her answer; he just wanted her to say it again.

Alex was only happy to oblige. "Of course!" she cried. "Like I said, I love it!"

"I take it you got my letter." The Doctor nodded at her knapsack, which she had just managed to pick up before he spirited her away for a private conversation.

"I've been ready for two years since I got it," Alex informed him. She raised an eyebrow. "So, not the best driver are you?"

"Oi!" the Doctor cried, feigning hurt. "It's a new TARDIS! If you want to blame anyone, blame her!" There was an indignant hum from the TARDIS at this comment.

Alex snickered. "No, I think she's pointing the blame at you. By chance, did you have to pass a test to fly her?"

The Doctor grinned at her. "Yes, and I failed miserably!"

Alex groaned. "Oh, that makes me feel _so _much better!"

The Doctor grabbed her arm and started pulling her down the hall. "Oh ha-ha. Come on Ally, let's find you a room. I doubt I'll be getting rid of you anytime soon."

"You invited me, remember?" Alex reminded him.

"Yes, and I don't intend on getting rid of you," he said, suddenly very serious, nothing at all like he had been during their joking little banter and mild flirting…because they _had _been flirting, hadn't they? Alex mentally slapped herself. Thinking stuff like that was not a good idea. He was an alien for crying out loud! Who knew if they even did…_that_.

They walked down the corridor for a few minutes before Alex abruptly stopped. She felt drawn to one of the few doors in the hall. Turning slowly, she saw a white door in front of her. After noticing she was no longer following him, the Doctor stopped as well. He gently pushed her towards the door. "Open it," he urged.

Alex reached out and carefully turned the knob, pushing the door open. As she stepped across the threshold, she smiled and laughed slightly. It seemed that the TARDIS knew her already and had made the room to match her tastes.

The walls were a dark purple with elaborate black stenciling, something Alex had attempted to do to her room back in Leadworth before discovering she was horrible at stenciling. A black chandelier dangled from the ceiling. On one side of the room was a large bed with a black leather-covered headboard with a plain white comforter and pillows. Alongside another wall was a desk and two bookshelves. A black leather couch and two matching club chairs over a zebra-patterned rug sat against the wall directly across from that. She then noticed two doors on the other side of the room, presumably leading to the closet and bathroom. Still smiling, she whirled around to notice the Doctor studying her room with great interest.

"Interesting," he mused, running a finger over a leather club chair. "You seem to like black."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I've always been a little Goth, okay? Believe me, it was worse than this a few years ago."

"Okay, okay," the Doctor said, raising his hands and admitting defeat. "Get settled and come back and join us in the control room. I'm sure Amy's going through culture shock right now."

"She never stopped hoping you'd show up again," Alex said softly. "Even though, come to think of it, she told me to shut up whenever I mentioned you."

For a split second, there was a pained look in the Doctor's eyes. It was so quick that Alex only just caught it. But before she could comment on it, it was suddenly gone, as if it had never been there, and the Doctor was talking again. "Yeah. So, control room yeah? Don't worry if you get lost. The TARDIS will show you the way." And with that, he left.

Alex shrugged. So he felt guilty about leaving them for two years. He probably should at any rate, what with his driving. Knowing they'd be expecting her soon, Alex made quick work of unpacking. She discovered that one of the doors led to a small-walk in closet with dressers and made quick work of unpacking the few clothes she had brought. She remembered the Doctor mentioning a wardrobe and knew she wouldn't need to go shopping anytime soon. She put her toiletries in the bathroom and placed her diary in a small hidden drawer in the desk that the TARDIS had conjured up for her. Patting the wall in thanks, Alex quickly made her way back to the control room.

As she walked into the control room, Alex noticed that Amy was floating outside the open TARDIS doors while the Doctor held her ankle to keep her from floating off. Alex didn't think that was very safe but she was no expert on space. Even her intelligent and prideful mind was forced to admit that.

She skipped up next to the Doctor's side and called up to Amy "How's the weather out there?" She wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure Amy stuck her tongue out at her. The Doctor laughed at her antics.

"Care for a go?" he asked her.

Alex shook her head. "No, thank you. I don't like heights."

"Liar!" Amy called down. "You were practically bouncing in your seat with excitement that time at the Ferris wheel, when you dared me and Rory to go up with you."

"Okay, I don't like heights with _zero gravity_," Alex clarified.

The Doctor shot Amy an amused glance. "Amelia Pond, scared of heights?" he mocked.

"Shut up," Amy muttered.

Alex and the Doctor laughed. "Come on Pond," the Doctor called, gently pulling Amy back inside.

"Now do you believe me?" the Doctor asked her as soon as her feet hit the ground.

"He figured you'd be going through culture shock," Alex added.

"Okay," Amy laughed in disbelief. "Your box is a spaceship! It's really, really a spaceship! We are in space! Whoo!" Amy leaned out to cry this but suddenly jerked back. "What are we breathing?" she asked, as it had suddenly occurred to her that in space, there was no oxygen.

Luckily, Alex had already figured this out. "You extended an air shell around the TARDIS, didn't you?" she asked.

The Doctor was impressed. "Exactly. You must've done well in school."

Alex shrugged, trying to act modest. "Top of my class," she said. "Octavian only took the best." Her expression fell at the reminder of Octavian and before she could be fully depressed, the Doctor suddenly said "Now, that's interesting."

Alex was about to retort that there was nothing interesting about getting kicked out of college due to scandal when she noticed something floating beneath them. Craning her neck out slightly, she caught sight of a large gray steel spaceship. "What is that?" she wondered, but the Doctor didn't hear her as he was already racing back to the console.

"29th century, solar flares roast the Earth," he babbled as he ran around the console.

Alex grimaced at his words. _Okay, no going to the 29__th__ century then!_ She told herself, heading up to stand beside him at the console.

"…entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations…" the Doctor chattered on.

"Doctor," Amy's voice called out.

"…migrating to the stars," the Doctor added on, not hearing her.

"Doctor?" Amy called again, sounding a little more impatient. But the Doctor and Alex still didn't hear, the Doctor too busy babbling and Alex too busy listening.

"Isn't that amazing?" he asked Alex.

"DOCTOR!" Amy shrieked. This time, the Doctor and Alex heard her perfectly and both looked up from the console to see that Amy wasn't there. Spotting the open doors, Alex shrieked and raced over to them, the Doctor hot on her heels. Alex skidded a little just as she reached the doorway. Just as she was about to fall out into deep space, the Doctor's arm hooked around her waist and pulled her back.

Alex pointedly ignored the jolt in her stomach she felt when the Doctor touched her while the Doctor ignored how his arm practically buzzed with energy as he kept it wrapped around Alex. Alex smiled sheepishly up at him and he returned it before looking up at Amy, who was clutching the top of the TARDIS for dear life.

"Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship." Reluctantly releasing Alex, the Doctor reached out and helped Amy back in. A few seconds later, the girls found themselves at the TARDIS console, staring at a monitor as the Doctor talked.

"This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland - all of it, bolted together and floating in the sky," the Doctor explained as they stared at the spaceship on the monitor. "Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship - that's an idea," he added approvingly. "That's a whole country, living and laughing and…shopping." Suddenly, he didn't sound so impressed. Alex laughed at the look on his face before he quickly said "Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked, her voice hopeful.

"Course we can," the Doctor answered, but Alex sensed a 'but' coming. "But first there's a thing."

_I knew it, _she thought.

"A thing?" Amy repeated.

"An important thing," the Doctor clarified. "In fact, thing one," he looked at the girls through a magnifying glass that he hadn't had a few seconds ago, "we are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in my travels."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Alex argued. The Doctor's words completely contradicted his actions with the Atraxi. A person who only observed would've let the Earth fry, but the Doctor hadn't done that.

The Doctor, knowing that she was right, ignored her and continued. "I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets." The TARDIS shook a little at this, almost as though she was laughing at the absurdity of this statement. The Doctor frowned at the control panel slightly as Alex fought to keep her laughter down.

The Doctor finished his mild glaring at the TARDIS console and refocused back on the monitor. "Ooh, that's interesting." Curious to see what had captured his attention, Alex and Amy turned to look at the screen. The screen was showing a little girl of about twelve in a red sweater, crying quietly on a bench all alone. Almost instantly, Alex's heart went out to her and she could tell that Amy's had too, judging by the sympathetic look in her eyes.

Still watching the screen, Amy asked "So, we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? 'Cause if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it - they've got to keep filming and let it die." She leaned closer to the screen, still watching the girl. "That's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard - being all, like, detached and cold?" Instead of an answer from the Doctor though, the two were surprised to find him showing up on the screen. He crouched down to talk to the little girl, but she just ran away.

"Doctor?" Amy called out, surprised.

Alex frowned. "That isn't going to be a regular thing with him, is it?" she asked no one in particular. Back onscreen, the Doctor stared straight at them and waved for them to come out. With a look at each other before shrugging, Alex and Amy dashed out of the TARDIS onto Starship U.K.

The two looked around in amazement and shock at their new surroundings. They were in a large market with several stalls and booths all around them. Several people were all around them, eating, drinking coffee, walking to a booth, all talking and laughing like regular people did back on Earth. Alex was quite pleased to see that some things, despite strange happenings like huge solar flares and large spaceships, didn't change.

"_Welcome to the London Market_," an electronic voice rang out. "_You are being monitored._" It also seemed to Alex as though security systems hadn't changed much either.

The Doctor walked up to them, studying their expressions. While Amy seemed shocked and generally overwhelmed, Alex seemed amazed and calm all at the same time. It was as though she had immediately adapted to her new surroundings and that made him like her all the more. "Not too shabby for a futuristic British ship," Alex was saying as he came up.

Amy's reaction was a bit different though. "I'm in the future. Like hundreds…of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries…"

_Really?_ Alex thought, taken aback. _You focus on __**that**__?_

The Doctor seemed to share her thoughts for he stared at Amy and said "Oh lovely. You're a cheery one." But suddenly, he was acting maniacal again and focusing on something other than Amy's reaction to her first time-traveling trip. "Never mind dead, look at this place." He glanced around, as if expecting something unexpected to pop out and stare him in the face. "Isn't it wrong?"

Now that he mentioned it, there was something a little strange. Alex narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the market, looking for something out of place – or as out of place as you could get on a 29th century spaceship - that would tell her what was wrong. Even as her whip-fast mind started turning its gears even faster, she vaguely heard Amy ask "What's wrong?"

"Use your eyes, notice everything," the Doctor advised. "What's wrong with this picture?" He had already noticed Alex concentrating on everything around her intently, so he didn't bother saying this to her as well.

Amy's brow furrowed as she tried to keep up. "Is it…the bicycles?" She pointed to a machine Alex recognized as a rickshaw. "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."

The Doctor smirked at her. "Says the girl in her nightie," he retorted.

Amy's eyes widened as she realized she was still in her nightgown and robe. "Oh my God, I'm in my nightie!" She looked over at Alex, envying her tight jeans and leather jacket. "That's hardly fair Alex."

Alex shrugged, still too intent on figuring out what was wrong with this ship really focus on Amy's fashion envy. She listened to the Doctor say "Now, come on, look around you. Actually look."

"_London Market is a crime free zone._"

"Life on a giant starship, back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps," the Doctor rattled on. He put an arm around Amy's shoulders and led her further into the market as Alex followed right behind them. "But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state. Excuse me." Alex and Amy watched as the Doctor ran over to a nearby table, grabbed a glass of water from the people sitting there, and carefully placed it on the floor. He looked at it intently for a few moments before abruptly setting it back on the table.

"Sorry, checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish," he told the confused looking couple. "Where was I?" he said, turning back to Alex and Amy.

Alex shook her head. "An escaped fish?" she demanded, her voice expressing disbelief. "That was the best you could come up with?"

The Doctor looked at her challengingly. "And I suppose you think you could do better?"

Alex placed her hands on her hips and attempted to stare him down, a difficult task with her height. "I _know_ I could do better."

The Doctor smirked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes that made a tingle of heat race down Alex's spine. "How about the next time we need to come up with a lie in a hurry, I leave it to you? When you inevitably mess it up, you can't really complain about my excuses then, now can you?"

Alex cocked an eyebrow. "Inevitably?" she repeated. "Please."

Amy was getting impatient with their banter during the matter at hand however and quickly blurted "Why did you just do that with the water?"

This managed to snap the two out of their playful, somewhat flirtatious banter and back to the problem with the ship. "Don't know," the Doctor admitted. "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now, police state - do you see it yet?" He looked around the marketplace rapidly, effectively distracting Amy, but not Alex, who had gone back to carefully reviewing the past few minutes in search of a clue.

_Well, from what I've seen, it doesn't look as though the ship is under martial law, so that's a good sign, _she mused. _Okay, the glass of water. Let's see, this ship was pretty big. A ship this big must have big engines. And big engines make a lot of noise, so with a ship this size and engines that big, you would be able to hear them and things would be constantly falling over._ Suddenly, it dawned on Alex and she looked around, noticing that nothing was falling over and nothing except the people were moving. _Of course! The water in the glass should've moved when the Doctor placed it on the ground! But it didn't. Wonder why…_

Once glance at the Doctor told her that he had already figured out the strange lack of engines; he just wasn't saying anything, probably so as not to scare her or Amy. Suddenly, Alex realized she had missed a little bit of dialogue as the Doctor was suddenly dragging her and Amy to a bench, just a little ways away from the crying girl. They sat there silently for a few moments, just watching her. "One little girl crying," Amy observed. "So?"

"Crying silently," the Doctor said quietly. "I mean, children cry because they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they just can't stop. Any parent knows that." Alex nodded her head at this logic. She could attest to the fact that over the years, she had cried silently because she couldn't stop the tears from falling. After she had lost her parents, she had cried loud, heaving sobs just to make someone come and comfort her, but no one had come.

As these thoughts raced through Alex's head, Amy was staring at the Doctor curiously. "Are you a parent?" she asked.

The Doctor, however, avoided answering this question, for reasons that Alex believed were probably painful. "Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them is asking her what's wrong, which means…they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows - whatever they're afraid of - it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."

Amy looked over at the bench and noticed that the girl was gone. "Where'd she go?" she cried, looking around.

"Deck 207, Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A," the Doctor rattled off. "You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh," the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a large ID wallet. "This fell out of her pocket when I accidentallybumped into her."

Alex eyed him, not believing that for a second. "How many goes? Three?"

The Doctor blushed slightly. "Four goes actually. Ask her about those things - the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere."

Upon this, Alex looked around and noticed what the Doctor was talking about. A little ways away was a large red booth with a strange smiling mannequin in it. Alex shivered. That booth, for some reason, gave her the creeps. And judging by the amount of people walking around it, she wasn't alone in that feeling. No wonder the Doctor wanted to know more about them.

"But they're just things," Amy insisted as she glanced at one of the booths.

"They're clean. Everything else here is battered and filthy - look at this place. But no-one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Ask Mandy, _why are people scared of the things in the booths?_"

Amy shifted slightly as the Doctor leaned close to her, in an effort to get his point across. "No. Hang on - what do I do?" she cried, somewhat panicked. "I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed!" She cast an eye down at her nightgown.

The Doctor eyed her critically. "It's this or Leadworth. What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" Amy made a face, knowing he already knew what she would do. The Doctor laughed at her expression. "Ha-ha, gotcha!" He checked as his watch as he added "Meet us back here in half an hour."

Amy leaned back against the bench, resigned. "What are you going to do?" she quizzed.

"What I always do," the Doctor answered, mocking her voice. "Stay out of trouble. Badly." He reached out and pulled Alex to her feet before leaping over the bench. Amy watched, amused, as Alex shook her head before running around the bench and racing after him.

"So this is how it works Doctor?" Amy called to him. "You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there are children crying?"

Alex stopped for a second to listen to the Doctor's answer. Without any hesitation, he replied "Yes." Then, he was walking off again and Alex was racing to catch up with him.

"So, no engines huh?" she said as she stepped in synch with him.

The Doctor shrugged, by this point not surprised that she had figured it out. "Hard to tell. It could be anything."

Alex stared at him. "But it could be no engines, couldn't it?" she inquired again, this seeming like the logical answer to her.

The Doctor sighed, defeated. "Yes, that is the most likely possibility. You're hopeful that's going to be it, aren't you?"

Alex gawked at him. "I'm not eager to be on a ship that can't technically fly, thank you very much. But I am eager to see if my conclusions are correct or not."

"Let me guess, you're used to being the smartest person in the room, right?" The Doctor knew he was right when he saw the way Alex flinched slightly.

"I was, until you turned up," she dismissed. "Quite interesting now if you want the truth."

"But also a little irritating, right?" the Doctor asked quietly. He already knew that Alex put a high bounty on her intelligence. He had seen it when she talked about getting kicked out of Octavian. It had to be humiliating not being able to afford the high college tuition rates. Therefore, whenever a situation arose where her intelligence was needed, she would use it and flaunt it gladly.

Alex bit her bottom lip. She knew this was also true. She liked being the smartest person in the room because it made her feel important and appreciated, something that had been sadly lacking for her after Octavian. But she hated to admit it because she hated feeling so vain and self-righteous. So, instead of answering the Doctor's question, she caught sight of a doorway that inexplicably read ENGINES and tugged on his arm. "Come on, the engine room is this way."

* * *

"Put one hand on my ass and that pretty little face will get squished," Alex warned as she felt a tingle of heat in her back that meant the Doctor was about to reach for her.

Behind her, the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Not the section of anatomy I was aiming for," he retorted, carefully grabbing her by the waist and helping her down from the ladder. He kept his eyes focused on Alex's hair instead on how her backside looked in her skinny jeans and placed her gently on the ground. Once her feet were safely on the ground, the Doctor pressed his ear against a wall, trying to listen for something. Alex did the same next to him.

"Can't be," he muttered, waving the sonic screwdriver around for a reading.

Alex tapped the wall with her knuckle and jerked back when she heard a faint echo. "This can't be hollow!" she cried. She turned to notify the Doctor when she saw him lying on the ground, studying a glass of water that had been placed there. Sure enough, it wasn't moving. She had just crouched down next to him to study it when a voice rang out.

"The impossible truth in a glass of water," the faint, wispy voice said. Looking up, the Doctor and Alex saw a woman standing in front of them. She was tall, African, and dressed in a red cloak with a beautiful porcelain mask covering her face. "Not many people see it," she commented.

The time-travelers stood up and the Doctor tugged Alex close to his side, in case the mysterious stranger in front of them proved to be harmful. Before the Doctor could say anything, the woman said "But you do, don't you, Doctor, Alexandria?"

Alex resisted the urge to correct her as the Doctor stepped protectively in front of her. "You know us?" he asked.

"Keep your voice down," the woman warned. "They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass."

"Who says we see anything?" the Doctor retorted.

"Don't waste time. At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight here to the engine room. Why?"

Alex couldn't bear to keep silent for any longer. "No engine vibration on deck," she answered, poking her head out from behind the Doctor as she spoke. "Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The water would move. So…we thought we'd take a look."

The Doctor walked to a nearby wall and opened a power box. Much to his and Alex's surprise, there was nothing connected inside. "It doesn't make sense!" he cried as Alex went over to him.

She frowned and fiddled with one of the power coupling ends. "These power couplings, they're not connected," she mused. The Doctor nodded encouragingly and added "Look. Look - they're dummies, see?" He crossed over to the opposite wall and rapped on it with a closed fist, similar to what Alex had done a few moments ago.

"That wall's hollow!" Alex called out. The Doctor, most likely ignoring her, cried "And this wall, nothing. It's hollow." Alex threw up her arms in an exasperated manner and she was pretty sure the masked woman in front of her chuckled a bit. "I JUST said that!" she muttered.

The Doctor continued by concluding "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there was…"

"No engine at all," the masked woman and the Doctor said in unison. Alex raised her eyebrows. Okay, she wasn't the only one who did that with him.

"But it's working," the Doctor argued. "This ship is travelling through space. I saw it."

"The impossible truth, Doctor. We're traveling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly."

"How?" Alex demanded.

"I don't know," the mystery woman admitted. "There's darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us Doctor. Help us Alexandria. You two are our only hope. Your friend is safe." The woman gave the Doctor some strange looking device and added "This will take you to her. Now go, quickly!" She quickly started strutting off until Alex called to her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"How do we find you again?" the Doctor chimed in.

The woman turned back to them. "I am Liz 10," she said with an air of importance. "And I will find you." A crash suddenly sounded throughout the room and the Doctor and Alex looked around for the source before turning back to where Liz 10 had been. But she was gone.

Alex and the Doctor turned to face each-other, their eyes wide. And suddenly, they were giggling like a bunch of middle school girls at their first dance, completely slap-happy with what just happened. Alex ran a hand through her hair. "Did that seriously just happen?" she asked incredulously.

The Doctor swallowed a burst of laughter. "Welcome to my world Alexandria," he said eloquently.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Please don't call me that. I much prefer Alex. Alexandria is just too long."

The Doctor nodded. "So, should we see what Amy's been up to?"

Alex nodded, hoping her friend hadn't gotten into some serious trouble. "Yes, come on!" She grabbed the Doctor's sleeve and they raced up the ladder, the Doctor pointedly looking anywhere else but at a certain asset of Alex's in front of him.

* * *

Alex and the Doctor raced all around Starship U.K., following the device in the Doctor's hand until they finally came to a large steel door. The crying girl from earlier, Mandy, was sitting outside of it. She started visibly as they skidded to a stop in front of her, but relaxed when Alex winked at her. Her eyes widened at seeing Alex's eyes change from copper to chocolate brown but she still returned Alex's wink with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Alex and this is the Doctor," Alex explained as the Doctor examined a security pad by the door. He looked up from it long enough to give Mandy a reassuring smile before turning back. "Don't worry, you're safe with us."

Mandy smiled at this. She liked this Alex. Calmness and enthusiasm radiated off of her like perfume. "Your friend is in there," Mandy said, nodding her head at the door. "I tried to stop her from looking…" Her voice trailed off.

Alex sighed and nodded. "Yeah, she tends to do that. I swear, Amy doesn't listen to a word anyone says except her own."

Suddenly, the door hissed open and all three straightened up, ready to face whatever was in the room. The Doctor quickly walked into the room with a grin on his face but it diminished as he caught sight of Amy, sitting in a chair in front of a series of screens, looking confused and alarmed all at once. Tears were in her eyes and her mascara had pooled around them, creating the impression of a raccoon. In the back of the room, there was another red booth with the smiling mannequin inside it.

"Amy?" Alex called softly. Amy jumped and turned to them, a look on her face that Alex could only describe as a deer caught in the headlights look.

"What have you done?" the Doctor asked. A few moments later, he was standing on the chair, scanning a lamp above it as the others watched him.

"Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about twenty minutes," he explained.

"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy wondered.

"'Cause everyone does," Mandy said, the first words she had said in the past few minutes. Despite Alex's calming presence, she had remained silent while the Doctor studied the mind-erasing lamp. "Everyone chooses the forgetbutton."

"Did you?" the Doctor questioned, jumping down from the chair and crouching down to Mandy's height.

Mandy smiled slightly and shook her head. "I'm not eligible to vote yet. I'm twelve. Any time after you're sixteen, you're allowed to see the film and make your choice. And then once every five years…"

"And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned," the Doctor finished. He then grinned. "Democracy in action."

Alex frowned. "That is not democracy in action," she started to protest, but Mandy interrupted her.

"How do you not know about this?" she asked, directing her question to the Doctor. "Are you Scottish too?"

"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish," the Doctor laughed as he studied the screen. "I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me."

"It played for me," Amy pointed out. Alex watched as she checked the Doctor out. Honestly…Alex closed her eyes, shook her head, and resisted the urge to shake Amy back into some sense of clarity. She was getting married tomorrow, for crying out loud!

"The difference being that the computer doesn't accept me as human," the Doctor explained. He glanced at Alex as he added "I doubt it'll play for Alex either, seeing as she's American."

Alex nodded, confirming this. "Right. Speaking of which, Amy, remind me to renew my temporary visa whenever we get home."

Amy nodded that she would and returned her focus back to the Doctor. "Why not?" she quizzed. Suddenly, the truth finally dawned on her. "You look human," she said, getting up from her perch in the chair to stand by the Doctor's side, looking him over carefully. Alex wondered if she expected to find a fin poking out or something.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, you look Time Lord. They came first."

"So, there are other Time Lords, yeah?" Amy asked, the excitement of such a possibility running through her veins. However, Alex didn't miss the flash of sadness and pain that came and went in the Doctor's eyes at her words.

"There were but there aren't…just me now," the Doctor said slowly. He ran a hand through his hair. "Long story. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. 'Cause this is what I do - every time, every day, every second. This." He turned to look at Alex and then back at Amy. Acting on a hunch, Alex carefully maneuvered Mandy to where she was now standing outside the door.

"Hold tight," he continued. "We're bringing down the government." The Doctor then reached out and slammed down the _protest_ button. The door slammed shut and Alex thanked God that she had had the sense to put Mandy on the other side. The Smiler in the booth turned to show a very angry look on his face. The Doctor raced across the room, dragging Amy along with him, and wrapped his arm around Alex's waist, pulling her to where her back was touching his chest. The floor began to disintegrate into tiny cubes.

"Say _whee_!" he whooped as Amy and Alex screamed bloody murder. The trio suddenly found themselves falling down a chute where the Doctor got separated from Alex, much to the despair of both. Alex then found herself lying on a squishy floor, surrounded by what appeared to be garbage.

_Oh great!_ She groaned. _He's gotten us sucked down into a goddamn dump!_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amy lying a small distance away, also looking disgusted with their surroundings. The Doctor had already gotten up and was running his sonic screwdriver all around.

"What the hell happened?" Alex demanded, sitting up and wincing at her wet jacket.

"High-speed air cannon," the Doctor answered. "Lousy way to travel." He shot her a smile but Alex merely narrowed her eyes. The Doctor bristled slightly, still not used to the fury in her eyes when she did that, and turned back to examining their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, picking up a piece of organic matter and throwing it down, disgusted.

"Six hundred feet down, twenty miles laterally - puts us at the heart of the ship. I'd say…Lancashire." Alex snorted at this.

"What's this then - a cave?" she asked, getting up to better situate herself.

"Can't be a cave," the Doctor replied, rejecting that theory.

"Looks like a cave," Alex persisted.

"It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!" Amy stood up and threw a piece of garbage into the distance.

"Yes, but only food refuse." The Doctor sniffed a piece of garbage and Alex nearly threw up. "Organic, coming from feeder tubes from all over the ship."

Amy got down on her hands and knees and kneaded at the ground. "This floor's all squishy," she announced. "Like a water bed."

Alex's brain was working at hyper speed, connecting the dots to come up with a picture she was already starting to hate. "But feeding what?" she asked the Doctor, hoping for once that she was wrong.

"It's sort of rubbery, feel it," Amy urged. "Wet and slimy."

The Doctor shifted slightly. "Er…it's not a floor, it's a…" The way he trailed off confirmed that Alex was right in what she suspected the floor really was. He put his sonic screwdriver away. "So…" he said awkwardly.

"It's a what?" Amy and Alex stepped over to him.

"The next word is kind of a scary word," the Doctor said, attempting to calm Amy before she inevitably freaked out. "Take a moment. Get yourself in a calm place." Alex snorted again, knowing that that would _not _work. "Go 'omm,'" he instructed.

"Omm," Amy obeyed, frowning, her face full of questions.

"It's a tongue," the Doctor told her.

Amy stared at him, the words sinking in. "A tongue?" she repeated.

"A tongue," the Doctor confirmed, actually sounding excited by it, which bewildered Alex. "A great big tongue!"

Amy was less enthusiastic however. "This is a mouth?" she cried, sounding horrified. "This whole place is a mouth? We're in a MOUTH?!"

"Yes, yes, yes, but on the plus side, roomy."

Amy shot him a glare. "How do we get out?" she nearly shrieked.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and flashed it all around the mouth. "How big is this beastie?" he asked no one in particular. "It's gorgeous! Blimey! If this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach!"

Alex could've killed him. "Shut up!" she snapped as a grunting noise rang throughout the vicinity.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Though not right now!" he added hurriedly.

"Doctor, how do we get out?" Alex asked, trying her best to remain calm.

"Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is…" The Doctor trailed off as he saw the creature's mouth was tightly shut. "Closed for business," he dejectedly finished.

"We can try though," Amy said, determined, and she started forward.

"No!" the Doctor objected. "Stop, don't move!" Just a second after the words left his lips though, the ground started rumbling. The Doctor grimaced. "Too late. It's started."

"What has?" Amy cried.

"Swallow reflex," the Doctor answered as they all fell to the ground. He brought out his sonic screwdriver and scanned it on a nearby 'wall'.

"What are you doing?" Alex cried as she flung a piece of rubbish off her jeans.

"Vibrating the chemo-receptors," he replied.

"Chemo what?" the girls cried in tandem.

"The eject button!" he clarified.

"How does a mouth have an ejection button?" Amy demanded. Alex gave her an incredulous look.

"Amy, remember when I had that bad bout of food poisoning?" she asked. "Think about it!" she and the Doctor yelled. The creature growled and the trio turned around to see a wave of bile heading straight towards them. Alex and Amy raced over to the Doctor's side while he fiddled with his bow-tie.

"Right then," he yelled over the roar of the approaching sick, "this isn't going to be big on dignity!" _Oh, you think?!_ Alex wanted to shout but her eyes were widely fixated on the bile rapidly approaching them. "Geronimo!" he yelled as Alex and Amy screamed.

A/N: And here's the first part of 'The Beast Below!' I hope you enjoyed it! Believe me, there's more suspense (and Doctor/Alex moments) to come, and even a few moments that I think might get a few people upset... :)

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix **and **XxKicking Your AxX** for reviewing and to all those who favored and followed this story. See you tomorrow!


	6. The Beast Below Part 2

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Doctor Who.

Alex blinked rapidly and groaned. She was lying on a cold hard floor, nothing compared to the tongue and filthy garbage she had last lied in. Suddenly, the past few minutes raced into her mind. She had blacked out when the wave of bile hit them. As she realized this, she caught a whiff of something horrible. Hesitantly, she brought her jacket sleeve to her nose and quickly jerked it back. She coughed from the stench and she then heard the Doctor saying "There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, you are covered in sick."

Sitting up, she watched as the Doctor, his hair slicked back from the sick, helped Amy up, also covered in bile. If they looked as bad as they did, Alex didn't even want to see herself. As soon as Amy was up, the Doctor went over and carefully lifted Alex up by the waist. He leaned her next to him by the door that he was examining. Alex grimaced as her head started pounding, probably from the overwhelming vomit fumes. She rubbed her head as Amy talked.

"Where are we?"

"Overspill pipe, at a guess." The Doctor looked over at Alex and noticed her look of pain. "Are you okay?" he asked, hesitantly touching her arm.

"Headache," Alex dismissed. "I'll be fine after I have a shower…or four."

The stench then hit Amy's nose. "Oh god, it stinks," she moaned. She hesitantly sniffed her gown and drew back in a hurry. "Whoo!"

Alex smiled slightly at her before turning back to the Doctor. "Can we get out?"

"One door, one door switch, one condition." The Doctor moved slightly to allow the girls to see the single _forget _button next to the door. "We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot." The lights overhead, which had previously been dim, suddenly came on to reveal two Smilers sitting in their booths at the end of the corridor. "Ooh, here's the stick. There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing here?" The Smilers faces spun to show mad.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, that's not going to work on me, so come on. Big old beast below decks and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?" The faces spun to show their pissed off, angry expression. "Oh, stop it. I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues?"

"Don't bait them!" Alex snapped, but it was too late. The booths opened up and the Smilers started to walk towards them. The Doctor shoved Alex behind him and all three backed up away from the approaching robots.

"Doctor?" Amy grimaced, her face frightened.

Alex bit her lip and desperately looked for a way to escape. There was no way she was going to die at the hands of a freaky robot. Just as she was doing this though, she heard the door behind her open and whirled around. Standing there was none other than Liz 10, this time without her mask. In her hands were guns and she immediately shot the Smilers. As they went down, she twirled her pistols before placing them in her holsters.

"Look who it is," the Doctor smiled. "You look a lot better without your mask." Liz smiled at him and Alex felt herself twitch. Was he _flirting _with her? Alex shook her head. _Why do you care Alexandria?_ She scolded. _You have no business being jealous! You two aren't together! For crying out loud, he's an ALIEN!_

"You must be Amy," Liz said, snapping Alex back into reality. "Liz. Liz 10." Liz and Amy shook hands, although Amy seemed quite reluctant to do so, considering her current state.

"Hi," she greeted sheepishly.

"Ugh!" Liz pulled back and wiped her puke covered hand on her cloak. "Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick." Liz went to the door again and quickly came back with a familiar figure. "You know Mandy, yeah?" she asked, putting an arm around the young girl's shoulders. "She's very brave."

"How did you find us?" the Doctor asked.

"Stuck my gizmo on you," she answered, tossing him a device. "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?"

Alex frowned. "You're over sixteen, you've voted," she told her. "Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it."

Liz shook her head. "No. Never forgot, never voted. Technically not a British subject."

The Doctor positioned himself next to Alex. "Then who and what are you, and how do you know about us?" he demanded, gesturing to himself and Alex.

Liz smiled at the two of them. "You two are a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious strangers, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, uncrowned queen of England, hair of an idiot, eyes of an enchantress…" The Doctor looked like he was about to take offense to the 'hair of an idiot' part, but decided to let it slide. At least Liz's statement about Alex's eyes was true. The way they constantly changed colors truly did seem magical.

Alex agreed with this too, although she was curious about being an uncrowned queen of England. "I've been brought up on the stories," Liz continued. "My whole family was."

"Your family?" the Doctor quizzed skeptically. Liz was about to answer when the Smilers suddenly began twitching.

"They're repairing," she explained. "Doesn't take them long. Let's move." Wanting to get as far away from the Smilers as possible, the group hurriedly headed out of the overspill pipe.

Liz explained further as they walked. "The Doctor and Alexandria, old drinking buddies of Henry XII, a conquest of Henry VIII. Tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, wasn't she Doctor? Knighted and exiled you on the same day! Muse to William Shakespeare and Lord Byron. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy!" The Doctor went bright red at this comment and Alex burst out laughing, although a back part of her mind couldn't help but grimace at the thought of the Doctor and Elizabeth I together.

It clicked simultaneously for them. "Liz 10?" they exclaimed.

Liz laughed. "The stories also talk about your ability to finish each-other's sentences and say things at the same time. Liz 10, yeah. Elizabeth X. And down!" At her command, they dropped to the ground while she fired upon the Smilers. When she was finished, she said "I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule." Alex giggled as the Doctor pulled her and Amy up before Liz led them down another corridor.

"There's a high-speed vator through there." As they walked down the corridor, the group stopped at the sight of a barred area where two clawed tentacles were waving around. Liz sighed. "Oh, yeah. There's these things. Any ideas?"

Alex stepped closer, being careful not to touch the tentacles. She glanced at the Doctor, who seemed to look pained. Vaguely, she could hear Amy saying something about how she had seen one of these tentacles up top, but Alex was concentrating on something else. Her headache was increasing. She could feel a sort of tapping at the back of her mind. It wasn't pleasant, more like downright annoying. However, it seemed to be weak, as though it couldn't fight her even if it tried.

The Doctor kept an eye on her as he said "It's the creature we were inside, reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship."

"What?" Liz asked. "Like an infestation?"

"Someone's helping it. Feeding it," the Doctor mused.

"Feeding my subjects to it!" Liz exclaimed angrily. She turned on her heel, furious. "Come on. We've got to keep moving."

"Doctor? Alex?" Amy asked, concerned. Alex was standing ram-rod straight and she seemed to be concentrating on something intently. "Alex, are you okay?"

"Oh Amy," the Doctor breathed, his attention focused on the tentacles. "We should never have come here."

Amy acknowledged his words but kept her attention on Alex. "Alex? Alex! Alex, are you okay? Doctor, what's wrong with her? I've seen her focus on something but not with that kind of daze and blocking everything out."

The Doctor looked at Alex worriedly, who was now scrunching her face up in an unreadable expression. "Ally? Alex? Alexandria, can you hear me?" He snapped his fingers in front of Alex's face, but she didn't acknowledge him. The rapping in her mind had increased and her mind felt like it was throwing bombs at it to get it to stop. It hurt so badly yet she knew it was really helping her…

Suddenly, there came a sharp pain and Alex cried out. Black spots formed in front of her eyes and she vaguely heard the Doctor and Amy calling her name as she sank to the ground into darkness.

* * *

Alex felt a cold sensation on her forehead and she twisted in order to get away from it. She vaguely heard voices but there was one she specifically focused on. "…mind is extremely strong. I'm not sure…fought it off…brain shut down…body systems…get it away." It was the Doctor and it sounded like he was explaining something. Slowly, she forced her eyes to open and found herself staring at the Doctor.

"Alexandria? Alex? Alexandria! Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?" he demanded.

Alex frowned at him. "Yes, I can damn hear you, you're practically sitting on me! And do not ask me how many fingers you are holding up, I'm not an invalid!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "She's fine," he announced. He then looked back down at Alex. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he told her before kissing her forehead. His lips were soft and felt like they were studded with electricity when they touched Alex's skin. He moved off while Alex scooted up the soft bed she was now lying on. It struck her that this was the second time in less than twelve hours that she had been unconscious. _Don't go for a third then, _she thought wryly.

"What happened?" she asked, looking at Liz, who had been dabbing at her head with a damp cloth.

Liz bit her lower lip. "I'm not exactly sure to be honest. Mandy and I were walking ahead when we heard you cry out. We turned around and saw the Doctor catch you. He carried you up here and started talking about how your mind had done something to keep something out."

Alex remembered that feeling of something tapping in her mind and she turned to look at the Doctor, who was currently walking in between several glasses sitting on the floor. She was about to ask what had happened when the Doctor said "Why glasses of water?" Alex frowned but decided to go with it. The Doctor had other matters on his mind and he also probably didn't want Alex to worry about whatever had happened to her. He would tell her when he thought she was ready.

Liz sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what."

The Doctor nodded and walked back over to them. He picked up Liz's white mask and held it before him. "A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?"

"Secrets are being kept from me! I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this, my entire reign, and you've achieved more in one afternoon."

Alex watched the Doctor frown and begin to pace, still looking at the mask. "You were how old when you took the throne?" she asked.

"Forty. Why?"

"What, you're fifty now?" Amy said incredulously as she came into the room. She had washed her hair and tied it into a clean knot. Noticing Alex was awake, she perched next to her while Mandy sat at the foot of the bed. "No way!"

"Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps," Liz joked.

"And you always wear this in public?" the Doctor asked, sitting on the side of the bed next to Liz. He held the mask up.

"Undercover's not easy when you're me," Liz defended. "The autographs, the bunting…"

"It's made of air-balanced porcelain," the Doctor revealed. "Stays on by itself, 'cause it's perfectly sculpted to your face."

"Yeah, so?" Liz questioned, looking confused.

"Oh Liz," Alex breathed, catching a faint idea on what the Doctor was leading towards. "So everything." But before she could elaborate, the door suddenly burst open and four hooded men entered the room.

Liz stood up, her face furious. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "How _dare _you come in here?"

One of the hooded men stepped forward. "Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship U.K. You will come with us now."

Liz stared at him, challenging this. "Why would I do that?"

In response, the man's face turned and Alex's eyes widened as she saw the pissed off expression of a Smiler. "How can they be Smilers?" she asked.

"Genetic experimentation," the Doctor commented. "Half Smiler, half human."

Liz, however, refused to let this faze her. "Whatever you creatures are," she warned, "I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?"

"The highest authority, Ma'am," the man replied. Its voice was monotone and Alex involuntarily shivered.

"I AM the highest authority!" Liz protested.

"Yes, ma'am," the man acknowledged. "You must go now, Ma'am."

"Where?"

"The Tower, Ma'am."

* * *

As they walked into the Tower of London, Alex was reminded of the Tower that she was familiar with back on Earth. It had once been used as a prison and torture chamber where people such as Liz's ancestor Elizabeth I had been held. As they entered the Starship U.K.'s version of it, Alex couldn't help but think this was exactly like the prison and torture days of the old tower, especially when she caught sight of the thing in the center of the room.

Amy looked around the room, getting the same vibes about it that Alex had. "Doctor, where are we?"

"The worst part of Starship U.K.," the Doctor answered gravely.

"The dungeon," Alex added, stepping closer to him. On their walk, she had walked right next to the Doctor, him keeping one hand on her waist in case she passed out again. Now, the Doctor wrapped a hand around her back, keeping her close to him.

A man stepped out of the shadows. He had white hair and glasses and was dressed in a black robe like the Half Smilers. He bowed to Liz. "Ma'am," he greeted.

"Hawthorne!" Liz exclaimed, surprised. "So _this _is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do."

The Doctor and Alex watched as a group of children, all looking tired and drained, passed them. "There's children down here. What's all that about?" the Doctor demanded, his voice gaining an edge to it. Alex placed her hand on his tense shoulder and he relaxed slightly, although anyone could tell he was getting angry.

"Protestors and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky." Hawthorne truly sounded amazed, which only made Alex and the Doctor's blood turn cold.

"Yes, I feel _very _lucky," Alex sneered, her sarcasm evident. She fixated a glare on the man and she was pleased to see him bristle.

"Torture chamber of the Tower of London," the Doctor said, giving the man a glare of his own. "Lucky, we are _really_, _really_ lucky." The Doctor moved around a railing in the center of the room and Alex followed him, vaguely aware of the others watching them. He stopped in front of a vast array of machines and equipment and added "Except it's not a torture chamber, is it? Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle."

Alex swallowed hard at the sight in the middle of the room. The dots had connected in her brain and she wished that they hadn't. "It _is_ a torture chamber," she said quietly with a furious glare in Hawthorne's direction. Hawthorne, to his credit, actually looked guilty.

The Doctor, eyeing Alex, walked over to the sight in the center of the room that she was so fixated on. Liz was already there, staring down. In the center of the room was a large opening with a railing around it. Inside the opening was a large pink brain and above it was a giant spike that was shooting a beam of light directly onto the brain. The lump moved in pain and Alex almost threw up.

"What's that?" Liz asked, her voice expressing shock and horror.

"Well, depends on your angle," the Doctor said, his gaze fixated on the brain below. "It's either the exposed pain center of a peaceful animal's brain, being tortured mercilessly…"

"Or?" Liz asked hopefully, hoping that the second angle was something less horrible.

Alex picked up, unable to stay silent. "The gas pedal - the go faster button for Starship U.K.," she choked out.

"I don't understand." Liz shook her head, confused.

"Don't you?" the Doctor asked, stepping towards her. "Try, go on. The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature, this poor, trapped, terrified creature; it's not infesting you, it's not invading…it's what you have instead of an engine."

Alex walked over to him, her wide unblinking eyes staring at the electrical spike shooting more electricity down into the creature's brain. _How could people do this?_ She thought. _This is sick. _"And this is where you people, your government, tortures it to keep moving." Alex stopped next to the Doctor and glared at the human Starship U.K. operators. "This whole thing has just made me realize why I favor democracy much more than a monarchy." Liz visibly flinched at her words but said nothing.

The Doctor watched as another shot of electricity stabbed the creature's brain. "Tell you what," he said as he walked over to some grating and shifted it. "Normally it's above the human range of hearing," he commented as a tentacle burst up. "This is the sound none of you wanted to hear!" Holding up the sonic to the tentacle, he pressed a button and a horrible screaming noise filled the room.

Alex cringed with pain and sank to her knees, covering her ears in a futile attempt to block out the horrible screaming. All of a sudden, she realized…_this _was what had been trying to tap into her mind. The creature was tapping into her mind to beg for help. Alex instantly felt bad for shoving him out like that but it wasn't like it was her fault. Her brain just went berserk.

The Doctor watched Alex through his own pain. He felt his hearts sink as he watched her sink to the floor in pain, covering her ears. Her eyes were tightly shut but suddenly they opened, revealing her now dark green eyes clouded with recognition. He knew then that she had realized who had been tapping into her mind, who had been reaching out for help. He saw a flash of regret flash through them as well, probably guilt over shoving the creature out of her mind like that. He knew he had to remind her it wasn't her fault her mind had reacted like that, even though he hadn't the slightest idea why her mind had went all DEFCON on the creature's mind.

"Stop it!" Liz begged through clenched teeth. The Doctor didn't listen to her though, still concentrated on making the humans listen to what they had stupidly done to such a creature.

"Doctor, please!" Amy called, but her request fell on deaf ears.

Alex watched the Doctor and felt her body tense at the sight of him. He truly looked dangerous, like some inner demon inside of him had been unleashed to wreak unholy vengeance on everyone in the room. Hesitantly, she lifted her head to catch his eye. She saw a flash of sympathy in his eyes as he looked at her but it was quickly replaced by pure, hard anger. Alex swallowed and kept her face in a non-confrontational expression.

"Doctor!" she cried over the creature's screams. "Please! Stop this! Now!" Her voice was pleading, something she never did. But now, it was her only option.

Her words rang in the Doctor's ears and he snapped out of his anger-filled daze to look into her pleading eyes. He switched the sonic screwdriver off and lowered it. The screaming stopped and everybody uncovered their ears, but the screams still echoed in their ears and minds. As soon as he had done that, he rushed over to Alex and helped her up.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot on her skin.

Alex smiled weakly at him. "You had to do that. They needed to know what they did to this creature."

"Who did this?" Liz's voice rang out. The Doctor and Alex turned to see her looking furiously around the room.

"We act on instructions from the highest authority," Hawthorne calmly replied.

"_I _am the highest authority!" Liz reminded him. She cast a look down on the brain as she instructed "The creature will be released, now." When no one immediately reacted, she yelled "I said NOW!" Still, no one moved. "Is anyone listening to me?"

The Doctor and Alex exchanged a glance and the Doctor stepped forward, still holding Liz's mask. "Liz…this mask of yours…"

Liz stared at it blankly. "What about my mask?"

"Take a look," he urged as he handed it to her. "It's at least two hundred years old."

"Yeah, it's an antique, so?"

"An antique made by craftsmen over two hundred years ago and yet it's somehow _perfectly _sculpted to your face?" The Doctor looked at her sympathetically. "They did slow your body clock, but more than you know. You're not fifty, you're nearer three hundred. And it's been a long old reign."

"No, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years," she assured, more to herself than to anyone else in the room.

"Ten years. And the same ten years over and over again." He led her over to a section of the room. "Always leading you…" he pulled her to a small voting area, "here." Alex stepped over and looked at the voting area. On it were two buttons, just like the booth Amy had been at. Only these choices were _forget _or _abdicate_.

Liz looked over at Hawthorne, her face horrified. "What have you done?" she demanded.

"Only what you have ordered," he insisted. "We work for you Ma'am; the Winders, the Smilers, all of us." He reached over and turned on one of the screens on the voting area. It started playing a recording of Liz.

"_If you are watching this…_" the recording began and the Liz on screen sighed, "_If __**I**_ _am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower of London._" The current Liz sank down into a chair to watch. The screen switched to show a computer-graphic on an animal Alex had never seen before. It looked like a whale with the face of a catfish. "_The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle; the last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the _forget _button._" Liz gazed down at the button in question. "_Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button._" She then stared at the _abdicate_ button with a forlorn expression. "_Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate._" The Liz on screen sighed sadly. "_I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision._" With that, the recording ended.

"I voted for this?" Amy cried, who had joined them sometime during the recording. "Why would I do that?" She looked at the Doctor, knowing that Alex had no clue.

The Doctor stared off into the distance as he answered. "Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that." He looked up at her, his expression back to the one of contempt and barely hidden anger that had been present when he revealed the Star Whale's screaming. "And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know."

"I don't even remember doing it!" Amy defended. Alex gripped her arm and stared down the Doctor, just daring him to say something that would make her want to slap him.

"You did it," the Doctor retorted, his voice cold. "That's what counts."

"I'm…I'm sorry," she tried but the Doctor cut her off.

"Oh, I don't care," he sneered at her. "When I'm done here, you're going home." He stormed off angrily, not even feeling the holes Alex was boring into his back.

"Alex," Amy whimpered, looking into the sympathetic and furious eyes of her friend.

"Don't worry Amy," Alex soothed. "I'll talk some sense into him. If he even tries to punch in the coordinates for Leadworth when we get back to the TARDIS, I'll slap him."

Alex directed Amy to go sit with Mandy before she stormed up to the Doctor. He was alerted to her coming by the stomping of her boots. "Why send Amy back?" she demanded as he looked up at her, not even allowing him to get a word in. "Why? Because she made a mistake? _One _mistake? A mistake she doesn't even remember making?"

"Alex," he warned, his face threatening, but Alex refused to be affected by it.

"Doctor," she challenged in a similar voice. She crossed her arms and gave him a deep dark glare.

Even in his aggravated state, the Doctor was still affected by her furious gaze. "Yeah, I know," he dismissed as he looked back down at the machinery he was standing in front of. "You two are only human."

"And so is everyone on this ship," Alex reminded him.

The Doctor felt like she had slapped him. He looked up at her, his face containing absolute fury. "You are the last person I would expect to be defending them Alex," he snarled.

"I'm _not_," Alex argued. "Look, what they did is unforgivable. I get that. Amy? Completely different. She was trying to save you from yourself. I realize that now. And frankly, if I had been in that voting booth instead of her, I'd have done the exact same thing. Look at you! An absolute menace blinded by hatred! It's no wonder the Atraxi fled when they did! If that's how you act all the time, I almost feel sorry for them!"

The Doctor stepped threateningly towards her, but changed his mind at the last second. He whirled back to the machinery and focused on that. Even though she was being completely insufferable right now, there was no way he would actually hurt Alex. His fury had never allowed him to do that before and he didn't intend to start now.

Before they could argue any further, Liz interjected. "What are you doing?"

"The worst thing I'll ever do," the Doctor said, keeping his gaze on the machinery instead of Alex. "I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it."

"That'll be like killing it," Amy protested, albeit timidly since she was still recovering from the Doctor's verbal attack on her. Alex simply stared at him in shock, his words ringing in her ears.

"Look, three options. One, I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two, I kill everyone on this ship. Three, I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, 'cause I won't be the Doctor anymore!"

Alex shook her head, critically thinking of another option. "There must be something we can do, some other way?" she mused quietly.

The Doctor snapped. "Nobody talk to me. Nobody _human_ has anything to say to me today!" Amy and Liz flinched at his words and the mask of fury decorating his face but Alex was too busy to pay him any attention. There was another option, she could sense it. All she had to do was figure it out…

* * *

A few minutes later, Amy, Mandy, and Alex sat on a bench against the wall, watching the Doctor work. Well, that's what Amy and Mandy were doing. Alex had her head between her knees, thinking critically. _Think Alexandria! Okay, the Star Whale came at a time of solar flares. Children were screaming, the skies were growing hotter…and it just appeared. That cannot be a coincidence!_

Alex looked up, her eyes weary, and she watched as three ragged children entered the room. Beside her, Mandy made a noise of surprise and then jumped up. She raced over to a boy about her age, a grin on her face. They chatted excitedly for a moment until the boy started to back away. Alex looked over and saw a tentacle sticking out of a grate. But to her surprise, the tentacle reached out and rubbed up against the boy. He stared at it for a moment before slowly petting it. Mandy followed suit and Alex watched in amazement as the Star Whale played with the children.

She looked over to see Amy watching the same sight. Suddenly, her brain connected the pieces and Alex gasped. How did she miss that? She looked over at Amy, who also seemed shocked. Amy looked over at her. "You figure it out too?" she whispered.

Alex didn't even have to ask what she meant. The answer was written all over her face. "Yes. How did we miss that?"

Amy giggled a little bit before glancing over at the Doctor, still working. "Do this together?" she suggested.

Alex smiled. "Definitely," she confirmed. "Distract him and I'll get Liz."

Amy nodded before abruptly leaping up and racing over to the Doctor. "Doctor, stop!" she shouted. "Whatever you're gonna do, don't do it!" As Amy distracted the Doctor by pushing him away from the machinery, Alex ran over to Liz and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the voting booth.

"Sorry Your Majesty, going to need a hand!" Alex led Liz's hand in the direction of the _abdicate _button.

"Alex, no!" The Doctor cried, pushing past Amy to try to get to her. "NO!" He ran over but Alex quickly pressed Liz's hand down on the _abdicate _button.

As soon as she had done that, the Star Whale bellowed. The whole ship shook, knocking everyone to the ground. Alex landed hard on her back and grimaced. The Doctor sat up from his spot a little ways away. "Alex, Amy, what have you two done?" he muttered in horror.

"We did nothing. Right Ally?"

Alex shot Amy an icy look. "Right. And it's _Alex_, thank you very much." She looked over at Hawthorne and smiled. "Check and see how fast you're going."

Hawthorne got up and examined the equipment. His eyes widened in shock. "We've _increased _speed!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot," Amy smiled, getting up. "Gotta help."

"It's still here?" Liz was shocked. "I don't understand."

Alex jumped up from the floor and skipped over to the railing. She leapt up on it and gazed down at the now peaceful brain fondly. "The Star Whale wasn't a miracle all those years ago," she explained, swinging her legs. "He volunteered."

Amy headed over to her. "You didn't have to capture him or torture him," she picked up. "That was you all just being daft. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry."

"What if you were really old, and really kind and alone?" Alex continued. "Your whole race dead, no future."

"What couldn't you do then?" Amy asked, smiling. "If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind…" She trailed off as she and Alex turned to look at the Doctor, who was staring at them with part pride and part sheepishness.

"You couldn't just stand there and watch children cry," they said together.

* * *

"I don't care what she says," Alex insisted as she and Amy walked to the observation deck where the Doctor was standing, alone. "I am _not _going to be Henry VIII's girlfriend."

Amy laughed. "She said _conquest_. He probably doesn't succeed."

Alex snorted. "He isn't going to succeed. That I'm sure of." She fingered Liz's mask in her hands. "Besides, if the TARDIS ever brings us to his time period, I can just wear this." She put the mask up to her face and Amy laughed, her laughter echoing over to the Doctor, who, despite the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips, didn't turn around.

Alex skipped over, taking the mask off, and held it out to him. "From Her Majesty," she said while doing a little curtsey.

"She says there will be no more secrets on Starship U.K.," Amy added when she reached them.

"Amy, Alex, you could have killed everyone on this ship," the Doctor scolded, although Alex saw a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, meaning that he wasn't really angry with them.

"You could have killed a Star Whale," Amy pointed out.

"And that's much worse if you want my opinion," Alex nodded.

The Doctor couldn't resist teasing her. "Well, I didn't ask for it, but thanks for your input." He chuckled when Alex stuck her tongue out at him, a gesture he thought was kinda cute. "And you saved it, I know, I know."

"Amazing though, don't you think? The Star Whale?" Alex said softly.

Amy nodded in agreement. "All that pain and misery…and loneliness. And it just made it kind."

"But you two couldn't have known how it would react," the Doctor protested, but he only looked at Alex. He had a feeling she had been the true mastermind behind her and Amy's actions back there.

"_You_ couldn't," Alex corrected. "But we've seen it before."

"Very old and very kind, and the very, very last." Amy tilted her head at him. "Sound a bit familiar?"

The Doctor chuckled a bit, knowing that they were right. "Alright. You two are brilliant," he conceded.

Alex perked up. "Good! Keep remembering that!" She reached out and pulled him into a hug, pulling Amy in a moment later. She felt a jolt of electricity run up her arms as he touched her, although for the life of her, she couldn't explain why. She was physically attracted to him, so maybe that was part of it. The Doctor, meanwhile, felt slightly breathless at being this close to Alex and his own arms buzzed. He was getting his own version of an adrenaline high by touching her.

Reluctantly, he pulled apart from her. He couldn't get attached to her. She was human! She was brilliant and occasionally impossible, but she was human! That kind of a relationship would only lead to heartbreak.

Alex felt the adrenaline running through her system again as she skipped back to the TARDIS. She had barely heard Amy say _gotcha_ to the Doctor when he released her because she was too busy yelling at herself. He was a freaking ALIEN, for crying out loud! Yes, he was a hot one, but she couldn't have a relationship with him! That would not end well. Still, Alex would be lying if she didn't admit that the idea intrigued her…_oh shut it Alex!_

Focusing her mind on something else, she suddenly realized something. "Shouldn't we say goodbye?" she asked the Doctor.

Amy nodded, thinking the same thing. "Won't they wonder where we went?"

"For the rest of their lives," the Doctor said. "Oh, the songs they will sing!" He swung open the TARDIS doors and called over his shoulder "Never mind them. Big day tomorrow!"

Amy stopped in her tracks, Alex almost bumping into her back. "Sorry, what?" she called.

"Tomorrow's always a big day with me around," the Doctor answered, poking his head out.

Amy shifted slightly, aware of Alex boring a hole into her skull. She knew Alex would heartily disapprove of what she was about to say but she didn't care at that moment what Alex would think. "You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning…have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just…just because you could?"

Alex kept her eyes slightly narrowed at her friend's back as the Doctor thought of how to answer. "Once," he said hesitantly. "A long time ago."

"What happened?"

The Doctor gestured to himself, although Amy wasn't really sure why. "Hello."

Amy sighed. "Right. Doctor, there's something I haven't told you." Alex perked up. Finally! She was going to tell him that she was getting married and not that she didn't want to return home, which was what she had expected her to do. However, this hope was quickly shattered when Amy wrinkled her nose in confusion and said "No. Hang on, is that a phone ringing?"

The Doctor rushed inside as Alex and Amy followed him. Sure enough, much to the girls' surprise, there _was _a phone ringing.

"People phone you?" Alex cried incredulously as she shut the doors. There was something strange about people calling the Doctor. It just seemed so…_normal_. And he definitely was _not_ normal!

"Well, it _is _a phone box," the Doctor pointed out as he messed with the controls. "Would you mind?" he asked, nodding to the phone on the console.

Amy beat Alex to it and answered. "Hello? Sorry who? No, seriously. Who?" She placed the phone against her shoulder. "Says he's the Prime Minister. First the Queen, now the Prime Minister. Get about, don't you?"

"Don't forget all the others Liz mentioned," Alex added from her perch on the railing.

"Which Prime Minister?" the Doctor asked, fiddling with something under the console.

Amy put the phone back to her ear. "Which Prime Minister?" She covered the phone again. "The British one."

"Gee, that narrows it down," Alex commented.

The Doctor nodded, agreeing with her. "Which British one?"

"Which British one?" Amy asked after she put the phone back to her ear. Her eyes widened and she passed the phone to the Doctor. "Winston Churchill for you," she breathed. Alex's jaw dropped. The Doctor knew Winston Churchill?! _That's freaking awesome!_ She thought excitedly, the adrenaline making her brain a little jittery.

"Oh!" The Doctor grabbed the phone, returning her to the present. "Hello dear," he greeted. "What's up?" He listened for a moment and then nodded, even though Winston couldn't see him. "Don't worry about a thing Prime Minister. We're on our way."

A/N: Ooh, the angst! I hope it's believable that Alex could go off on the Doctor like that. Alex is really tough and she's also really loyal, so I don't think she could stand somebody talking to her friend like that. And, there's still one more chapter left for 'The Beast Below'...I'm not saying what will be in it, but I think you can guess. :)

And I hope you all like the new cover! It was my first attempt at making one and I think it could be better, but I decided to put it up anyway. It took me an hour to figure out how to do it, so I hope it was worth it I don't really picture Hilary Duff as Alex, but she was the closest match for her. Feel free to tell me how you all picture Alex and how I could improve future covers.

Thank you to **Cupcake Frosting**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, and **XxKicking Your AxX** for reviewing. Please guys, keep them coming! And thank you to those who followed/favored this story. See you tomorrow!


	7. The Beast Below Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not now, nor will I ever, own Doctor Who. Sad, but true.

Alex tiptoed into the console room and sat down on a step that led down to the underworking's of the console. The lights were dim, probably in an effort to simulate night. Since both girls had been exhausted and still wreaked a little from Star Whale vomit, the Doctor had decided to wait until they all had had some rest before they raced off to see Winston. Alex was glad about that decision; it had taken three showers to get all of the dried vomit out of her hair and another one just so she didn't feel so disgusting anymore. And four showers in one day was not exactly thrilling to a person who feared water.

Now, she was dressed in a short, loose white nightgown and socks. Her hair was down and slightly curly, as it always was whenever she first got out of the shower. She critically watched as the Doctor fiddled with some wires and they sparked in his face. He grimaced and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath, though Alex figured it was probably curse words.

"You know, if you don't want that to happen, you probably shouldn't be doing that," she remarked. The Doctor jumped in his seat and looked up at her through the glass of the floor. He had had a suspicion she was in here, ever since his heart rate had jumped a few notches.

"Like you know the inner workings of the TARDIS!" he argued at her.

Alex simply smirked at him. "I don't, but I could probably fix her better than you ever could." A rumble from the TARDIS herself signaled that she agreed with this statement.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Women, always ganging up on me," he complained. Despite this, he found himself smiling at Alex. "Well, just don't sit there!" he called up. "Come on down!"

Alex happily obliged and settled herself at the bottom step. She covered her knees with her nightgown and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She watched in silence for a moment as the Doctor fussed with something. Despite their playful banter, the air around them was tinged with awkwardness and tension. That was the reason Alex had come down here to speak to him; she needed to clean the air with him and not just forget their argument.

The Doctor knew this too and had wondered if she would come down here. Now, it seemed as though he had been correct in his suspicions. He had planned on just shrugging off and forgetting his vicious argument with her and moving on, but it seemed Alex didn't have the same idea.

"So…" she began, desperate to break the silence between them.

"So…" the Doctor copied, staring down at the floor.

Alex sighed and looked up at the TARDIS ceiling. "So, that was an interesting conversation on Starship U.K.," she laughed dryly.

The Doctor snorted. "A _conversation_? Is that what we're calling it?"

"Well, I don't like saying we fought," Alex admitted. "And so viciously either."

"Neither do I, even if it is the truth." The Doctor pushed his foot against the floor and swung a little in his swing.

Alex leaned back against the stairs. "It's just…it really angered me that you were so willing to send Amy home, after she'd waited _fourteen years_ for you. And she made one mistake, a mistake that she didn't even remember making. In my eyes, after I saw you sonicking the Star Whale to let us hear it screaming, I just knew she had been right in trying to prevent that side of you from coming out." Alex picked at a loose thread on her gown, deliberately avoiding his eyes as she said "That look in your eyes and on your face? It scared the hell out of me. I had never seen such pure hatred before until that moment."

The Doctor remained silent. He knew Alex was right. His anger had consumed him, similar to how crazy he had acted in his last regeneration on Bowie Base One. He had been blinded by rage and hadn't attempted to come out of the darkness of it until Alex begged him to stop. Somehow, her words had resonated in him and he had stopped. But then he just had to try and blame Amy for everything. In retrospect, it wasn't Amy's fault. She hadn't known what she was doing and he had been wrong for blaming her.

"Believe me when I say that I regret that," he said finally.

Alex raised her head. "You do?" she said, her voice somewhat doubtful.

The Doctor stared at her. "Of course I do!" he cried in such a way that Alex knew he was telling the truth.

She nodded and bit her lower lip. "Well, that's good. I was a little worried that…" She trailed off, not wanting to get into that.

The Doctor, however, was curious by what she had to say. "Worried that...?" he repeated, wanting her to go on.

Alex sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let it go until she told him. "I was worried that if you sent Amy back, you would send me home as well," she confessed.

The Doctor blinked. When he had been telling Amy that he would send her home, he hadn't even thought about Alex. As far as he had been concerned, she was still going with him. She hadn't done anything to anger him. But he realized that Amy leaving would probably devastate Alex and him being mad at her best friend would probably make her think he was mad at her as well and that she needed to leave. And that was the last thing he wanted.

He got up and joined her on the step. Tilting her head so that her eyes were staring straight into his, he took in a deep breath and exhaling, said "I wasn't even thinking of sending you home Ally. At that moment, all I could focus on was Amy and how I thought she had done wrong. As far as I was concerned, you were still coming with me."

Alex smiled at his words. "That's good to know," she remarked. "But, had you really sent Amy home, I probably would've gone with her. Knowing me, I'd be completely disgusted with you and never want anything to do with you again after you sent my best friend away."

"Lucky it didn't come to that," the Doctor thanked.

Alex made a noise of agreement. "Lucky indeed. So what about me?" She stared at him intently. "How come you fought so viciously with me?"

The Doctor let out a long breath and leaned back against the step. "I think because you were arguing against me," he admitted after a few minutes. "I don't like others challenging me." He let out a dry laugh. "After nine hundred and seven years, you start figuring out what makes you snap."

Alex's eyes widened and she looked upon his body. "No way," she breathed. "You're nine hundred and seven?!" She ran a hand through her hair, her face expressing shock. "You don't look a day over twenty-five!"

The Doctor laughed. "In Time Lord years, twenty-five is equivalent to an Earth three year old. But thanks for that."

"It's the truth," Alex insisted. _Holy crap, 907?! There's no way I can even think about kissing him now! _

"But seriously," the Doctor said, getting back to business, "I would never send you away just because I was angry. I don't deliberately set out to do that."

"Good," Alex smiled. "Maybe now we can actually have a pleasant conversation without the air around us being tinged with weirdness?"

"Absolutely," the Doctor agreed.

Alex leaned back, glad that everything had been resolved between them, and couldn't help but glance into his eyes. They were filled with sincerity and regret and…_love?_ Alex mentally slapped herself. _No genius, that is not love! Stop that!_

Despite these reasonable thoughts running through her head, Alex couldn't help but still gaze into them, trying to find all of the hidden emotions in them. There was something so old and haunted about the Doctor's eyes. They truly revealed the nine hundred and seven years of their owner. And despite how torn and worn down they at first appeared, Alex knew that there was a hidden childlike quality in them that came out whenever he was in the midst of doing something completely ridiculous.

Or whenever they happened to be bantering with each-other. That occurred then too.

Unbeknownst to her, the Doctor was also looking at her eyes. In addition to their changing colors, they also contained a brightness that exposed her simple young years. Which reminded him…"How old are you?" he asked abruptly.

Alex blinked, not expecting that. "Well, when you first met me, I was eighteen. Now I'm twenty. My birthday isn't until August 31st. I'm a few months younger than Amy, whose twenty-one."

_Oh God, she's young, _the Doctor thought. _Well, everyone's young compared to me._

"Why ask?" Alex questioned.

The Doctor shook himself and shrugged. "Just wondering."

Alex shrugged. "Okay. Not exactly twenty going on two hundred, am I?"

"No," the Doctor chuckled. "I guess not."

They sat in silence for a moment before Alex yawned. The Doctor looked over at her. "You should be in bed. We'll be going to see Winston in a few hours."

"I know," Alex admitted. Running a hand through her hair, she quickly got up. However, in her haste to leave, as she stepped forward, her ankle banged against the step, causing her to fall forward. Alex felt herself falling forward until she just…stopped. Looking down, she saw an arm wrapped around her waist and then felt someone pulling her back against them. When she looked up, she met the worried eyes of the Doctor.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Alex glanced down, still seeing his arm wrapped around her. Its presence was making her stomach do weird flip-flops. "It seems I have a knack for nearly falling down things," she remarked.

"Or falling out, in one case," he reminded her of her almost fall into space.

Alex shrugged but could barely concentrate on it, seeing as how she was still pressed up against his chest and oh-so close to his face. "Yeah," she breathed. "I'm a total klutz."

Alex tilted her head up to look at him and the Doctor subconsciously bent his head down to hers. Alex's breath hitched and the Doctor was nearly resorted to using his respiratory bypass system. Almost without being aware of it, their faces moved closer to each-other, closer, closer, closer…

Suddenly, a loud explosion of sparks blew up under the console. Alex and the Doctor jumped, spreading a large distance between them. The Doctor stared at the wiring. "Great, just great," he muttered before launching into a small tirade of curses under his breath in some language Alex could barely understand. Not that she was paying much attention anyways. She was too busy thinking about that almost-kiss.

"R-right, well," she stammered, backing up the stairs slowly so she wouldn't trip and be forced to go through that again. "I'm going to bed. See you soon!"

The Doctor looked up. "Good-," he started but Alex had already scampered off.

He sighed and leaned against the railing, putting his head into his hands. It was good timing by the TARDIS that that explosion had occurred. Had it come just a few seconds later, he'd have barely noticed, as he would've been too busy kissing Alex. And he could _not _get involved with her. _I can't think about kissing her,_ he told himself. _I cannot think about kissing those beautiful pink lips, putting my hands on that small waist, sucking her tongue… _The Doctor slapped himself. What the hell was he thinking? Before he could get distracted by that train of thought again, he hurried back under the console to fix the problem before they went to see Winston.

Meanwhile, Alex slammed her door close. She sank against the warm wood and closed her eyes. Oh god, she was acting like a hormonal teenager again! Kissing the Doctor was NOT a good idea. Oh sure, he was hot, but he was a bloody alien! Alex ran a hand through her hair and felt the sweat gathered at the base of her neck. _Oh great, I'm getting all hot and bothered over a centuries old alien!_

Alex sighed and quickly got into bed. Sleep, that was what she needed. She needed sleep.

A/N: The Doctor and Alex almost kissed! Yay! I'm hoping you all can buy the quickness of their relationship. They did feel a connection to each-other back during 'The Eleventh Hour'...and the Doctor finds Alex's name familiar...wonder why that is? I know, but I'm not telling. But, we will find out soon. :)

Sorry about the short chapter, but I want to make each episode three chapters and I thought adding this part to Part 2 would make that chapter way too long.

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix **for reviewing and to those who followed/favored this story. Please everyone, keep it up! See you tomorrow!


	8. Victory of the Daleks Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who. If I did, so many things would be different.

The next morning - because it _was _morning, wasn't it? - Alex took a quick shower and dressed in a silky yellow tank-top, black skinny jeans, and matching yellow ballet flats. She pushed her hair back with a black velvet headband and licked her heavily glossed lips. Even though she had managed to fall asleep last night, she had dreamed of the almost-kiss with the Doctor. In the dream however, they managed to kiss passionately. It had felt so real and oh-so good…

Alex shook her head and stormed out of her room. This train of thought wasn't going to head anywhere productive. She decided to concentrate on visiting Winston Churchill today and seeing what was so urgent with him. _Yes, that's much better,_ Alex thought happily.

Walking into the control room, she immediately spotted Amy, dressed in a red tank-top, a brown leather jacket that reached to her elbows, a denim mini-skirt, and boots, lounging against the railing as she watched the Doctor fix something under the console.

Alex skipped over to her. "Hey," she greeted.

Amy smiled at her and handed her a Pop-tart, which Alex immediately dug into. "Hey yourself. Sleep alright?"

Alex thought about her dreams of kissing the Doctor and felt her face heat up. "Uh, yeah," she answered, suddenly becoming very interested in nibbling on her breakfast.

Amy gave her a weird look and was about to ask her what was up when the Doctor bounded up the stairs. "Okay!" he declared, throwing a lever down on the console. "The dematerialization break is fixed! Shouldn't have exploded like that but what can you tell, it's a Type 40 TARDIS…" He started babbling some weird tech babble that neither girl attempted to keep up with.

"So I was right?" Alex demanded before she could even think about what she was saying. She raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't have been messing with those wires last night?"

Then, Alex remembered the almost-kiss. _Oh crap,_ she thought, cringing slightly. Did the Doctor remember? She hoped not.

The Doctor, however, had an excellent memory and easily recalled the almost-kiss, as he had spent the better part of the night telling himself over and over that Alex was not a person he could get involved with, he would not allow her to be another Rose, etc. But he decided to answer Alex's question. "Yes," he admitted. "You were right, I was wrong!"

Alex cheered. "Ha! Two in a row!"

Amy laughed. "Going to go for a third Alex?" Alex nodded eagerly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Great, just what I need. You two gaining up on me!"

"Shut up and drive Time-boy," Amy retorted, grabbing onto the railing behind her. Alex copied her and soon, they were off.

* * *

The Doctor bounded off towards the doors. "Stay there!" he called. "It's the London Blitz and Britain is on high alert!"

Alex shook her head. "I am psyched about seeing Churchill, but not so much about being in the middle of the London Blitz."

"Especially since the Americans weren't in the war yet, if my history's correct," Amy mused.

Alex nodded. "You're right," she said, but before she could get more in, she heard the Doctor calling "Amy! Alex!" The girls grinned and raced out the door.

Alex and Amy hesitantly stepped outside after catching sight of the several soldiers surrounding them and the TARDIS, guns aimed. The Doctor, however, didn't seem fazed and Alex saw that he was currently talking to a figure in a black suit, black hat, and glasses. Alex's eyes widened as she realized that the figure was none other than Winston Churchill.

"Oh, Winston, my old friend!" the Doctor greeted. He moved to shake Winston's hand but Winston stuck his hand out, as though expecting to receive something. The Doctor laughed. "Ah, every time!"

"What's he after?" Alex asked, stepping up beside him.

"TARDIS key, of course," the Doctor answered.

"Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor!" Winston tried, although Alex already knew no argument would sway the Doctor. "The lives that could be saved!"

The Doctor went over and closed the TARDIS doors, preventing anyone from getting inside. "Ah, doesn't work like that."

Winston looked at him challengingly. "Must I take it by force?" he lightly threatened.

The Doctor snorted. "I'd like to see you try. Don't try angering these two girls," he said, nodding to Alex then Amy. "They'll make you regret it."

Amy looked over at Alex. "Should we be insulted?" she asked. Alex shrugged, figuring that it could go either way.

Winston laughed at the Doctor's choice of words. "That reminds me Doctor. Who are your two lovely companions?"

"Winston Churchill, Amy Pond," the Doctor introduced, gesturing to Amy, who could only wave as she was still caught up in excitement. "And Alex Locke." Alex smiled brightly, her chipper personality radiating off of her.

"Lovely to meet you," she greeted.

Winston perked up upon hearing her accent. "Oh, an American! I see you're branching out Doctor."

Alex turned to look at the Doctor critically. "And just what does that mean? Have you never given consideration to my lovely country before?"

The Doctor gulped and wracked his brain for something to say before Alex slapped him - which he was pretty sure she would eventually do to him. "Well, there was one…Peri Brown. Brilliant girl, she was."

Alex nodded, enjoying making the Doctor squirm. "Anyone else?"

"There _was_ Jack, but technically he's not even…" The Doctor trailed off, deciding not to get into this right now. "Why am I discussing this with you right now? Winston!" he cried, turning back to him. "Do you mind telling your men to lower their weapons? I don't particularly like guns being pointed at my companions."

Winston turned to the soldiers. "At ease," he ordered and the soldiers lowered their weapons.

"Much better," the Doctor smiled. "You rang?"

Winston nodded and laughed and led them past the men down a corridor. The corridor was quite bland with gray walls and simple tiled flooring. All around them, people in suits carrying papers and other such things were walking hurriedly to one place and then another, barely even stopping for a break. As Alex was observing this, a sudden BANG and a shudder ran throughout the hallway. Alex jumped slightly, not used to the sounds of an air raid going on just above them.

The Doctor glanced over at her as she gripped his jacket. He sent her a reassuring smile and laced one arm around her shoulders while he tucked Winston's cane, which at some point he had snitched from him, under his other arm.

"So you've changed your face again," Winston observed. Alex blinked at this statement and looked up at the Doctor curiously. _What did he mean by that?_ She thought. _Is the Doctor some kind of plastic surgery obsessive?_ She quickly dismissed that theory, deeming it illogical. She thought back to what Amy had said about the Doctor 'still cooking' when she first met him and then when the Doctor had collapsed by the duck pond during the Prisoner Zero debacle. _He must've been going from some process that changed his features,_ Alex figured. _It would certainly explain why he didn't recognize himself when Prisoner Zero copied him and why his clothes were torn._

The Doctor, not missing the curious look Alex gave him, replied "Yeah, well, had a bit of work done." He heard Alex snort at this and he figured that big brain of hers had rejected a plastic surgery theory.

"Got it, got it, got it!" Amy cried jubilantly. She had spent the last few minutes trying to figure out where they were without asking the Doctor or Alex, wanting to prove to herself that she was just as smart as them. "Cabinet War Rooms, right?" She looked to the Doctor and Alex for confirmation.

"Top secret War Office set up right underneath London," Alex confirmed.

"You're late by the way," Winston revealed. A woman walked up to him with a clipboard and pen in hand. "Requisitions, sir," she said.

"Excellent," Winston beamed. Alex had a feeling that Winston was excited about anything that had to do with putting the Germans in their place.

"Late?" the Doctor repeated.

Winston, signing the papers, replied "I rang you a month ago."

Alex frowned and wacked the Doctor's arm. "I knew you wouldn't get us to the proper time!" she cried. "Superior Time Lord, my eye!"

The Doctor pointedly ignored her in favor of addressing Winston. "Really? Sorry. Sorry, it's a Type 40 TARDIS. I'm just running her in."

Alex rolled her eyes. It seemed the Doctor ignored her whenever she said something about him that was the complete truth, something even he couldn't deny. It was extremely annoying. She watched as Winston handed the clipboard back to the young woman, who she now noticed looked rather sad. She wondered if Winston noticed this and her question was answered a second later.

"Something the matter Breen?" the Prime Minister asked. "You look a little down in the dumps."

Breen hugged the clipboard, as though it would shield her from whatever was hurting her. "No sir," she answered. "Fine, sir."

"Action this day Breen!" Winston encouraged. "Action this day!"

"Yes, sir," Breen nodded, albeit forcefully. She cast a look at Amy and Alex before abruptly walking off.

"Excuse me sir!" an officer in a blue uniform called over. "Got another formation coming in, Prime Minister. Stukas by the look of them."

"We shall go up top then, Group Captain! We'll give 'em what for!" He turned back to the trio. "Coming Doctor?" he asked, already figuring that the Doctor's companions would be tagging along with him.

"Why?" the Doctor asked.

"I have something to show you," Winston replied, grabbing back his cane.

As Winston walked off, the Doctor mouthed 'ooh' at Amy and Alex, who just giggled. Alex immediately started skipping alongside the Doctor. She was totally excited. What could Winston Churchill, one of the few British politicians she actually admired, have to show them?

A minute later, Alex found herself riding in an elevator with Amy, the Doctor, and Winston. She and Amy were standing in the back of the elevator while the Doctor was stuck up front next to Winston, who was currently puffing on a cigar. The Doctor was waving the vast amount of cigar smoke away from him and attempting to keep it from getting near the girls as well while Winston talked, none the wiser.

"We stand at a crossroads, Doctor," Winston said. "Quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

Alex tensed slightly and she saw the Doctor do that as well. Even though she was human, she was well aware of how desperate some people could get when others were threatening them. They would lash out and cause even more chaos because of chaos originally happening in the first place. The Doctor, aware of this as well, hesitantly asked "Like what?"

The elevator stopped and Winston started out. "Follow me," he ordered them.

Alex was the last to exit the elevator and was in awe of where she was. They were currently standing on a rooftop that was lined with sandbags. Looking at the horizon, Alex stared in wonder at London, which in this time period had several blimps and barrage balloons tethered everywhere. Off in the distance, an explosion sounded and Alex hoped that no one had gotten injured or killed because of it, even though that was extremely likely right now.

"Wow," Amy breathed beside her, also caught up in the sight.

"Doctor," Winston called and the girls turned around. "This is Professor Edwin Bracewell, head of our Ironsides Project."

A man in a white lab coat, glasses, and green pit helmet looked down at them from a raised up section of the roof, also covered in sandbags. Shortly after the Doctor flashed him what looked like a peace sign to Alex, Bracewell waved at them and called "How do you do?" He then turned back to examining the skies with a pair of binoculars.

Alex turned back to the London skyline, only to see a small line of German planes dropping bombs in the distance. Another explosion rang out and she shuddered. Amy noticed this as well. "Oh, Doctor," she breathed. "Doctor, it's…" She trailed off, not really sure what to say.

"History," the Doctor finished, coming to stand up beside them. He looked down at Alex, who was watching the sight before her with a forlorn expression. It seemed to him as though she wished there couldn't be any deaths today and that she'd like to prevent them. Just as quickly though, that expression left and Alex watched the scene with purposeful detachment. She already suspected that she couldn't change established events and she was just going to have to resign herself to the large amount of casualties the Blitz contained.

She looked up at him and noticed his slightly worried expression. "Don't worry," she whispered. "I'm not planning on doing anything stupid. Can't say the same for you though."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but he was secretly pleased that Alex wasn't going to attempt anything. And he figured that if Amy tried something, Alex would talk her down. "I don't do stupid things!" he said hotly.

Alex made a small noise of disagreement but before he could comment on it, Winston called up to Bracewell. "Ready Bracewell?" All three turned around to see whatever it was that Winston had called them about.

Bracewell gave him a thumbs up. "Aye aye, sir! On my order! Fire!"

From behind a sandbagged area, a bunch of lasers shot out and fired at the German planes, destroying them instantaneously. Alex and Amy gaped in shock at the area the laser had come from while the Doctor seemed horrified. He recognized that sound and he hoped to God that it wasn't what he thought it was. "What was that?" Amy demanded.

_Something I don't remember studying in history, that's for sure,_ Alex thought. Lasers weren't being used for warfare yet. Scientists in this time period were still working on trying to understand them! She looked over at the Doctor and her heart-rate jumped as she saw the look of horror on his face. Whatever that laser was, it wasn't good. "That wasn't human. That was _never_ human technology. That sounded like…" He trailed off, as if not wanting to finish that thought.

"Show me!" he cried, racing over to a ladder that led up to the raised section of roof. "Show me! Show me what that was!"

Alex raced behind him and as soon as the Doctor was up on the raised section, started climbing as well. She hadn't seen him this panicked before, not even when she had been about to trip out of the TARDIS or when she had woken up from passing out on Starship U.K. He seemed truly terrified. "Doctor, what is it?" she asked, climbing up to stand beside him.

"Advance!" Bracewell ordered.

"Our new secret weapon!" Winston crowed from below them. As he was speaking, a strange looking creature rolled out from behind the sandbags. Alex immediately recognized it from the Atraxi hologram as one of the Doctor's enemies. The upside down trashcan, which was most likely the creature's body, was painted army green with a sink plunger looking thing sticking out along with an eyestalk. A utility belt was wrapped around it and a small Union Flag had been painted underneath the eyestalk.

Familiarity struck Alex. There was something about this creature that she recognized, not from the Atraxi hologram, but from somewhere else. She had sensed it back during the Prisoner Zero adventure, but hadn't given it much thought afterwards. Now that she was looking at the creature head-on though, she knew there was something there. A small memory tugged at the back of her mind, urging her to remember, but all Alex could recall was that this creature, despite what it had just done to help the Allies, wasn't good.

Evidently, the Doctor thought so too, for he stepped in front of Alex, shielding her with his body. Alex decided to let him, figuring that even if she couldn't remember this creature, he certainly did and he probably knew what they were capable of. Below them, Winston bellowed "What do you think? Quite something, eh?"

_Something alright,_ Alex thought wryly, _if only I could just remember what that something was!_

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor demanded, advancing towards the creature. He still kept his body in front of Alex, should it suddenly decide to attack.

"I am your soldier," the creature replied in a weird robotic voice that Alex couldn't help but shiver at. She recognized that voice, so devoid of emotion. But what was this creature?

As Alex racked her brain, trying to figure out what the hell she couldn't quite recall, the Doctor, surprised by this declaration, cried "What?"

"I am your soldier," it repeated.

The Doctor was growing frustrated. What the hell was this Dalek doing?! "Stop this!" he ordered. "Stop now! Now you know who I am." He breathed deeply. "You _always _know."

The Dalek simply stared at him. "Your identity is unknown."

Bracewell stepped up beside the Dalek, something neither the Doctor nor Alex thought was a good idea. "Perhaps I can clarify things here." He gestured to the creature. "This is one of my Ironsides."

The Doctor gaped at him. "Your what?" he frowned.

Bracewell turned to the Dalek or _Ironside_. "You will help the Allied cause in any way that you can?" he asked.

"Yes," the Dalek confirmed.

"Until the Germans have been utterly smashed?"

"Yes."

"And what is your ultimate aim?" Bracewell asked proudly.

"To win the war!" the Dalek cried as the Doctor looked on in trepidation.

* * *

A few minutes later, Winston, the Doctor, Amy, and Alex were in Winston's office. On Winston's desk were countless diagrams, blueprints, and plans on how to build a Dalek or an Ironside, as he still insisted on calling them. The Doctor was pouring over them with great interest while Alex sat in a chair beside him, critically examining a blueprint of the Ironsides. It _seemed _as though they were true inventions although, if the Doctor was to be believed, they were monsters from another world of the worst kind. And Alex was inclined to agree with the Doctor. Amy stood on the other side of the desk, watching the Doctor and Winston argue.

"They're Daleks," the Doctor insisted, for what seemed to be the fifth time by Alex's count. "They're called _Daleks_!"

"They are Bracewell's _Ironsides_!" Winston argued, not even the least bit swayed by the Doctor's arguments. "Look!" He held up several papers to the Doctor as he talked. "Blueprints, statistics, field-tests, photographs. He _invented _them!"

"Invented them?" the Doctor cried, completely stupefied. "Oh, no, no, no!"

"And whose word do you have on that?" Alex asked, looking up from a paper. She tapped a photo of Bracewell next to a Dalek. "His." The Doctor nodded encouragingly at her, pleased to see that she believed him.

"Yes!" Winston argued. "He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fella's a genius."

"A Scottish genius too!" Amy called to them, looking up from the documents. "Maybe you should listen to-,"

"Shh!" the Doctor snapped, cutting her off. _How the hell can she be so calm when the Daleks nearly destroyed the Earth a few years ago?_ He thought, staring at Amy's completely serene face. He then looked down at Alex, who was examining a statistical report like her life depended on it. _Well, at least she realizes the gravity of the situation._ He turned back to Winston. "He _didn't_ invent them."

"They're alien," Alex said, not even bothering to look up from examining a diagram of the Dalek's laser gun.

The Doctor looked down at her. "How did you know that?" he cried. At the same time, Winston dubiously repeated "Alien?"

Alex thought about telling the Doctor it was obvious but decided to respond with something she had noticed on the diagram. "Look," she instructed, holding the paper up. "That metal used to make the laser-shooting thing? It's made up of a metal that I don't even recognize as being on Earth. Not to mention but the energy for the laser travels much faster than can be done in this time period."

As she was explaining this, a Dalek passed the doorway. The Doctor placed a hand on her mouth, much to her anger until she realized why. He waited until the Dalek had gone past before removing his hand. "And totally hostile," he whispered.

"Precisely!" Winston cried, pounding his fist on the desk, completely ignoring Alex's argument. "They will win me the war!" He pushed aside some papers to reveal a propaganda poster. On it, a Dalek was in front of a red background with the words TO VICTORY looming over it. Winston stomped out of the room, with the Doctor, Alex, and Amy hot on his heels.

"Why won't you listen to me?" the Doctor bemoaned as they walked down the corridor. "Why did you call me in if you won't listen to me?"

"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit I had my doubts," Winston explained. "The Ironsides seemed too good to be true."

"Yes! Right!" the Doctor cried, throwing his arms in the air. "So destroy them! Exterminate them!" He barely even realized he had used the one word he hated, having heard it from none other than the Daleks for so long.

"But imagine what I could do with a hundred!" Winston insisted. "A thousand!"

"I am imagining," the Doctor spoke gravely. It made Alex wonder what the Daleks had done to make him so scared of them and so willing to see them completely obliterated. At that moment, a Dalek passed them carrying a dispatch box and the Doctor suddenly had an idea.

"Amy, Alex, tell him!" he cried, turning to the girls.

"Tell him what?" Amy frowned, completely confused.

"About the Daleks!" the Doctor urged.

"What would _I _know about the Daleks?"

"Everything. They invaded your world, remember? Planets in the sky; you don't forget that." When Amy didn't immediately say anything, the Doctor's face fell. "Amy," he said slowly, "tell me you remember the Daleks."

Amy shook her head. "No, sorry."

The Doctor stared at her in shock. "That's not possible," he murmured. He turned to Alex. "Ally! Tell him about the Daleks! You remember them! You HAVE to remember them!"

Alex froze, the Doctor's words ringing in her ears. It was true; there was _something _about the Daleks that she didn't like, something involving them that she couldn't really remember. It was like it was forbidden but it had just been tucked away in her mind, never truly forgotten but never really registering either. She closed her eyes, concentrating on that one memory before she felt like she was watching a movie that she had never seen before. But it wasn't something she hadn't seen before; it was one of hermemories.

_Alex watched hesitantly from her bedroom window at Amy's house. It was a hot June night but Alex didn't dare open the window. Rory had raced over earlier, screaming about some creatures that had killed several people in town. He had just barely escaped them in time. He had come over to warn them and make sure they were alright. Downstairs, he and Amy were barricading all the doors and windows with furniture to make sure these creatures couldn't get in. _

_ Alex nibbled her lip, terrified, as she watched one of the creatures, a gray upside-down trashcan looking robot, enter the yard. It stopped and stared at her car, parked closely to where the Doctor's TARDIS had been last, a few months ago. He still hadn't shown up, although Alex was sure he would eventually. She hoped that he would come back to help them against these crazy killing creatures. If there was anyone she trusted to defeat them, it was him._

_ Not that she was going to say that out loud of course. Amy would kill her. Amy had been a bit moody and agitated ever since the Doctor had left, snapping whenever Alex had dared bring his name up. Not that she blamed her; the Doctor deserved to be slapped by Amy the next time they saw him for leaving her again._

_ Looking down at her cell phone, Alex clicked the reload button. She was on the BBC website, where they were covering the mass murder of people and also the strange appearance of several planets in the sky. Alex would've been transfixed on the planets in the sky had there not been robotic killing machines outside. Now, the BBC was reporting that there were even more casualties than from five minutes ago. Already, several military bases had been destroyed, but Alex had noticed from several comments on the story that there were rumors that someone from UNIT, some secret military organization, had escaped with a key that could access the last nuclear weapon defense. Alex thought it was a bunch of conspiracy hogwash, but reminded herself that in these situations, anything was possible._

_ Suddenly, outside the window, she heard a robotic voice call "ELEVATE!" Hastily shutting the phone off, Alex pressed herself into the corner of wall near the window and shut her eyes. She had never been very religious before, despite being christened in a Catholic church when she was a baby, but now, she was praying to God not to let her die. She didn't want to be electrocuted to death by these weird creatures! Shuddering in fear, she listened attentively for any further sounds from outside. Hearing none, she hesitantly opened her eyes and nearly screamed._

_ The creature was hovering outside her window, staring directly at her. Alex began to shake with silent sobs. The only reason she wasn't making any noise was because she didn't want Amy or Rory to come running up and get killed as well. This thing was going to kill her. She was going to die._

_ The creature hovered there for a few seconds, watching her. It could kill her so easily. That pane of glass was nothing. But…no, it didn't! Why? No, it would. It would. "EXTERMIN-," the creature began but suddenly, it stopped. It couldn't kill her. Something stronger than it was preventing it from killing her. It was…_

_ "UNABLE TO KILL!" it suddenly screeched. Alex stopped trembling and stared at it. What did it say?_

_ "UNABLE TO KILL!" it cried again. It stopped, as if listening to something, before replying to that something. "It is confirmed. It is fixed point, Alexandria Locke! Ally, to the Doctor!"_

_ Alex's eyes widened. The Doctor? Well, that was good. But wait, how did this creature know about her? And what the hell was a fixed point? Why was she a fixed point?_

_ The creature ended its conversation and turned back to look at her. "You are saved by the laws of time Alexandria," it said. "The Doctor is involved in your future, a future that cannot be changed. But beware! The Daleks know who you are!" And with that, this Dalek zoomed off into the night._

_ Alex stared at the window in shock long after it had left. The creature hadn't been able to kill her, due to something involving the Doctor and her future. It said that it couldn't be changed. Apparently, not even a Dalek was capable of changing time around with her. But a fixed point? What was that and why was she one? What happened in her future to make her like that?_

_ But before she could ponder this any longer, there came a bunch of pounding on the steps and a split second later, Amy and Rory raced into her room. While Rory slammed the door close and pushed a desk in front of it, Amy raced over and sank down next to her best friend. "Oh my God!" she cried, sinking down next to her and throwing her arms around her. "I saw it hovering outside your window when I looked outside!"_

_ Amy hugged her tightly. "I thought it was going to kill you," she mumbled into Alex's shoulder. She leaned back, exposing tear tracks on her face. "What did it do?"_

_ Alex shuddered and clutched her friend tightly. "Nothing really," she admitted. "I mean, it started to kill me, but then, it stopped. It started having this conversation with someone and it said that it couldn't kill me, because I was a fixed point…" Alex trailed off, readying herself for Amy's reaction to this next statement. "Because the Doctor was involved in my future and it couldn't be changed."_

_ Amy stared at her a moment and then, surprisingly, nodded. "That's good," she said. "The Doctor will be back sometime. He's going to protect you in the future."_

_ "You as well Amy," Alex insisted. _

_ "More you," Rory said, sitting down next to Amy. He had been listening to them talk as he was moving the desk in front of the door and he had been relieved, to say the least, that Alex couldn't get killed now because she was a fixed point, whatever that was. "I saw how he was with you Alex. He barely left your side."_

_ "It's true," Amy said, almost enviously. She still harbored a crush on the Doctor, despite her currently dating Rory. "He was attached at the hip to you Alex. It was both weird and cute the way you two interacted."_

_ Alex shrugged dismissively. "Doesn't matter," she insisted as she updated her phone again. "I'm safe and that's all that counts. Plus, since I am a fixed point, it's doubtful that the Dalek, at least that's what it called itself, will be coming back here. We're safe."_

_ They stayed, huddled in her room, until they finally saw on the BBC website and out the window that the planets were gone and the Daleks were destroyed. They still maintained a sense of caution though, Amy and Alex not leaving the house for a few days, until, suddenly, Alex wondered why she had been in the house for so long and abruptly went out shopping and didn't come home for two hours._

Suddenly, the memory ended and Alex found herself simply staring at the Doctor, Amy, and Winston, who were all staring at her with curious and worried expressions. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Amy shifted slightly. "It's like you went into a trance or something," she explained. "You just stood there, staring into space. The Doctor was trying to get your attention, but you barely moved."

The Doctor placed one hand on her shoulder and looked into Alex's eyes. "Ally," he said slowly. "What happened? What did you see?"

Alex thought for a moment. She _had_ seen something, something that she had forgotten, only now…she couldn't remember. The second the memory had ended, it had retreated back into the furthest corners of her mind, rendering her unable to recall anything about it. "I…I d-don't remember," she trembled. "It's like whatever it was erased itself the second it was over."

"Was it about the Daleks?" the Doctor demanded, now placing both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look right into his panicked irises. "Tell me Alexandria. Was it about the Daleks? Did it have anything to do with the Daleks?"

Alex ran a hand through her hair, now completely freaked out. "It could have been," she admitted. "But I can't remember. It's still in my mind but I just can't access it again. Unless I really strained myself." She was about to do just that when the Doctor shook his head.

"No, no, don't do that," he begged, remembering her fainting spell on the Starship U.K. God only knew what might happen if Alex forced herself to recall a memory her mind had obviously hidden from her, only to be revealed when she absolutely needed it. "Just, leave it."

"Okay," Alex hesitantly agreed. Winston, deciding it was better not to ask, moved on down the corridor. The Doctor released Alex and turned to follow him with Alex and Amy bringing up the rear.

Amy gazed at Alex worriedly. "Christ, you scared me," she admitted. "It's like you were back when we were on the Starship U.K. All focused on something, blocking everything out."

Alex sent her a reassuring smile, but she was still pretty freaked out. Why did these strange things involving her mind keep happening to her? First by attacking the Star Whale's mind viciously and thus causing her to pass out for some reason and now her mind was only revealing hidden memories to her when she absolutely needed them. And when they were revealed, they were suddenly erased, like she hadn't been meant to see them in the first place. It was weird and it scared her to no end.

In front of her, the Doctor was thinking this over as well. _Forget the Daleks for the time being, _he thought to himself. _What's going on with Alex? There's something interesting about her mind, the way it protects her from other minds and by keeping certain memories from her. But why is it doing that? And what did Alex see? It involved the Daleks, I'm sure of it! They invaded her world just a few years ago and no one could ever completely forget that!_ This reminded the Doctor that Alex's name had seen familiar to him. But before he could ponder it any more, he found himself in the Map Room.

The Map Room consisted of a large chart on one wall with a giant map table in the center of the room. Several people were around it, answering telephones that lined the table and then moving various figures on the table as required. The room shuddered with another explosion from the air raid above them, allowing some plaster dust to come crumbling down. The Doctor side-stepped a giant box of files as the people around him chattered.

"Blue leader to Two squadron and six two three five seven. Over!"

"…bandits at ten o'clock!"

"…two three five seven! Over!"

The Doctor leaned against a wall and Amy and Alex joined him. He pulled Alex closer to him, so that her back was pressed into his chest, just like how they were last night…_you idiot, do not think about that!_ He wanted to keep her close, considering how these strange things kept happening to her. He also wanted to keep her close because a Dalek was loitering just a few feet away from them. "So, they're up to something. But what is it? What are they after?"

Amy, still blissfully unaware that such violent creatures had attacked her home planet just two years ago, decided to take matters into her own hands. "Well, let's just ask, shall we?" she suggested, already walking determinately over to the Dalek.

The Doctor frowned. _That is extremely, very badly, NOT a good idea!_ "Amy. Amelia!" he tried, but Amy ignored him. Alex moved to go grab her friend but the Doctor had surreptitiously taken hold of her wrists and refused to let her go. While Alex was straining and kicking the Doctor in the shin to let her go, Amy stepped up to the Dalek and tapped a fingernail on its casing. Alex stopped struggling long enough to watch the Dalek swivel to focus its eyestalk on her friend. When it didn't disintegrate her, she started struggling again and the Doctor simply tightened his grip on her wrists, although not nearly enough to hurt her. He watched as the Dalek said "Can I be of assistance?"

Amy nodded. "Oh. Yes, yes. See my friends, or one of them anyways, reckons you're dangerous. That you're an alien. Is it true?"

"I am your soldier," the Dalek repeated.

"Yeah. Got that bit. Love a squaddie. What else though?"

The Dalek however, just stared at her as though she were an absolute dunce. Alex would've laughed had the Doctor not been so fearful about these creatures and had she not been threatening to kick the Doctor where it hurt most. "Please excuse me. I have duties to perform." With that, the Dalek rolled off.

The Doctor waited until the Dalek had left the room to release Alex. The second she was free, she whirled around and wacked the Doctor on the head. "Ow!" he cried, rubbing his head as Alex glared at him.

"Never do that again," she warned. "Or I won't be so hesitant in kicking you in certain places."

"Dually noted," the Doctor muttered before marching over to Winston. Yanking the cigar out of his mouth, he began pleading. "Winston, Winston, please…"

"We are waging total war, Doctor," Winston reminded him. "Day after day, the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist!"

"Wait till the Daleks get started," the Doctor warned.

"Men, women and children slaughtered," Winston continued. "Families torn apart. Wren's church in flames."

"Yeah? Try the Earth in flames!"

"I weep for my country. I weep for my empire. It is breaking my heart." Winston walked around the table, followed closely by the Doctor, Alex, and Amy.

"You're resisting Winston," the Doctor argued. "The whole world knows you're resisting. You're a beacon of hope!"

"But for how long?" Winston wondered. "Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I use these Ironsides now."

At that moment, a Dalek rolled up to them. "Can I be of assistance?" it asked.

"Shut it!" the Doctor snapped at it, the Dalek actually backing off some. He turned back to Winston. "Listen to me. Just listen," he urged. "The Daleks have no conscience, no mercy, no pity. They are my oldest and deadliest enemy. You cannot trust them."

Winston stared at him, unbelieving. "If Hitler invaded hell, I would give a favorable reference to the Devil. These machines are our salvation." Winston seemed like he was about to argue more but a siren sounded before he could. He breathed a sigh of relief and put a hand over his heart. "Oh, the all-clear. We are safe, for now." Leaving the Doctor to consider these words, Winston left.

Amy stepped up to the Doctor. "Doctor, it's the all-clear." When the Doctor didn't respond, she eyed him with concern. "You okay?" she asked.

The Doctor twisted an officer's cap that he had gotten at some point in his hands. "What does hate look like, Amy? Ally?"

The girls stared at him. "Hate?" they chorused.

The Doctor eyed them carefully before pointing to a Dalek on the other side of the room. "It looks like a Dalek," he told them. "And I'm going to prove it."

A/N: Ooh, Alex is a fixed point. Wonder why that is...of course, I know, but I'm not talking! I'm glad you all enjoyed the almost-kiss in the last chapter and **XxKicking Your AxX**, sorry for killing you with the sexual tension. :) **Reading Addicted**, sorry for almost causing you to die from feels. :)

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **WhereThere'sTeaAndBooks**, **Reading Addicted**, **AimeeLiz726**, and **XxKicking Your AxX** for reviewing and to those who followed/favored this story. Keep it up and see you tomorrow!


	9. Victory of the Daleks Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex.

A few minutes later, the trio was standing in the doorway that led to Bracewell's laboratory. They all silently watched as a Dalek glided up to Bracewell, who was fiddling with some papers on a very crowded table, one of several around the room. "Would you care for some tea?" it asked.

Bracewell glanced at it and nodded. "That would be very nice, thank you."

Once the Dalek had glided off, the Doctor entered the lab, followed closely by the girls. He eyed a few devices before abruptly turning to the professor. Alex trailed along behind him while Amy examined some of the devices. "Alright, Prof!" he bellowed. "Now, the PM's been filling me in. Amazing things these Ironsides of yours. Amazing. You must be very proud of them."

"Just doing my bit," Bracewell replied modestly.

Listening to them, Amy picked up a scanner from one table. "Not bad for a Paisley boy," she commented.

Bracewell smiled at Amy. "Yes, I thought I detected a familiar cadence, my dear."

Alex hopped up onto a table and swung her legs as she examined a file. "How did you come up with these…Ironsides?" she said, having to stop herself from saying _Daleks_.

"How does the muse of invention come to anyone?" the professor shrugged. Alex and the Doctor glanced at each-other, both thinking that this hadn't answered their question at all.

"But, you get a lot of these clever notions, do you?" the Doctor continued.

"Well, ideas just seem to teem from my head! Wonderful things! Like…let me show you." He removed a file next to Alex and flipped it open, showing it to the Doctor. Alex craned her head to look over it without getting up from her comfortable perch. "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight." He reached over and grabbed another file. Alex hopped off the desk to get a better look at this one.

"Gravity bubbles that can sustain life outside of the terrestrial atmosphere," Bracewell smiled at them. "Came to me in the bath!"

"TMI," Alex muttered, studying the file. She didn't understand most of it, but what she could looked correct.

"And are these your ideas or theirs?" the Doctor asked. He knew that no human, not even a genius, could fathom this stuff in this time period, let alone even write proper files on it!

"Oh, no, no, no," Bracewell protested. "These robots are entirely under my control, Doctor. They are…" He paused as the Dalek brought him his tea. "Thank you…the perfect servant and the perfect warrior!"

The Doctor glared at him and Alex tensed a little, remembering his reaction on Starship U.K. "I don't know what you're up to Professor, but whatever they've promised, you cannot trust them. Call them what you like, Daleks are death."

"Yes, Doctor!" Winston called from the doorway, entering the room. Another Dalek followed closely behind him. "Death to our enemies! Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"

The Doctor grimaced. "Yes, Winston, and death to everyone else too!"

In a classic cliché of bad timing, a Dalek rolled up to the Doctor, a tea tray balanced on its plunger. "Would you care for some tea?" it asked, completely unaware of the tense situation it had entered.

The Doctor snapped. He furiously knocked the tray to the ground, not even noticing Alex and Amy jump. "Stop this!" he yelled. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"We seek only to help you," the Dalek answered.

"To do what?"

"To win the war!"

"Really?" the Doctor scoffed. "Which war?"

The Dalek stared at him. "I do not understand."

"This war, against the Nazis?" the Doctor asked. "Or your war? The war against the rest of the universe? The war against all life-forms that are not Dalek?"

"I do not understand," the Dalek insisted. "I am your soldier."

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor sneered. He turned and picked up a giant spanner. "Okay. Okay, _soldier_, defend yourself!" Before anyone knew what was happening, he began banging the spanner as hard as he could against the Dalek. Alex raced to try and stop him but Winston yanked her back, not wanting the girl to accidently get hit during the Doctor's tirade.

"Doctor, what the devil?" Winston demanded as he struggled with Alex, who was still kicking against him, dead-set on stopping the Doctor. Amy shrieked a little as the Doctor pounded the Dalek, causing it to say "You do not require tea?" Alex might've laughed at that were it not for the seriousness of the situation. That and the fact that this was the second time today that someone was holding her against her will.

"Stop him!" Bracewell cried. "Prime Minister, please!"

"Let me go!" Alex cried, almost getting out of Winston's grasp but he grabbed her back at the last second.

"Doctor, what the devil?" Winston yelled again. "Please, these machines are precious."

The Doctor ignored him, instead choosing to hit the Dalek even more. "Come on!" he yelled, maddening. "Fight back! You want to, don't you? You know you do!"

"I must protest!" Bracewell shouted over the racket.

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor yelled again. "Look, you hate me! You want to kill me! Well, go on! Kill me! KILL ME!" An even harder strike followed this statement and Alex nearly tore Winston's arms out of their sockets trying to escape.

"Don't!" she cried, her voice barely heard over the consistent striking of metal on metal.

"Doctor, be careful!" Amy begged.

"Please desist from striking me!" the Dalek cried. "I am your soldier!" But the Doctor wouldn't listen, continuing to strike the Dalek as he had wanted to do too many times in his long life.

Alex watched with horror as the Doctor ferociously beat the Dalek. This was like the Starship U.K. again, but worse. This time, she could just see in his face that the Doctor had had personal experience with the Daleks, experiences that hadn't ended well and had cost him. Fleetingly, she wondered what they were but she realized that right now, they didn't matter. What did matter was stopping the Doctor from doing something he would regret. In this volatile state, he was prone to do anything.

With this realization in mind, she stropped struggling against Winston and screamed "DOCTOR, PLEASE STOP! PLEASE!"

All of a sudden, the Doctor just stopped. He had been saying "You are my enemy!" while punctuating each word with a hit but now, hearing Alex's desperate cries, louder than any of the others, he just had to stop. He remembered the look of horror on her face back on Starship U.K. and he knew that if turned around, it would be on her face. Stumbling back from the Dalek, he dropped the spanner on the ground with a CLANK and breathed heavily. "And I am yours!" he cried. He wouldn't hit the Dalek anymore, but he would make the point loud and clear verbally. "You are everything I despise! The worst in all creation. I've defeated you time and time again. I've defeated you! I sent you back into the Void! I saved the whole of reality from you!" He took a deep breath before, with a triumphant glare on his face, declaring "I am the Doctor! And you are the Daleks!" And with one giant kick, he sent the Dalek hurdling across the room.

As soon as the Dalek was no longer in front of him, Alex flung herself away from Winston and kicked the spanner as far away from the Doctor as possible. She turned on her heel and glowered at the Doctor before furiously slapping him. Amy winced and the Doctor hissed slightly in pain, knowing he had deserved that.

"Okay," he grimaced, rubbing his red cheek, "I deserved that."

"Damn right you did," Alex agreed darkly. "Do you have any idea how insanely stupid, completely reckless, and-," She was about to continue but the Dalek across the room suddenly stated "Correct. Review testimony."

The Doctor's voice filled the room. "_I am the Doctor! And you are the Daleks!_"

"Testimony," the Doctor repeated, fearful. He positioned himself in front of Alex again and she let him, despite her still furious state. "What are you talking about, testimony?"

"Transmitting testimony now," the second Dalek said.

"Transmit what, where?"

"Testimony accepted!" the second Dalek cheered.

The Doctor hurriedly pushed Alex behind a desk and raced over to Amy. "Get back, all of you!" he cried.

"Marines!" Winston called. "Marines! Get in here!" Two marines quickly entered the lab, guns drawn, but they were no match for the Daleks. One of the Daleks killed them both just a few seconds after they had entered. Alex sucked in a breath and the Doctor gripped her shoulders, fearful that she might faint from shock. But her memory was slowly revealing itself. She was remembering what she had read on the BBC News that night, that people had been dying much like the marines had died now. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Stop it!" Bracewell shouted. "Stop it, please! What are you doing? You are my Ironsides!"

"We are the Daleks!" the first Dalek exclaimed.

"But I created you!" Bracewell cried, probably in an attempt to assure himself that he wasn't going crazy.

"No," the first Dalek objected. The Dalek then shot Bracewell's hand, revealing to the shock of the others, especially Bracewell, not flesh and bone, but stumps of wire and metal bits. "_We _created _you_."

"Victory, victory, victory!" they cried, before teleporting out of the room.

Amy looked over at the Doctor, who looked absolutely horror-stricken. "What just happened, Doctor?"

"I wanted to know what they wanted. What their plan was," he breathed. Realization hit him in his hearts like a gunshot. "_I _was their plan!" The Doctor ran out of the room, Alex hot on his heels as Amy and Winston hurried after them.

"Hey!" Amy cried, indignant.

"Testimony accepted. That's what they said," the Doctor rambled. "My testimony."

Alex knew what he was thinking even before he could say them out loud. "It may not be that bad Doctor," she assured him, although she knew that she was probably lying. "Maybe they just needed that testimony to remind themselves they were Daleks." The Doctor looked down at her, wanting to believe her reassuring words, but he just couldn't. They both knew it wasn't the truth.

"Don't beat yourself up," Amy reassured him, having caught up with them. "You were right." As they were now standing in front of the TARDIS, she looked at it expectantly and asked "What do we do now? Is this what we do now? Chase after them?"

_Absolutely NOT!_ The Doctor thought. "This is what _I _do," he corrected her. "Yeah, and it's dangerous, so you two wait here."

Alex gaped at him. "What, so you mean we've got to stay safe down here in the middle of the LONDON BLITZ?!"

The Doctor knew that she was, understandably, freaked out. "Safe as it gets around me."  
He smiled at her but Alex wasn't having it.

"You are insane, you know that?" she asked. "The Daleks will kill you!"

Amy nodded her agreement. "Exactly! You can't go there alone!"

As Amy argued with the Doctor over going off by himself on what she deemed a suicide mission, unbeknownst to him, Alex slipped into the TARDIS behind him and darted into the doorway of a staircase leading into the further depths of the TARDIS. The ship murmured, part amused at her tricking the Doctor, but part worried as well, as she knew Alex had never properly faced the Daleks before and didn't really know how deadly they were.

Alex patted the wall in reassurance. "Don't worry," she whispered. "I'll be fine. I'm going to stay in here and keep an eye on him, just to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Outside, as the Doctor ducked into the TARDIS, Amy smirked. She had seen Alex inching her way into the TARDIS and she approved of the fact that Alex was going to keep an eye on him. The way he had acted when he had been furiously hitting the Dalek scared her and once again, only Alex had been able to snap him out of it. It was a safe bet that should the Doctor start to get really angry again, Alex could calm him back down.

Winston looked over at her and smiled as the TARDIS dematerialized. "Miss Locke is certainly protective of him, isn't she?"

Amy nodded her agreement. "Yeah, it's weird. She seems to be the only person who can actually get him to stop doing something horrible. It's good that she's going with him."

However, a split second later, the materialization noise of the TARDIS rang through the air, followed by the TARDIS landing right in front of them again. Another second later and out came the Doctor and Alex. The Doctor had grabbed Alex by the waist and had flung her over his shoulder, ignoring her repetitive kicking and basic threatening. Rolling his eyes, he set her on the floor right next to Amy. "I mean it," he warned her, although Amy caught an undercurrent of amusement coming from him as well. "Stay here." The Doctor ducked back into the TARDIS again and the ship immediately dematerialized again.

Amy looked over at a pissed Alex. "How'd he find out?" she cried. "You didn't pop out of nowhere, did you?"

Alex glared at her. "Of course not. Ten seconds after we left, he suddenly turned and ran over to where I was hiding. He said he knew I was on board because his adrenaline levels went up a few notches." Alex thought about the various reactions her body had had to the Doctor's body. "Apparently, when we're near each-other, our bodies go all hormonal or something. Anyways, before I could run off, he had lifted me over his shoulder and he simply piloted the TARDIS, running all around the console while I was flopping on his back!"

Amy cackled. "I would've paid so much to see that!" she chortled. She just could imagine Alex screaming at the Doctor as he raced around the console with him keeping her over his shoulder, pointedly ignoring her as he tried to keep his own amusement about her defying him under wraps.

Alex glared at her. "Not funny," she insisted. She looked over at Winston. "So, to recap, the Doctor has stupidly dumped me here instead of keeping me by his side so I can calm him down when he gets hissy about the Daleks."

Amy stopped laughing as she listened to Alex's statement. This was serious. Without Alex there, there was no telling what the Doctor would do. "What's he expect us to do now?" she groaned.

Winston stared at her as though this was obvious. "KBO, of course."

Amy blinked. "What?"

Alex smiled, recognizing Winston's famous catchphrase. "Keep buggering on," she said in synch with him.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alex, Amy, and Winston were back in Winston's office. Alex was pouring over the Dalek documents, desperate to find some kind of weakness in the seemingly impenetrable creatures. She was running a hand through her hair, signifying stress, when an officer came in. "Prime Minister?"

"Yes?"

"Signal from RDF, sir. Unidentified object. Hanging in the sky, Captain Childers says." Alex looked up at this. "We can't get a proper fix though. It's too far up."

Winston looked over at the girls, who both looked determined to do anything they could to help the Doctor. "What do you think Miss Pond? Miss Locke?" he asked them. "The Doctor's in trouble and now we know where he is!"

"Yeah," Amy said, getting excited and pumped. "Because he'll be on that ship, won't he? Right in the middle of everything."

"Exactly," Winston confirmed.

Five minutes later, Amy was helping Alex go over the Dalek documents, as they had begun to call them, still searching for something that could help the Doctor defeat them. Alex was scribbling notes on the back of an order form for cigars, something she insisted helped her think. As she did so, a soldier raced into the room.

"The generators won't switch off!" he informed them. "The lights are on all across London, Prime Minister!"

"What?!" Alex shrieked.

Amy shook her head. "Has to be them. Has to be the Daleks."

"But how are they doing it?" Alex cried, racing out of the room. She quickly darted up to the roof and poked her head out. Sure enough, London was lit up like a Christmas tree, lights lit up in every home for miles. Groaning softly, Alex went back inside. The Germans were on their way and if London was still lit up in twenty minutes, all of the city would be destroyed in less time than that.

She found Amy and Winston in the Map Room and joined them just in time to hear someone tell Winston "German bombers sighted over the Channel, sir. ETA ten minutes, sir."

Winston groaned. "Here they come! Get a message to Mr. Atlee! War cabinet meeting at oh three hundred hours! If we're all still here," he muttered.

"We can't just sit here," Amy argued. "We've got to take the fight to the Daleks."

"How? None of our weapons are a match for theirs."

"Oh God," Amy groaned, pacing a bit, "we must have SOMETHING!"

"…six oh four Blenheim squadron, stand by."

Suddenly, Alex and Amy realized the solution at the exact same time. Looking at each-other, they grinned and turned to Winston, excited looks on their faces. "Oh, it's staring us right in the face!" Amy cried.

Winston stared at them. "What is?" he asked.

Alex smiled. "A gift from the Daleks."

* * *

Minutes later, Alex, Amy, and Winston stormed into Bracewell's laboratory only to find Bracewell sitting in a chair, a gun to his head.

"Bracewell, put that gun down!" Winston ordered.

Bracewell didn't however. Instead, he just stared off into the distance as he said "My life is a lie and I choose to end it."

"In your own time Paisley boy," Amy said, marching up to him. She and Alex had agreed on the way here that she would do the heavy talking with Bracewell, seeing as how he had identified with her being Scottish and was thus closer to him than the American Alex. "Because right now, we need your help."

"But those creatures," Bracewell protested. "My Ironsides, they made me? I can remember things. So many things. The last war. The squalor and the mud and the awful, awful misery of it. What am I? What am I?"

"What you are sir, is either on our side or theirs," Winston retorted. He bit on his cigar before quickly taking it out. "Now, I don't give a damn if you're a machine, Bracewell." He stared at the man critically. "Are you a man?"

Amy bent down next to Bracewell. "Listen to me. I understand. I really do," she insisted as she carefully removed the gun from Bracewell's hand and placed it a distance away on the desk. "Look, there is a spaceship up there lighting up London like a Christmas tree. Thousands of people will die tonight if we don't stop it, and you are the only one who can help take it down."

Bracewell seemed surprised at this. "I am?" he said dubiously.

"You're alien technology!" Amy pointed out. "You're as clever as the Daleks are, so start thinking. What about rockets? Because you said gravity whatsits-,"

"Gravity bubbles," Alex corrected.

Amy went on, nodding her head at her as acknowledgment. "Gravity bubbles, hypersonic flight, some kind of missile?"

Winston glared at her. "This isn't a fireworks party Miss Pond! We need proper tactical!" Suddenly, an idea came to him. "Oh. A missile. Or…"

"Or what?" Alex questioned.

Winston turned to Bracewell. "We could send something up there, you say?"

Bracewell shrugged, seeming to say it could go either way. "Yes, well, with a gravity bubble, yes, but…theoretically, it's possible that we could actually send something into space."

Winston grinned at him. "Bracewell, it's time to think big!" he declared.

* * *

Several minutes later, after Alex had helped Bracewell authorize sending the bomber pilots into space, she and Bracewell raced into the Map Room, Bracewell pushing a wheeled chair with a large radar scanner on it, rigged to his own liking, and Alex having a streak of grease on her nose from ducking under a plane to check and make sure everything was secure. As it turned out, memorizing all those plans while looking for weaknesses in the Daleks had made her perfectly cut out for a job as a mechanic.

Winston looked up at them as they came in. "At last. Are they ready?"

"I hope so," Bracewell said. He placed the radar scanner on the table and wiggled a few knobs, looking for the right frequency. "But in the meantime, this will pick up Dalek transmissions!"

A second later, an image showing the Doctor and a giant white Dalek appeared on the screen. Alex pushed herself to the very front of the crowd gathering around the scanner, right next to Amy. "_We are the paradigm of a new Dalek race,_" the White Dalek proclaimed.

"It's him!" Amy cheered. "It's the Doctor!"

On the screen, the White Dalek gestured to several other Daleks around him, all painted in different colors. "_Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal, and the Supreme._"

"_Which would be you, I'm guessing,_" the Doctor said. "_Well, you know, nice paint job._"

Alex frowned. "I'm going to kill him," she said. _Honestly! When is he going to learn not to bait them?!_

"_I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you,_" the Doctor went on. "_Pretty supreme._"

"He's got company," Amy grimaced. "New company. You've got to hurry up." A phone started ringing and Bracewell quickly answered it.

"Yes?" he said. "Right. Right, thanks." He hung up and turned to Winston. "Ready when you are Prime Minister."

"Splendid!" Winston cheered.

"Spaceship's exact coordinates located."

"Go to it, Group Captain," Winston ordered. "Go to it."

"_Broadsword to Danny Boy,_" a voice rang out. "_Broadsword to Danny Boy. Scramble. Scramble. Scramble._"

Back on the screen, the Doctor said "_Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity._"

"_And yourself,_" the White Dalek pointed out.

"_Occupational hazard,_" the Doctor retorted, tightening his grip on what he was holding out in front of him.

Alex squinted and peered closer to the screen. "Is he holding what I think he's holding?" she demanded, her voice slightly shrill.

"_Scans reveal nothing!_" a blue Dalek suddenly called out. "_TARDIS self-destruct device non-existant!_"

"_All right!_" the Doctor admitted, popping the biscuit into his mouth. "_It's a Jammy Dodger, but I was promised tea._"

Alex groaned and straightened up. "I _knew _it!" she cried. "That's it. I am going to _kill_ him! I mean it this time!" Amy and Winston shared an amused look.

On the screen, alarms started sounding. "_Alert!_" the Blue Dalek cried. "_Unidentified projectile approaching! Correction, multiple projectiles._"

"_What have the humans done?_" the White Dalek demanded.

The Doctor was examining some type of scanner on the other side of the room. "_I don't know,_" he replied.

This didn't satisfy the White Dalek though. "_Explain. Explain. Explain!_"

"_Danny Boy to the Doctor!_" the pilot suddenly called on screen. "_Danny Boy to the Doctor! Are you receiving me? Over._"

"_Oh ho!_" the Doctor cheered. "_Winston, you beauty!_"

Alex leaned back and crossed her arms. Having expected that reaction, she had told the pilot to tell the Doctor something. "_Not just the PM Doctor,_" Danny Boy said. "_Miss Alex said to tell you that she and Miss Amy deserved some credit too._"

The Doctor laughed. "_Ha-ha! Brilliant job as well you two! I'm sure you're listening in, so excellent!_" Behind him, Alex noticed one Dalek move slightly at the mention of her name. She decided to ignore it though. Maybe it was nothing.

"_Danny Boy to the Doctor. Come in. Over._"

"_Loud and clear Danny Boy,_" the Doctor confirmed. "_Big dish, side of the ship. Blow it up! Over._"

The White Dalek was not happy with this command for it ordered "_Exterminate the Doctor!_"

"No!" Alex and Amy cried, fearful. They didn't need to worry though for the Doctor ran back to the TARDIS, easily dodging the Dalek's lasers.

"You heard him, Group Captain," Winston said. "Target that dish. Send in all we've got!"

"_Broadsword to Danny Boy. Target the dish and stop that signal. Over._"

"_Understood, sir. Over._"

"Oh, good luck lads," one girl next to Alex said.

"_Okay chaps, let's put London back under cover of darkness! Tally ho! Cover my back, going in close. Pull out, pull out!_"

"_We've lost Jubilee sir. Over,_" a pilot announced.

"_Beam still active sir._"

"Send them in again," Winston said.

"_Flintlock's down sir, and the dish seems to be protected. Over._"

A Dalek voice rang out. "_Shields intact. Pulse still active._"

"_Danny Boy to the Doctor. Only me left now. Anything you can do sir? Over._"

The Doctor's voice sounded in the Map Room. "_The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over._"

"_Good show Doctor. Go to it. Over. I'm going in. Wish me luck. Over._"

There was silence in the Map Room for a few moments until the pilot suddenly called out "_Direct hit, sir!_"

"Yes!" Amy and Alex cheered, hugging each-other. All around them, others were cheering, celebrating their victory. Alex then remembered something. "One sec Amy, I gotta check something out." Pushing her way through the crowd, Alex raced back up to the roof and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that all of London was now black, completely hidden from the German bombers.

Alex returned to the elevator to go back and join the celebration. She smiled to herself. Everything seemed right in the world now, with the exception of the world war going on just outside. The Daleks were gone and were most likely being destroyed by the Doctor at the moment, London was now safe from the German bombers, and she was extremely giddy about saving the world. Was this what it was like to travel with the Doctor? If so, Alex didn't want to stop anytime soon.

However, all the festiveness in her was quickly kicked out when she saw the Doctor run into the Map Room, straight at Bracewell, and knocked him to the ground with a swift uppercut that Alex couldn't help but admire. Then the action of what he had done kicked in and she ran over.

"Doctor, are you nuts?" she cried, bending down next to Bracewell.

"Doctor!" Amy chimed in, appalled.

"Ow!" the Doctor grimaced, shaking his hand. He looked down at Bracewell. "Sorry Professor! You're a bomb! An incredibly massive Dalek bomb!"

"What?" Bracewell cried while Alex wondered if the encounter with the Daleks had caused the Doctor to completely lose his mind.

"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you," the Doctor explained. "A captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through into another dimension. Now keep down." Taking out his sonic screwdriver, he used it to open up Bracewell's chest, revealing a solid metal interior. In the center was a circular pad divided into five blue sections, one of which was turning yellow. The Doctor knelt down next to him while Amy knelt on the other side. Alex stood a little ways away from Amy, not wanting to crowd them.

"Well?" Amy asked hopefully.

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" he groaned. "Never seen one up close before."

"Oh, well that helps us out a lot!" Alex commented.

They ignored her though. "So what they've wired him up to detonate?" Amy guessed.

"Oh no, not wired him up!" the Doctor said. "He is a bomb. Walking talking…" He made an exploding sound effect with his hands simulating an explosion while Alex rolled her eyes, wishing he'd get on with it. "…exploding, the moment that flashes red." He pointed to the circular pad on Bracewell's chest.

Amy desperately tried to think of a solution. It wasn't that hard for Alex so it couldn't be hard for her too, could it? "There's a blue wire or something you have to cut, isn't there?" The Doctor looked excited by this suggestion but his face fell as Amy rambled "There's always a blue wire. Or a red one."

"You're not helping," the Doctor told her, glancing down to see the yellow section turning red.

"It's incredible." Winston shook his head. "He talked to us about his memories. The Great War…"

"Someone else's stolen thoughts, implanted in a positronic brain," the Doctor hurriedly explained. Suddenly, he had an idea. He turned back to Bracewell. "Tell me about it. Bracewell! Tell me about your life!" Alex's eyes widened as she realized what the Doctor was going to try and do. _That could actually work!_

Bracewell simply stared at him. "Doctor, I really don't think this is the time!"

"Tell him and prove you're human," Alex urged him. Looking over at her, Bracewell saw the sincerity in her eyes. "Tell him _everything_." The Doctor smiled at her, relieved that she knew his plan, as the second panel on Bracewell's chest turned yellow and began darkening.

"My family ran the post office," Bracewell began. "It's a little place just near the abbey, just by the ash trees. There used to be eight trees but there was a storm."

"And your parents?" the Doctor interrupted. "Come on! Tell me!"

"Good people, kind people. They…died. Scarlet fever."

"What was that like?" the Doctor urged. "How did it feel?" Alex frowned at him. She highly doubted that remembering those painful memories would help stop a bomb!

"Please," Bracewell begged, not wanting to remember those tragic memories.

The Doctor ignored those pleas though. "How did it make you feel, Edwin? Tell me. Tell me now!"

"It hurt." Bracewell suddenly gasped. "It hurt, Doctor, it hurt so badly! It was like a wound. I thought it was worse than a wound. Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing left." As he spoke, the second panel turned red while the third one turned yellow.

"Good," the Doctor nodded encouragingly. "Remember it now, Edwin! The ash trees by the Post Office and your mum and dad and losing them and men in trenches you saw die…remember it! Feel it! You feel it because you're human. You're not like them! You're not like the Daleks!"

Alex felt her heart sink as she watched Bracewell squirm with pain and tears. Honestly! That idiot! _How the hell does he think remembering such awful memories is going to help matters?_ Alex quickly began racking her brain for a second option as Bracewell wept. "It hurts Doctor! It hurts so much!"

But the Doctor didn't seem to notice the professor's obvious pain. "Good! Good! Good!" he chirped. "Brilliant! Embrace it!" A fourth panel turned red. "That means you're alive! They cannot explode that bomb because you're a human being! You are flesh and blood! They cannot explode that bomb! Believe it. You are Professor Edwin Bracewell, and you, my friend, are a human being!"

It was a very enthusiastic speech but the effect was quickly ruined when the fifth panel started darkening. The Doctor paled and ran a hand through his hair, just like Alex did when she was frustrated. "It's not working," he muttered.

"_I_ could've told you that!" Alex cried. "Painful memories won't work! They just cause a person to become more volatile and not be in control of their own actions!"

Amy stared up at her. "Why didn't you say anything?" she cried.

Alex gave her a look. "Do you really think he would've listened to me?" Amy had to admit that she had a point so she just turned back to Bracewell, ending the subject matter.

The Doctor didn't even notice their exchange. "I can't stop it," he realized.

Alex marched over to him. "Don't say that. You can solve this. I have absolute faith in you."

As they talked, Amy thought about what Alex had said. If painful memories made a person completely upset and not in control of their actions, what would happy memories do? Also, Amy had had experience with a certain type of emotion that most everyone had had experience with and Bracewell probably had as well. "Hey, Paisley," she said softly, attracting the attention of the Doctor and Alex. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?"

"What?" The last panel froze.

Amy nodded empathetically. "It hurts, doesn't it? But kind of a good hurt."

Bracewell blushed. "I really shouldn't talk about her."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Ooh. There's a her." As she said this, the fifth yellow panel turned back to blue.

The Doctor bent back down, pulling Alex down along with him. "What was her name?" he asked.

Bracewell smiled. "Dorabella," he breathed. The fourth panel powered down.

Alex thought for a moment about the unusual name but dismissed it as the Doctor said "Dorabella? It's a lovely name, it's a beautiful name."

"What was she like?" Alex asked.

Bracewell's smile was even brighter as the third panel shut down. "Oh, such a smile. And her eyes. Her eyes were so blue. Almost violet, like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world." He sighed. "Dorabella."

Instantly, all the segments reverted back to blue. The bomb inside Bracewell was disabled! The Doctor and Alex grinned. "Welcome to the human race!" the Doctor cried triumphantly.

"It's shoddy and downright despicable but also pretty damn exciting too!" Alex chirped. "You'll love it!"

The Doctor pointed to Winston. "You're brilliant," he told them. He then turned to Bracewell. "You're brilliant!" He then turned to an expectant Amy. "And you, I…" He trailed off and simply kissed her on the forehead.

Amy laughed brightly. "Don't forget Alex! She pointed out that bad memories wouldn't work. She deserves some credit too!" Alex smirked at the Doctor as he turned to her.

"Alex, I could bloody kiss you!" he declared.

Alex blushed brightly, remembering her almost-kiss with the Doctor. Despite her reasonable arguments to herself that she couldn't get involved with the Doctor, she'd be lying if she said that she didn't want to kiss him. The Doctor seemed to remember this as well, blushing as well, although not as bright as Alex. Then, before Alex could even be aware of what she was saying, she said "Save the world and I might let you." She had a suspicion that the Doctor hadn't managed to stop the Daleks before he had come back here.

The Doctor felt slightly breathless at her statement, which only made him want to vanquish the Daleks even more. "Right!" he cried, jumping to his feet and pulling Alex up. "Now! Got to stop them! Stop the Daleks!"

He and Alex were running towards the door, Amy just behind them, when Bracewell cried out "Wait, Doctor! Alex! Wait, wait! It's too late…gone. They're gone."

The Doctor looked stricken. "No. No! They can't! They can't have got away from me again!**"**

"No, I can feel it," Bracewell confirmed. "My mind is clear. The Daleks have gone."

The Doctor fell against a pole, slumping against it. "Doctor, it's okay!" Amy grinned at him. "You did it! You stopped the bomb!"

But Alex saw that the Doctor wasn't cheered by this thought. "Doctor?" she said hesitantly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I had a choice," the Doctor told them. "And they knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks have won. They beat me. They've won."

"But you saved the Earth. Not too shabby, is it?" Amy pointed out.

"And a much better victory in my book," Alex told him, smiling brightly at him. She then pretended to give him a mock glare. "It is better, isn't it? Isn't it?"

The Doctor chuckled a bit and pulled her closer to him. "No," he said, smiling down at her and then at Amy. "It's not too shabby."

Winston stepped over to them. "It's a brilliant achievement, my dear friend. Here, have a cigar!"

The Doctor waved him off. "No."

A/N: Like how Alex was the only one to calm the Doctor down again? And I like that you all are enjoying the revelation that Alex is a fixed point. I will say she's not a fixed point like Jack, one the Doctor can't stand to be around, but something different. I'll leave you to ponder that...

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **WhereThere'sTeaAndBooks**, **XxKicking Your AxX**, and **alright1128** for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. It means so much to know people like reading it! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	10. Victory of the Daleks Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. If I did, there would be WAY more episodes than 13 a season.

Alex dashed up to the rooftop, watching as a bunch of Air Raid Warden's raised a British flag up. She smiled. The air raid had ceased and the Doctor had mysteriously disappeared afterwards. She had slipped away from Amy and Winston to go and find him, because she was sure that he would be up here.

Sure enough, she found him sprawled under a Spitfire, working on taking out all the alien tech in it. She stopped in front of it and called out "Working hard or hardly working?"

The Doctor let out a surprised noise and started upwards, only to bang his head on the underside of the Spitfire and yelp. He rolled out from under it, rubbing his head, to look at Alex. "Working hard, thank you very much!" he snapped playfully at her.

Alex smirked and shimmied underneath with him. "I figured I'd find you up here. Have to maintain the timelines and all."

"How'd you figure that out?" the Doctor asked, eyes still on the engine underworking.

"Pretty obvious once you think about it," Alex answered. She stared up at the machinery and pointed to one gadget. "There." She tapped it with her nail. "Take that one down."

"Thanks," the Doctor said, putting the sonic screwdriver against the gadget. A second later, it fell into his open hand. "I take it you memorized all of Bracewell's diagrams for this, then?"

Alex blushed slightly. "I guess," she answered modestly. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. "Okay, okay!" she admitted. "After I stare at something for a while and I deem it relevant, it sticks into my brain. My friend back home called it selective eidetic memory."

The Doctor snorted. "That's a good name for it."

Alex watched him work in silence for a few minutes. She admired the way the muscles in his arms and chest flexed when he reached for something, the way his bottom lip stuck out in frustration, and the way his deep green eyes concentrated on something so intently it was as though there was nothing else around him but the object and himself. She had seen that look before; the other night on the TARDIS when he had caught her before she fell, when his arm had been wrapped around her, firm and reassuring that he wouldn't let anything hurt her.

The Doctor tried not to stare at her out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't help himself. He noticed how her dark eyelashes were perfectly curved without help from a mascara wand, how her eyes were now dark green, and how there was a smudge of grease across her nose. Looking away from the alien tech on the Spitfire, he reached over and said "Here, you have a little…" He trailed off as he gently rubbed away the grease and wiped his hand on his jacket.

"Oh! Thanks," Alex said. "I forgot that was even there."

"Received from ducking under planes, no doubt," the Doctor joked. He had heard Bracewell say something about Alex helping him modify the Spitfires before he had raced up here to change whatever they had modified.

Alex shrugged dismissively, a difficult task since she was lying down. "You needed help," she pointed out. The words hung in the air like an invisible toxin, causing others to react to it without even knowing what they were reacting to.

The Doctor swallowed. "Right," he acknowledged.

Alex looked up at the underbelly of the Spitfire. She was silent for a moment, letting her words sink into his veins before she suddenly cried "A Jammy Dodger? _Really_?!"

"It fooled them for a while!" the Doctor argued.

Alex rolled her eyes. "That was so stupid and so idiotic I don't think there are enough words to accurately express how stupid and idiotic that was!"

"And I suppose you could've done better?"

Alex shook her head. "Probably not," she admitted. "You've had more experience with the Daleks than I have."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "Right," he said again. He thought about all the times he had faced the Daleks and what he had lost from each encounter. His people, his planet, Rose…those were just a few of the many things he had lost from those vile creatures. Now, they had gotten away. Who knew when he would see them again? By the time he did, they would be even stronger and more impossible to defeat.

Alex looked over at him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she whispered. "I mean…I saw the look on your face when you were hitting that Dalek. It was one of pain and loneliness and regret…you've lost so much because of them and you felt justified in what you were doing, didn't you?"

The Doctor sighed and swallowed roughly. "Yes," he said softly. He said it so softly that Alex almost didn't catch it, but she did.

"There was a friend of mine," the Doctor began, "a girl, Rose Tyler. You would've liked her, Ally. She was smart, energetic, loving…just everything."

Alex smiled at the smile on his lips as he spoke of Rose. "You were in love with her, weren't you?"

The Doctor nodded. He had never admitted this to anyone, hardly even to himself, but with Alex, it was different. He felt as though he could open up to her. It should've scared him that she might be able to glimpse the hidden darkness in him that he tried so hard to keep tucked away, but strangely, it didn't. Instead, it only made him want to open up more and shed some light on his inner dark side. "Yes," he admitted. "So was she. But we never spoke it aloud to each-other. Too scared I suppose."

"What happened?" Alex asked hesitantly, prepared for a sudden change in subject should the Doctor decide that the current topic was too painful.

"There was a battle, at Canary Wharf in London." He looked at her for recognition.

"Oh, I heard about that!" Alex said, furrowing her brow. "Wasn't it caused by pranksters at Torchwood, that security agency that got shut down?"

Despite himself, the Doctor grinned at the cover story that had been spread to calm down the panicked public. "Not exactly. Torchwood was a government agency dedicated to the capture of aliens. It was started by Queen Victoria after a little encounter with a werewolf." He cleared his throat. "She…uh, wasn't pleased by mine and Rose's enthusiastic reactions to it."

Alex cackled. "I bet she was not amused, wasn't she?"

"That's exactly what Rose said," the Doctor laughed. "Anyway, over the years, Torchwood grew a little…_edgy_ about aliens. Whenever alien tech landed on Earth, Torchwood captured it and modified it for their own benefit. Rose and I went there after we caught word of worldwide ghost sightings and they captured me."

Alex was shocked. "Why?" she cried.

"Apparently, I was considered a threat."

"Asses," Alex muttered.

"There's a word for them," the Doctor snickered. "Anyways, to make a long story short, the Daleks and some robots called the Cybermen were stuck in the Void, another dimension. They were trying to get through. Torchwood had accidentally opened that Void and they started coming through. Rose and I figured out that we needed to close the Void and the only way we could do that was to push down some levers and hold tight to some clamps as the Daleks and Cybermen were sucked through." The Doctor's face fell and Alex felt a pang in her heart for what must have happened next.

"Rose fell through, didn't she?" she guessed softly.

The Doctor's face was impassive as he shook his head. "The lever on her side became undone and she tried to push it back down. She had to hold it down but she wasn't strong enough to hold tight…she got transported by her father to a parallel universe."

"Couldn't you go back and get her?"

"No. The walls between the universes had closed. I couldn't see her again. I did manage to get contact with her though by harnessing the energy of an exploding star to kind of call her. I told her what had happened and she challenged me to tell her that I loved her. I started to but…"

"The signal cut off, didn't it?"

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed. "Two years later, the Daleks stole several planets, including Earth, to create a bomb that would destroy all of reality."

Alex snorted. "That's pretty stupid. How could they control anything if nothing existed?"

"They were operating under the old _if we can't have it than no one can_ routine. Although you do make a good point. But in her parallel world, Rose and that version of Torchwood had created a dimension cannon to travel between dimensions for a short amount of time. A number of my former companions and I managed to stop the Daleks and when I returned everyone home, I took Rose back to her parallel universe."

Alex gawked at him. If he had loved this girl so much, why didn't he take her with him?

"I'm getting to that," the Doctor replied to her unspoken question. "By accident, a clone of me had been created from my severed hand - a long complicated story, don't ask - and he killed all of the Daleks without even offering them a second chance. I always try to do that. Rose wasn't safe with me. With a partially human clone that could grow old with her, she'd be better off in my opinion. Besides, he needed to be with her, so that she could change him into the man that she changed me into when I first met her. She challenged me to say what I was about to tell her on Bad Wolf Bay before the signal cut off but the clone told her. The last I saw of her, she and him were kissing."

Alex was silent, absorbing this information. The Doctor had given up his own happiness to make sure that another person had stayed safe. She thought it sweet but also sad since he hadn't been able to have a relationship with a girl he loved. "No wonder you want the Daleks to pay," she remarked.

"Exactly." The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he removed another piece of alien tech. "I lost Rose because of them and so much more. They always survive while I lose everything."

"But you didn't lose anything today!" Alex argued. Looking at her, the Doctor saw the sincerity in her eyes. "Amy and I are still alive. Winston's still alive and kicking! The Daleks may have gotten away, but they didn't gain a personal victory over you. They got rebooted. That's it. The only way they'd have really won is if something happened to someone close to you. And even then, you would be able to come back from it, because you would have found something that would make you happy and eager again."

"How is it you know me so well already?" the Doctor asked her.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I can just read some people well. I always knew when my guardian was in a bitter mood and when she was about to leave for weeks on end, so I guess I can do the same with you."

The Doctor tried not to let his thoughts about her statement show. Alex hadn't spoken much about her personal life, but from the sound of it, she hadn't been loved much as a child. He wondered how a lonely child could've grown up into the courageous, cheerful, optimistic, and intelligent young woman beside him. However it had occurred, he was glad that it did.

"Do you still love her?" Alex suddenly asked. "Rose, I mean."

The Doctor repressed a groan. He had been wondering about this incarnation's feelings for Rose for a little while now. Considering his attraction to Alex, that certainly spoke volumes about his previous infatuation with Rose. "I don't think so," he answered carefully. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she'll always hold a special place in my hearts and I still greatly admire her, but I don't think I'm still head over heels in love with her as my previous incarnation was. If she were still here, I would be, but I moved on. She's happy in that universe and I want her to be."

Alex nodded amicably at his words, but secretly she was pleased. She felt bad for Rose, who she already liked just because she helped the Doctor so long ago, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't get a little thrill of joy at his words. _Stop it Alex,_ a snide little voice in her head reminded her. _Just because Rose is no longer in the picture, it doesn't mean you have a clear pass to hit on him_. She knew that the snide little voice was right but she couldn't help herself. She liked this guy even though she knew she shouldn't.

Suddenly, something the Doctor had said hit her. "Hearts?" she repeated, giving him a puzzled expression.

"Oh yes, I have two hearts," the Doctor said casually, as if he were reading off grocery items.

"No way," Alex breathed.

He smiled at her. "Yes way," he said seriously. He scooted closer to her. "Take a listen if you want." Raising his arms, he started to work on another piece of alien tech as Alex cautiously lay her head down on his chest.

Inhaling deeply, Alex caught whiff of the Doctor's personal scent; the faintest hint of aftershave, some musky cologne, a freshly laundered shirt, and just_ him_. Alex couldn't help but wish that she could bottle this scent up to enjoy forever. It made her dizzy and she loved it.

_Two hearts Alexandria Nicole!_ She mentally cried. She shook herself. _Right, focus. _Placing her head on his left side, she heard a familiar heartbeat. Well, that had been expected. Alex rose up slightly to move to his right side, where she figured his other heart would be. Placing her head back down, she visibly started as she heard the distinct _thump-thump_ of another heart. He hadn't been lying! Once the initial shock had worn off, Alex relaxed and kept her head there, just listening to the double heartbeats. They were strangely soothing, she thought.

The Doctor watched as Alex felt his first heart, then his second. He resisted a chuckle as she tensed in shock from hearing the second heartbeat but after a moment, she relaxed and kept her head there. He carefully avoided her head as he removed more bits of alien tech, not wanting to ask her to move. He liked her head resting there. It felt as though she had always belonged there and for the life of him, he didn't want it to end.

Alex smiled to herself. This was so nice. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Here she was, Alex Locke, lying underneath a tricked out Spitfire with an alien who had two hearts, in the middle of the London Blitz. Some might've called her crazy, but Alex called this perfection.

Realizing she was about to drift off, she shifted back to her original spot next to the Doctor. That was when she remembered something else. Grinning mischievously, she remarked off-handedly "Hey Doctor? Remember what I said I might let you do to me if you saved the world?"

The Doctor was distracted slightly though by a difficult to remove alien gadget. "Sorry, what?" he asked, looking over at her.

But Alex didn't repeat her remark. Instead, she leaned in, fast as lightning, and pressed her lips to his. Inside his body, the Doctor's blood raced, his head felt foggy, and his heart rates increased rapidly. Little did he know that Alex's own heart and brain were doing that and that a cool fresh load of adrenaline was now running through her veins; and all because of one quick kiss. Their lips felt like they were on fire when they touched and smoldering when they lost contact. This happened so quickly, that neither was sure how to react.

The Doctor was the first to speak. "W-what, what, d-did," he stuttered before clearing his throat and saying, in a slightly husky voice "What was that for?"

"You said after we diffused Bracewell that you could 'bloody kiss' me. I said that if you saved the world, I'd consider it." Alex smirked impishly. "And I did."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "B-but, I, I didn't save the world!" he protested.

Alex's gaze leveled with his. "Yes, you did," she told him, seriousness filled in her voice. "You saved London from being completely destroyed by the Germans, saved the planet from getting sucked into an Oblivion Continuum…that is saving the world."

"But the Daleks…"

"Who cares about them?" Alex questioned. "Yes, they got away, but they didn't achieve anything major. They may come back stronger than before, but you'll be ready for them." She squeezed his hand. "_We'll _be ready."

Then, before the Doctor knew it, she had scooted out from under the Spitfire. "I'll let you continue working!" she called to him. "With me around, you'll likely get distracted!" And then she was rushing off, happy as can be, while he was stuck under here, getting rid of alien tech.

The Doctor inhaled deeply. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed that very brief kiss. It had been lightning fast but still so slow and full of passion. He hadn't been kissed like that in a very long time. He wanted it to happen again and he wanted it to be with Alex. _Are you insane? _His subconscious cried. _She's a HUMAN! You are an ALIEN! Remember what happened with Rose? Sure you've moved on, but it could still happen again. Do you really want it to happen again, but to Alex this time?_

He sighed. He was right. _Nothing _like that could happen with Alex. Besides, they barely knew each-other. Sure there was body chemistry but that was just that; body chemistry. Still, he knew he was lying to himself if he said that he never wanted that to happen again.

The Doctor grimaced and went back to looking for more pieces of alien tech in the Spitfire. God, how much alien tech was in these things?

* * *

Alex's head was buzzing as she went back to the Map Room. Why in the hell had she kissed the Doctor like that? Well, the idea had been thrilling to say the least and she had said she would think about letting him kiss her…and she had meant it. He HAD saved the whole world from the Daleks, definitely Brownie Points with her. Plus, there was all that weird body chemistry with him. The tingles, the stifled breaths, the buzzing in her head like now…Alex sighed. _Stop it! _She told herself. _That cannot happen again. You need to keep those urges to yourself Alexandria…no matter how tempting they may be._

Alex soon caught sight of Amy and Winston and went over to stand next to them. They were watching the young woman named Blanche cry as another woman tried to comfort her. "Is she okay?" Amy asked, concerned.

Winston looked up from a message he had been handed. "What?"

Amy pointed over to Blanche. "She looks very upset."

Winston didn't seem surprised by the young woman's obvious despair and sadness. "Oh, Miss Breen? Her young man didn't make it, I'm afraid. Just got word; shot down over the Channel." He then looked over and caught sight of Alex. "Where's the Doctor?" he asked her.

Alex was about to reply when a voice behind her replied "Tying up loose ends." The Doctor went to stand next to her. "I've taken out all the alien tech Bracewell put in." What he didn't tell anyone was that he had rushed through the task so that he could stand next to Alex again, despite what he knew about getting involved with her.

"Won't you reconsider Doctor?" Winston begged. "Those Spitfires would win me the war in twenty-four hours!"

"Exactly," the Doctor said. He grabbed a tea cup off a nearby tray and sipped some, only to spit it back out into the cup. Alex rolled her eyes at this.

"But why not? Why can't we put an end to all this misery?"

"Oh, it doesn't work like that Winston, and it's going to be tough. There are terrible days to come. The darkest days. But you_ can _do it. You know you can."

"Stay with us, and help us win through! The world needs you!"

The Doctor waved him off. "The world doesn't need me."

"No?" Churchill said skeptically.

The Doctor made that weird peace looking sign again. "The world's got Winston Spencer Churchill!" he cried.

Winston laughed. "It's been a pleasure Doctor, as always."

The Doctor and him hugged. As they did, Amy and Alex noticed Winston subtly reach into the Doctor's pocket. They exchanged a grin. _How can he be so brilliant and so clueless?_ Alex wondered.

"Too right," the Doctor agreed.

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"Oh, shall we say adieu?" the Doctor laughed, pulling away.

"Indeed," Winston nodded before turning to Amy and Alex. "Goodbye Miss Pond, Miss Locke."

Amy practically jumped up and down with excitement. "It's, it's been amazing, meeting you."

"Really amazing," Alex added, managing to retain a shred of dignity.

"I'm sure it has!" Winston agreed. Amy kissed him on the cheek and Alex, still not used to the overly affectionate ways of the British, simply gave him a hug. He then began to walk away. Amy and Alex looked at each-other and as the Doctor raised his tea cup to his lips, Amy called out "Oi, Churchill!"

Winston turned around as Alex and Amy stuck out their hands. "TARDIS key," Alex clarified. "The one you just took from the Doctor?" The Doctor spat his tea out and nearly choked.

"Oh, they're good Doctor!" Winston laughed as he handed Amy the key. "As sharp as pins! Almost as sharp as me!" He lit up a cigar. "KBO!"

As Winston left the room, the Doctor held out his hand for the key, knowing the girls would be rather reluctant to release it. Amy rolled her eyes and passed it to Alex, who sighed and handed it off to the Doctor.

Bracewell was standing solemnly in his office as the Doctor, Alex, and Amy walked in. A leather glove was over the hand the Dalek had shot off, which hid the stump of metal and wires pretty well. "I've been expecting you Doctor," he revealed as they came in. "I knew this moment had to come."

The Doctor stared at him blankly. "Moment?"

"It's time to de-activate me."

"Is it?" The Doctor looked over at Amy and Alex, who both gave him a look. "Oh. Err, yeah."

"You have no choice," Bracewell said. "I'm Dalek technology. Can't allow me to go pottering around down here where I have no business."

"No, you're dead right Professor," the Doctor agreed, winking at Alex and Amy. "100 percent right. And by the time we get back here in what…ten minutes?"

"More like fifteen," Amy said, a slight smile on her face after she had caught on to what the Doctor was planning.

"Fifteen minutes, yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do," the Doctor nodded at her. "You are going to be so de-activated."

"It's going to be like you've never even been activated," Alex lied.

"Yeah," Amy agreed.

"Fifteen minutes?" Bracewell asked.

"More like twenty if I'm honest," the Doctor said. "Once Pond and Ally and I see to the urgent thing we've got to see to…the…the…see?"

Bracewell took a deep breath. "Very well Doctor. I shall wait here and prepare myself."

Alex stared at him. _How could he not get it?_ She heard Amy hiss "That Dalek tech's a bit slow on the uptake." Louder, she said "That thing we've got to do, going to take half an hour, realistically, isn't it Doctor?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, like maybe half an hour at least?"

The Doctor nodded at her. "Easily. So no running off, that's what I'm saying. Don't go trying to find that little Post Office with the ash trees or that girl. What was her name?"

"Dorabella," Bracewell slowly supplied.

"Dorabella," the Doctor repeated. "On no account go looking for her." He smirked at the scientist. "Mind you, you can get a lot done in half an hour."

Bracewell finally caught on and he gave off a bright grin. "Thank you! Thank you Doctor!"

The Doctor smiled at him before turning to the girls. "Come along Pond, Ally."

As they left, Alex glanced over her shoulder and jumped in place happily as she watched Bracewell hurriedly pack a suitcase. Oh yeah, she definitely loved traveling with the Doctor.

A few minutes later, they were back at the TARDIS. "So, you have enemies then?" Amy asked.

"Everyone's got enemies," the Doctor replied.

"Yeah," Amy agreed, "but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russell."

Alex nodded at this. "Yeah, that woman and her dog are insane. And my enemies are my grandmother and Hillary Westcott."

"Who?" the Doctor asked.

Alex rolled her eyes. "High-school rival. Amy knows the type; peppy, blonde, had the highest kick on the cheer team. The girl was a walking Barbie doll with no substance."

"But anyway," Amy steered the conversation back to the previous topic, "you've got, like, you know, arch-enemies."

The Doctor shifted slightly. "Suppose so."

"And here's me thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff. But no, it's dangerous."

"Yep. Very," the Doctor acknowledged. "Is that a problem?"

She smiled at him. "I'm still here, aren't I? And so is Alex." She nodded to the girl in question.

Alex decided to address an issue she knew was still plaguing the Doctor. "You're worried about the Daleks," she stated.

"I'm always worried about the Daleks," the Doctor replied. It was a little weird how Alex could instantly read him but he did kind of like it, if only because it was happening to a person he already trusted deeply.

"It'll take time though, won't it?" Amy questioned, concerned. "I mean, there's still not many of them. They'll need a while to build themselves up."

"It's not that," the Doctor disagreed. Actually, something had been at the back of his mind, pestering him, ever since he had first heard it mentioned. "There's something else. Something we've forgotten. Or rather, the two of you have."

Amy looked surprised. "Alex and I?" she asked dubiously. Instantly, Alex flashed back to the BBC article she didn't remember reading but knew she had. Those strange deaths by the strange creatures…it was ever-so-slowly inching back into her conscious brain but not fast enough for her liking.

"You didn't know them Amy, Ally," the Doctor told them gently. "You two had never seen them before. And you should have done. You should."

With this thought echoing in the girl's minds, they all ducked back into the TARDIS and set off for another world that needed saving.

A/N: They kissed! They _kissed!_ They KISSED! Not really a proper one, but still, they kissed! Sorry for the later update but I went back to school today...fun. Believe me, I'd rather write all day than endure eight hours in class...

Notes on reviews...

**TheConsultingEditor - **So glad you loved it! I've never listened to the show's soundtrack until you mentioned it in your review. You're right, it is funny listening to it while picturing Alex being dragged out of the TARDIS! :)

**Reading Addicted **- A fixed point is an event in time that has to happen. It can't be changed at all. This extends into people, like Jack Harkness with his immortality and, in this story, Alex. Hope that helps! So glad you love this story! :)

**rycbar15** - Thanks for telling me about the crack! I couldn't tell on TV whether or not it actually closed or whether the Doctor just solved the problem of two points in time touching. Because of that, for this story, the physical crack is still there, but not harmful. Thanks! Glad you can't wait for the original chapters. I'm a little nervous about them because they are my own made up adventures and I'm worried I'll get the characters wrong, but your eagerness eases my nerves a little. :)

Tomorrow, we get a little chapter that reveals more about Alex and then...'The Time of Angels'. Believe me, the relationship between River and Alex will be...interesting. See you tomorrow!


	11. Minds and Memories

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. My birthday is coming up though so if anyone wants to give me the rights...

Alex sat up bolt right in bed later that night. She pressed a hand to her rapidly beating heart and took a few deep breaths. Oh God that dream…it had been so horrible, yet it also answered so many questions.

Without even stopping to think, Alex jumped out of bed, grabbed a white and gold robe resting at the foot of it, and pulled it on as she went out into the corridor towards the console room. She had to talk to the Doctor and tell him about this. Only he could actually explain it.

The console room was empty and Alex shifted from foot to foot, wondering where he was. Suddenly, the TARDIS hummed slightly and an old wooden door appeared out of thin air on one of the walls. Alex hesitantly stepped towards it and opened it.

Alex gasped and, based on the interior, guessed she was in the library. The room was large, with dark red walls and stretched on for who knew how long. Tall dark bookcases stretched towards the ceiling, all filled with books bound in jewel-colored covers. The floor was covered in Oriental carpet and several leather-backed chairs and couches were spread out everywhere. On one side of the room, Alex spotted a fireplace, burning brightly, a figure sitting on a couch in front of it.

Alex made her way over to the Doctor and peered over his shoulder. The Doctor knew she was there from the way his breath quickened, but he pretended not to notice her, just to drive her crazy. Alex attempted to identify what he was reading but it was in strange writing that reminded her of algebra symbols. "What in the world is that?" she demanded.

The Doctor snapped the book shut. "Nothing," he dismissed.

Alex made her way around the couch and settled down next to him. "Really?" she said, giving him a dubious look. "Looked like my junior year algebra homework if you ask me."

The Doctor ignored this comment, not really wanting to get into the subject of the Gallifreyan work he had been reading. "What are you doing up?" he asked her.

Alex sighed and nibbled her bottom lip a bit. "I…I had this dream and…oh, you're going to think I'm being silly."

"No, I won't," the Doctor insisted. He could just tell by the apprehension in Alex's eyes that her dream had scared her and she was confused by it. "Whatever it was, it's nothing to be ashamed about. Just tell me."

"Okay. Um, remember how I went all trance-like back at the War Cabinet Rooms?" Alex asked. The Doctor nodded. Of course he remembered it! "Well, during that trance state, I saw this flashback of a memory I don't remember but I know it happened anyway. Does that make sense?"

"More than you have any idea," the Doctor told her. He was concerned now. He had suspected that memory had had something to do with the Daleks but, for some reason, Alex hadn't been able to remember it afterwards. "Keep going," he encouraged.

Alex took a deep breath and nodded. "Well, it was just a few months after Prisoner Zero. I was in my room, hiding. There was a Dalek outside Amy's house. I was on the BBC website with my phone and I kept reloading it every few minutes to read that the Daleks had killed more people." Alex paused, trying to recall the dream before it completely slipped away, like it was doing now. "Um…there were planets in the sky. So many of them. I'd have thought it beautiful if it weren't for a killer robot outside in the yard."

The Doctor tensed. Of course! _The reality bomb, that happened just a few months after Prisoner Zero. My last incarnation handled it. But why did Alex not remember it?_ "Then what?" he asked, leaning forward.

"Well, all of a sudden, the Dalek just said _elevate_ in that weird voice it has. It came up to my window and i-it…it was going to kill me." Alex swallowed heavily, remembering how she had wanted to scream but couldn't because she didn't want Amy or Rory getting caught in the crossfire. "But…it just stopped. It said that it was unable to kill."

_Oh, no,_ the Doctor thought sickly but he couldn't stop Alex.

"It had this weird conversation with somebody I couldn't see or hear but…apparently it couldn't kill me because I was a fixed point or something. It told me so, because you were involved in my future and that couldn't be changed." Alex closed her eyes. This was the part of the dream that scared her the most. "Before it flew off, it…it said to beware because the Daleks knew me."

The Doctor closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Maybe it didn't mean anything. Maybe Alex traveled with him for a long while and she met the Daleks a few times. That was reasonable…wasn't it? "Ally, is there anything else?"

Alex shook her head. "No, that's where it stopped. There's more to it, I know, but I woke up in a cold sweat at that moment." She looked up into his worried and soothing green eyes. "I knew I had to tell you, because it was important. I did meet the Daleks but I don't remember it…or at least not properly. It's like my mind is hiding it from me only until I really need it."

"It seems so," the Doctor agreed.

"Why is that happening to me Doctor?" Alex asked. "I mean, Starship U.K. with me passing out and then now with me remembering things that I don't properly remember…what is that?"

Suddenly, the Doctor had an idea. "Ally, scoot closer," he requested.

Alex stared at him hesitantly, but obliged. Somewhat worried about what she might do when he put his plan into action, the Doctor pulled her closer to him so that she was pretty much sitting in his lap. Alex felt a hot thrum race through her veins at this but she ignored it. This was time for serious matters.

"Time Lords have this gift," the Doctor began slowly. God only knew how she would react to this. "We can look through people's minds and access their memories if we're touching them and concentrating hard enough."

Alex quickly caught on. "So, you want to go through my mind and see what's going on?"

He swallowed. "Pretty much yes. But only if you're up to it."

Alex thought for a moment before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Okay, I'm game," she said. She latched her hands around his neck and braced herself for whatever was about to happen. "Just get it over with."

The Doctor chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not painful." He reached behind him and reluctantly released her grip around his neck and settled her so that her back was resting against the couch but she was still positioned on him. Both would've found this pretty intimate with the dark overhead lights, a roaring fire, and how close their bodies were pressed together had they not been concentrated on cracking the mystery of Alex's mind.

The Doctor pressed his fingers to Alex's temples and reached into her mind. "Alex, anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door in front of it. I won't look." As he settled into Alex's mind, he heard a few doors closing. Finally, he was truly inside.

Alex's mind reminded him of a classy hotel, with cream walls and closed doors. But just as he stepped forward, he was blindsided with a bunch of pain. Turning around slightly, he dodged what appeared to be the mental equivalent of an atomic bomb. He heard Alex cry out and his physical body tightened his grip on her. In her mind, he ran, dodging the bombs and trying to block out the sound of Alex's pained cries.

Finally, he reached a darkened section of Alex's mind. The mental walls were dark and peeling and he could barely see. Trying a door, he found it unlocked. He opened it and was instantly transported to Alex's memory of the Daleks.

He stood in a corner of the room, unseen to Alex, and watched her hesitantly look out the window at the Dalek and update her phone. Her face fell as she read an article detailing how many people were estimated to have died thus far. He watched as the Dalek came up to the window and Alex scooted back into a corner, shutting her eyes tight and praying that it wouldn't see her. His physical jaw clenched as the Dalek spoke to Alex, warning her that she was known to the Daleks and that only the fixed point in her future with the Doctor was protecting her now. Finally, the memory ended with Amy and Rory racing upstairs and the three staying together that way all night long. The memory ended and the Doctor left that particular section of her mind.

Out in the hall, another mental bomb whizzed by him and he heard Alex scream in pain. Racing over to another door, he ducked inside. He wanted to get this over with before her strange mental barriers forced him out.

This section contained the memories after the Dalek invasion. They mostly consisted of Alex and Amy staying in their house out of fear, furniture still barricaded in front of the downstairs doors and windows. As he watched Alex attempt to make brownies, she suddenly stiffened. Clutching her head, she staggered back a bit before quickly straightening herself up again. He watched, curious, as she looked out the window, seemed puzzled for a moment, and then quickly switched to happy. Alex shut off the oven, dumped the brownie mix in the trash and went outside. The memory fast-forwarded to show Alex returning a few hours later with a bunch of shopping bags.

The Doctor left that memory and was about to go and look for another hidden memory when there came the mental equivalent of warning alarms. He found himself being hit by several of the atomic bombs and distantly heard Alex crying out. The bombs were forcing him through a backdoor exit out of Alex's mind and he happily left.

Once the Doctor exited Alex's mind, he found himself back in the library on the couch with Alex sitting on him. Tear tracks were on her face and her eyes were squeezed shut from the pain of the bombs. Wrapping an arm around her back, the Doctor pulled her closer to him as he collapsed down onto the couch, also drained from the bombs. They lay like that, half lying on the couch with Alex on top, for a few minutes before Alex slowly opened her eyes. She had blacked out again, just shortly after the Doctor had exited her mind. She slowly lifted her gaze to stare into his tired eyes.

The Doctor kept his arm around her back, keeping her from trying to get up too soon. "I'm so sorry," he said softly, his voice expressing just how much the experience had tired him. "If I had known that your mind would do that, I'd never have gone in there."

"It's not your fault," Alex assured him. Her voice was soft too, exhausted and just overall confused. "It's my mind. I need to take responsibility for it."

"But you aren't throwing bombs at intruders in there on purpose," the Doctor argued. "I scanned you back on Starship U.K. while you were still unconscious and the results were alarming. I didn't want to tell you then because I didn't want you to be scared and there were other matters to deal with-,"

"Yes, I know," Alex interrupted. "But just tell me. What did the scans tell you?"

The Doctor was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to tell her and how. "Basically," he began, "when the Star Whale was reaching out to your mind, trying to get you to help, your mind panicked. It sent in the equivalent of an army at it. Your brain shut down most of your body systems, except for breathing and your heart beating, to have the energy to fight it off. When I was in there now, your mind was throwing these mental bombs at me to get me out." He grimaced and then smiled wryly. "Not exactly a welcoming person your brain is."

But Alex didn't acknowledge the joke. Instead, she was thinking. "Yeah," she said. The Doctor looked at her questioningly. "I mean, before I passed out on the Starship, I felt these bombs going off in my head. Like with you, they were aiming at the Star Whale's mind." Alex breathed deeply. Her mind was turning against her, acting on its own without her control. What the hell?!

Noticing Alex's panicking, the Doctor scooted back up, his energy now fully restored, and wrapped both arms around her. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and tried to keep the tears from falling. _No, I will not cry in front of this man! _Alex told herself but that didn't stop a few hot tears from falling and staining the Doctor's tweed jacket.

"Ally, it's okay," he whispered gently to her. His breath felt warm and soothing on her neck and it did calm her down somewhat.

"It's just…" She leaned back, exposing her red-rimmed eyes. "My mind is turning against me. It's intentionally harming me! What if it happens again and this time, I die?!"

"I'm positive that won't happen," the Doctor assured her. "The way I saw it, a subconscious part of your mind is protecting you. It's incredibly strong and does mean well. It only acts this way if something is invading your mind. I don't believe it would suddenly try to kill you for no reason."

Alex nodded, seeing the reasoning in this. Then, she thought of something. "Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think any of this has something to do with why I saw through the perception filter at Amy's house?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. If Alex's mind was strong enough to defend her against potential intruders, it was probably strong enough to not be fooled by a simple perception filter. "Possibly," he finally admitted.

Alex nodded again and sniffled a little bit. "Okay." She looked around the room, trying to process all these new revelations. But it was still so much…Alex didn't want to deal with it anymore. "So, this is the library," she commented.

The Doctor knew Alex was just changing the subject but decided to let her. She didn't need to be burdened by her weird mind anymore tonight. "Yep."

"Didn't you say that there had been a pool in here?" The Doctor didn't miss the way Alex's body tensed. It was one thing to be afraid of what a subconscious part of your mind was capable of doing; it was another to be afraid of water.

"Yes, but I moved it," he assured her. "It took up too much room and the books were starting to smell like chlorine. Actually, I moved it just a little while ago. I didn't want you to worry about possibly falling in while in here."

Alex smiled. "Thanks," she breathed. "I know the fear of water sounds stupid and all-,"

"It's not," the Doctor interrupted, looking at her seriously.

"Let me finish. I realize that it's stupid - I got a lot of crap for it in elementary school swimming lessons - but, I just cannot be around water without thinking about that night." Alex paused. "I remember it so clearly. How cold the water was, the thrash of the waves, how the sky was so dark with bursts of lightning illuminating my surroundings every few minutes, my mom's screams, the overwhelming silence of being by myself, the water filling my lungs, and then the bright light of the Coast Guard and somebody pulling me up."

Alex looked down at the gold ring on her finger, which she never took off for fear of losing it. "You see this ring?" she asked.

The Doctor studied it. He noticed that it appeared to be two gold rings melded together. "It's beautiful," he said sincerely. "Are they your parent's wedding bands?"

"Yes," Alex answered. "They found my parent's bodies and pulled them out of the water. A female Coast Guard woman was trying to distract me so I wouldn't see but she had to go and help and I saw them." She shuddered. "They just looked so…_lifeless_. Just hours before, my mom had been fluttering around the yacht in this gorgeous red dress, sipping on a glass of wine and helping me color in my coloring books; now she was dead, everything lifelike just sucked out of her. My dad was just the same. He had been teasing and joking with my mom hours before. He had been sipping a soda, because he was the one controlling the boat. Now, he was just dead.

"I plucked the rings off their corpses when nobody was looking. I don't really know why I did it. I guess I just wanted something to remind me of them. I remember they were talking about renewing their vows in London, where they met." Alex smiled. "There had been a lot of talk that night of me acting as a flower girl. I was so thrilled by the idea. I was looking for flowers or potpourri to toss around for practice when the accident happened."

Alex twisted her ring. "Years later, on my fourteenth birthday, my friend Lacey and her aunt Marigold surprised me by having the rings secretly melded together. It was the best present I had ever received. I don't think I've removed this ring since."

"It's good that you have a reminder of your parents."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "I don't have much. All of their more expensive stuff is in a lock-box at a bank in New York I don't get access to until I'm twenty-one. And I don't gain my inheritance until I'm twenty-five. Surprisingly, Carla didn't keep much of my parent's belongings. My dad was her only son and she burned a copy of their wedding photo."

The Doctor couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How did you live with that woman for so long?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. We never got along but she never physically abused me, so I was lucky. She left me for various periods at a time starting when I was in middle school and I was happy when she did. It meant I didn't have to see her. It gave me a sense of freedom."

"I wish you hadn't had to go through that."

Alex smiled at him. "It's all in the past, isn't it? Besides, it didn't psychologically damage me, well, I hope it didn't." She shifted slightly, thinking back over their conversation over her mind, when she realized that she was still sitting in the Doctor's lap. Looking down, she saw his arms still wrapped around her.

If felt so nice, being there with him. Never mind all the drama concerning her mind, she was just content to sit here by the fire in his lap. Maybe play with his hair, straddle his waist, move in and kiss him…_Stop it! _She mentally snapped. _He's an alien, you are a human girl. There is no way that could ever work! Get it in your head already!_

Alex carefully got up and the Doctor's arms released her. Looking down at him, she said "Thanks for listening and…explaining." She then turned around and rushed out of the library.

As soon as he heard the door close, the Doctor sunk back into the couch. God, he had wanted to hold her close and never let go. He wanted to keep her there with him and not let her worry about her mind protecting her in such a violent and strange way or see past alien technology that was far more sophisticated than any piece of twenty-first century tech.

The Doctor stared into the fire, thinking. He had heard of Alexandria Nicole Locke before. He knew he had, ever since Prisoner Zero. He hadn't focused on it much, due to other circumstances, but when Alex told him about her dream, the dots in his mind connected.

_His tenth self had been arguing with Martha, Jack, Mickey, Jackie and Sarah-Jane on using either the Osterhagen Key to blow up the Earth or a Warp Star to blow up the Earth. Naturally, he had been against both. The Daleks then managed to transport the group into the vault where he and Rose were, causing them to inadvertently leave behind both of the deadly weapons._

_ Jack started to race towards him, where he was trapped in a force-field. "I've got you, it's all right."_

_ "Don't move!" he called to them. "All of you!" He touched the force-field around him, causing it to light up._

_ "Guard them!" Davros, the creator of the Daleks, who had somehow managed to come back to life, ordered. "On your knees, all of you! Surrender!"_

_ "Do as he says," the Doctor told them._

_ Rose, who was next to him in her own force-field, looked at her mom. "Mum, I told you not to."_

_ Jackie looked at her, her face filled with love and desperation. "Yeah, but I couldn't leave you."_

_ Suddenly, a Dalek started calling out, in what almost sounded like a scared voice, "DAELK ON EARTH UNABLE TO KILL! TIME DISREPENCY!"_

_ "What?!" Davros and the Doctor cried out simultaneously. The Doctor was shocked. What kind of time discrepancy would cause a Dalek to be unable to kill? _

_ Davros whirled to face the Dalek in question. "Initiate communication option 075!"_

_ All of the previous companions looked at the Doctor in confusion. Shrugging, he answered "Dalek version of speaker phone."_

_ A moment later, another Dalek voice filled the room. "UNABLE TO KILL!" it screeched._

_ Davros frowned. "Where is this Dalek in question?" he demanded._

_ A Dalek on the other side of the room examined a screen. "Location revealed! 218 Post Avenue, Leadworth, England, Earth!" Suddenly, a bunch of alarms started flashing around the room and the Daleks began to panic. "FIXED POINT! FIXED POINT! FIXED POINT!" they screamed. _

_ Martha looked at the scene in bewilderment. "Doctor! What are they going on about?"_

_ "It's a fixed point," the Doctor replied. "It's a point in time that cannot be changed no matter what. It has to happen."_

_ "But what is it?" Rose asked._

_ Jack shrugged. "Whatever it is, it's enough to send this lot into a tizzy." _

_ Davros, meanwhile, had his face set into a deep frown. "What kind of fixed point is at this address?" he scowled. "Scan it!"_

_ There was a small ping from the screen a Dalek was examining. The Dalek looked at it and then started backing away from the screen. "IT IS CONFIRMED!" it cried._

_ Davros looked at it. "Send it to that Dalek!" The Dalek seemed rather reluctant to go back to the screen but nevertheless did so. A minute later, the Earthbound Dalek's voice filled the room._

_ "IT IS CONFIRMED! IT IS FIXED POINT, ALEXANDRIA LOCKE! ALLY, TO THE DOCTOR!"_

_ "WHAT?" the Doctor cried. Who was Ally? He didn't know an Ally!_

_Rose turned to look at him. "Ally?" she repeated. Who on Earth was this person that appeared to be on very close terms with the Doctor?_

_ Jack, Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, and Jackie also turned to look at him. "Who's Ally?" Jack demanded, his face full of questions. He then grinned. "Ally…sounds cute."_

_ "How should I know!" the Doctor cried, eyes wide, not even registering the last part of what Jack had said. "I've never met an Alexandria Locke before!"_

_ Mickey frowned, thinking something over. "Locke," he mused. "I've heard that name before."_

_ "It's probably a common name," Sarah Jane said, although the Doctor knew she was curious as well._

_ Suddenly, the Dalek on Earth started talking again, interrupting everyone's thoughts on the mysterious fixed point, Alexandria Locke. "You are saved by the law of time Alexandria," it said ominously. It seemed to the Doctor that it was talking directly to Alexandria Locke. "The Doctor is involved in your future, a future that cannot be changed. But beware! The Daleks know who you are!"_

_ "Cease communication!" Davros demanded. Suddenly, the room was silent. Everyone in the room was thinking of this fixed point that would be involved in the Doctor's future. She was so special, not even the Daleks could kill her. Which meant…_

_ Davros turned to the Doctor. "Explain!" he ordered in a voice very similar to the Daleks._

_ "I can't explain anything," the Doctor smirked. "But whoever this Alexandria Locke is, or Ally in my case, I'm glad that one of your little inventions stumbled across her. Do you know what that means Davros?" Davros didn't answer and just continued to stare at him with the uttermost contempt._

_ "It means you don't succeed Davros!" the Doctor gloated. "You don't destroy reality! That human girl, that fixed point, is living, breathing proof! The laws of time won't allow you to destroy her! It'd create a massive paradox! And not even a Dalek can change that."_

_ Davros stared at him, unblinking. The Doctor held his breath slightly, hoping against hope that Davros would see the fault here, how they couldn't succeed. The consequences if they tried were too extreme and the universe would possibly prevent it. The Daleks couldn't win here. It was impossible._

_ But his hopes for the Daleks and their creator to gain some sense were ruined when Davros ordered "The final prophecy is in place. The Doctor and his children, all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek, the time has come. Now, detonate the Reality bomb!"_

The Doctor wearily shook his head. Of course, his Meta-Crisis clone suddenly appeared along with Donna and managed to stop the Reality bomb. He returned everyone to their proper places and suddenly, he was left alone. He thought briefly about going to find this Alexandria Locke, but finally decided against it. After losing Donna, he needed to be alone for a while. That incarnation hadn't wanted to risk screwing up another companion and he didn't want this Alexandria Locke, part of his future, to be screwed up so soon.

But now, she was here. The Doctor sighed. It seemed to him that Alex was already messed up, without his help this time, what with her freaky mind and all. But still, he liked the mysteriousness surrounding her and he wanted to keep her around him, for more than curious purposes if he was being honest with himself.

Grimacing, the Doctor leaned back against the couch and grabbed his book. Alex needed to be guarded carefully whenever they were on dangerous adventures. There were a lot of instances when her mind could be compromised and Alex would be in that awful pain again. He decided that when Amy and Alex woke up, they would go on a less dangerous trip. Yes, that's what they would do.

A/N: Sorry for the late update! The joys of school... BUT we found out where the Doctor knows Alex from! I kind of think 10 and Alex would be a cute couple, don't you?

**WhereThere'sTeaAndBooks** - Glad you liked the chapter! I'm a huge Doctor/Rose fan, but only 10/Rose. Not sure why, but I guess I feel they go together a bit more than 9/Rose. And you won't have to wait much longer for River and Alex interactions! :)

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **WhereThere'sTeaAndBooks**, and **Guest **for reviewing and thanks to those who followed and favored this story. Also, a BUNCH of thanks to those who added me to Author Alert and their favorite authors! It means a lot that you like my writing!

Tomorrow, we start 'The Time of Angels' *cue ominous music*. Believe me when I say that River and Alex's relationship is interesting and hopefully not something anyone else on here has ever done. :) See you tomorrow!


	12. The Time of Angels Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex.

The next morning, Alex took a lightning-fast shower and dressed in a tight long-sleeved, gray t-shirt dress, black tights, and black leather boots. As she fastened a short necklace with a watch charm on it around her neck, she thought about her and the Doctor's conversation about her mind several hours ago. A lot of it made sense. Still, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little scared of these strange abilities her mind seemed to have. And Alexandria Locke wasn't scared of anything, or at least, it took an awful lot to scare her.

Alex hurried out into the corridor and bumped into Amy, who was dressed in a red hoodie, black tights, a black skirt, and sneakers. "Hey," Amy greeted. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Alex answered. And strangely, she had. That talk with the Doctor seemed to have soothed her and she hadn't dreamt anymore that night. "You?"

Amy shrugged. "Pretty well. I had a dream about my w-….you know."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "You mean your _wedding_?"

Amy's eyes widened. "Shh!" she hissed. She looked around for the Doctor. Not seeing him anywhere, she turned back to Alex. "God, don't be so loud when speaking about it!"

"What are you so ashamed of?" Alex demanded. She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Amy. Alex had learned a long time ago that Amy was somewhat fazed by the look in her eyes, particularly when she was on the receiving end of them. "You love Rory, don't you?"

"Well…"

"Amy!" Alex cried, throwing up her arms. "How can you _not _be? He's had a crush on you your whole life, he stuck by you when everyone insisted that the Doctor was imaginary, AND I know for a fact that you love him as well."

"Alex, I don't know how to explain it…" Amy shifted uncomfortably.

"You're in love with the Doctor, aren't you?" Alex guessed. Really, it was pretty obvious.

"I am not!" Amy said hotly.

"But you are attracted to him and wouldn't mind getting him into bed, right?"

"Honestly Alex!" Amy cried. "Do I think the Doctor is hot? Yes, I do. Do I like him? Yes, I do. But LOVE? My God, I don't know him that well."

"That didn't answer my question," Alex pointed out.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Alex, what if I'm making a mistake marrying Rory? I mean, I'm twenty-one! I'm still young! Honestly, do you see yourself as being married right now?"

"My personal views on that scenario don't matter right now," Alex dismissed, although she had to admit that Amy had a point. They were pretty young and Alex couldn't see herself being married at all. The very idea was hard to imagine. "What _does_ matter though, is why you refuse to tell the Doctor about your being engaged."

"Maybe I don't want to go home yet," Amy told her. "I mean, this is a fantastic thing we're doing right now. How could I give this up for marriage? And you know the first thing he'll do if I tell him is drop me off back in Leadworth."

_Unfortunately, that's another good point. He probably would do that,_ Alex thought. But still, she thought that Amy was being pretty stupid, pining after the Doctor when a guy who she really loved and who loved her back was waiting for her back at home. There was also a small burning in Alex's stomach at the possible idea of Amy being in love with the Doctor, or at least being sexually attracted to him. Was that…_jealousy? Absolutely NOT!_ Alex mentally screamed.

Her thoughts on that matter were quickly shoved aside when she noticed Amy had started talking again. "But you won't tell him Alex, will you? I mean, if anyone needs to tell him, it's me obviously. Just keep quiet, okay? Please?"

Alex sighed. _I know I'm going to regret this…sorry Rory!_ "Okay, fine," she agreed. "But you better tell him soon."

Amy nodded, relieved. "I will, I promise. Now, come on!" Grabbing Alex's arm, she pulled her in the direction of the control room.

In the control room, the Doctor was already at the console, typing in coordinates. He looked up as the girls entered the room. "Morning you two. I was thinking a nice, safe trip today. No Daleks or anything to fight!"

"Not a safe, boring trip, okay?" Amy said. She could certainly understand the Doctor's want for a safe trip after what had happened with the Daleks and Alex going trance-like yesterday, but that didn't mean she wanted it to be boring either.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "It's not going to be boring Pond," he retorted. He turned to Alex. "Ally, you'll probably enjoy this. How about a museum?"

Alex instantly perked up, even more than she already was, making Amy involuntarily groan. She loved Alex, but Alex on absolute adrenaline high was just a teensy bit annoying. That girl was already chipper and cheerful. Why add more? "Sounds fun!" she chirped, ignoring Amy. "I love museums."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Alex was dragging along behind the Doctor along with an equally bored Amy. Apparently, when the Doctor had said museum, he meant _alien _museum. And while that was all fine and dandy, Alex preferred to actually have a vague idea of what was in said alien museum rather than going in with blinders on.

The museum in question appeared to be straight out of the medieval era except for several glass cases full of strange looking objects scattered all around the room. Ahead of them, the Doctor was enthusiastically pointing out several random objects that were probably important but which just looked like junk to Amy and Alex.

"Wrong! Wrong!" he called out, pointing to an object in one of the cases. He pointed to another one. "Bit right, mostly wrong." Smiling to himself, he strode on. "I love museums."

Alex and Amy rolled their eyes. "Yeah, great," Alex said.

"Can we go to a planet now?" Amy begged. "Big spaceship? Churchill's bunker? You promised me a planet next." He actually had last night before they had gone off to bed, with Amy pointing out that they had yet to see an actual planet.

"Amy, this isn't any old asteroid," the Doctor argued. "It's the Delerium Archive, the final resting place of the Headless Monks."

"Headless Monks?!" Alex cried, trying to imagine such a creature.

"The biggest museum ever," the Doctor continued, either ignoring or just having not heard Alex's comment.

"You've got a _time machine_," Amy reminded him. "What do you need museums for?"

"Wrong!" he shouted at another display. Alex and Amy peered at the contents inside, but couldn't figure out how it was wrong. "Very wrong!" He darted over to another display in the middle of the room. "Ooh, one of mine." He pointed at an object. "Also one of mine."

Amy and Alex looked at each-other, grinning. They had figured it out. "Oh, I see," Alex remarked off-handedly, skipping over to the Doctor's side.

"It's how you keep score!" Amy teased, laughing a little. She quickly joined the Doctor and Alex, standing on one side of a case the Doctor had stopped at while Alex stayed on the other side with him.

Amy stared down into the case. Inside was a large gray box with strange markings on it that the Doctor seemed completely transfixed on. "Oh, great, an old box," she announced, bored.

"It's from one of the old starliners," the Doctor supplied. "A Home Box."

Alex stared at him. "What's a Home Box?"

"Like a black box on a plane, except it homes. Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home with all the flight data."

Amy shook her head, not seeing the point in all this. "So?"

Alex stared at the graffiti on the Home Box. It was made up of strange symbols that reminded her of algebra symbols which reminded her of the book the Doctor had been reading last night that he wouldn't let her see. "The writing, the graffiti?" she guessed, looking at the Doctor. "You recognize it, don't you?"

The Doctor nodded. He had doubted that Alex would forget about the Gallifreyan she had seen him reading last night. "Right," he confirmed, nodding at her. "It's Old High Gallifreyan. The lost language of the Time Lords."

He looked at them seriously, even more so than they had seen from him so far. "There were days, there were many days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires, and topple gods."

Alex and Amy were much more interested now. "Well?" Amy cried excitedly, somehow resisting the urge to jump up and down with excitement.

Alex's eyes twinkled with excitement and she as well repressed the urge to bounce up and down. "What does it say?" she demanded.

The Doctor kept his serious expression on, even though inside he was already cackling at what the girls would think when he told them what it said. "Hello, sweetie," he answered.

Alex and Amy's faces fell, just as he had expected. "What?" Alex blinked. "THAT'S what it says?"

Suddenly, before either one of them knew it, the Doctor had broken the glass top of the case, grabbed the Home Box, and was running back to the TARDIS. Amy and Alex hurriedly followed him as alarms sounded and two guards chased them. The two slammed the door and turned to the Doctor, who was attaching the Home Box to the TARDIS console.

"Are you insane?" Alex demanded, racing up to him. "Who in their right mind steals a bloody box from a bloody museum?!" _Oh God, I'm turning British!_ She thought wryly.

"Why are we doing this?" Amy asked, hoping that there was a good reason for this and not that the Doctor had temporarily lost his mind.

As the Doctor fixed a final wire onto the box, he replied "Because someone on a spaceship twelve thousand years ago is trying to attract my attention." He turned to the monitor above him. "Let's see if we can get the security playback working."

On the screen, a grainy black and white video appeared. The trio watched as a woman with curly blonde hair, wearing a dress and really high heels walked down a corridor. She paused, pulled down her sunglasses, and winked at them before the image shifted, showing the same woman, this time in front of an airlock door.

"_The party's over Dr. Song,_" a man's voice rang out on the video. Alex could just make out his head at the bottom of the screen. "_Yet still you're on board._"

The woman turned around. "_Sorry Alistair,_" she replied in what Alex instantly found an annoying voice. It was all smug and superior, something Alex didn't like hearing in people's voices. "_I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? Any of you? Because I'll tell you something; this ship won't reach its destination._"

_Melodramatic much?_ Alex thought.

"_Wait till she runs,_" the man identified as Alistair ordered. "_Don't make it look like an execution._"

The woman, not in the least bit fazed, simply looked down at her watch. "_Triple-seven five slash three four nine by ten,_" she started rattling off. "_Zero twelve slash acorn._" She fluffed up her hair like a beauty queen. Then, as an afterthought, she added "_Oh and I could do with an air corridor._"

Alex and Amy stared at the screen as the Doctor started racing around the console, pressing random controls. "What was that? What did she say?" Amy asked.

"I'm more concerned about _who _she is," Alex sniffed.

"Coordinates!" the Doctor cheered, answering Amy's question. He ignored Alex's question, figuring they wouldn't be around River long enough for the girl to get to know her.

On the screen, the woman started talking again. "_Like I said on the dance floor, you might want to find something to hang onto._" Blowing them a kiss, the airlock door behind her opened and she was sucked out.

The Doctor whooped a little, somewhat excited, and raced down to the door. Opening it, he held out his hand and a split second later, the woman from the video came sailing in, landing right on top of him. "Doctor?" Alex called out, a bit perturbed to see this woman lying on top of the Doctor.

"River?" the Doctor asked before helping the woman up.

The woman, who Alex had now identified as River - _What a stupid name,_ she thought - got up and stared out the door. "Follow that ship!" she ordered. She quickly shut the doors before she and the Doctor raced up to the console. A minute later, the TARDIS was chasing after the spaceship. Amy and Alex held on to the railings for dear life as the Doctor and River piloted the TARDIS.

River pulled off her heels and hung them on the monitor. "They've gone into warp drive!" she called. "We're losing them! Stay close!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor cried.

"Use the stabilizers," River advised.

The Doctor gawked at her as the ship rattled and shook, sparks flying around. "There aren't any stabilizers!" he shouted back.

As the ship shook again, Alex closed her eyes. _PLEASE let the Doctor be wrong,_ she prayed. _Stabilizers would be good right now._

River nodded to some blue switches near the Doctor. "The blue switches!"

"Oh, the blue ones don't do anything," the Doctor argued. "They're just…blue."

River rolled her eyes. "Yes, they're blue," she responded, heading over to them. "They're the blue _stabilizers_!" She pushed them down and the TARDIS suddenly became still and quiet. Breathing sighs of relief, Amy and Alex released their death grips from the railing.

The Doctor, however, wasn't nearly as relieved as they were. In fact, he simply looked annoyed, even more so as River smirked and said "See?"

He narrowed his gaze at her. "Yeah, well, it's just boring now, isn't it?" he shot back. He fiddled with the switches. "They're…boring-ers. They're blue boring-ers!"

Amy stepped up to him and whispered in his ear, while also watching River, "Doctor, how come she can fly the TARDIS?"

"You call THAT flying the TARDIS?" the Doctor mocked incredulously, giving River a contemptuous gaze. "HA!" He fell back into a jump seat.

Alex went over to stand next to him. "Well, I have to admit, you seem like you're driving with blinders on half the time." The Doctor shot her a look but focused back on River, making sure she wasn't messing up the console.

"Okay," River said as she pressed several buttons and switches in an organized and efficient manner, "I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, chartered the ship to its destination and," she pressed a final button with a triumphant look on her face, "parked us right alongside."

"Parked us?" the Doctor sneered. "We haven't landed."

"Of course we've landed," River smiled, leaning on the console. "I just landed her."

The Doctor got up and walked over to her. "But it didn't make the noise."

"What noise?" River asked, fiddling with the knobs on the monitor.

"You know, the…" The Doctor paused and then proceeded to make a poor gasping, raspy imitation of the TARDIS's materialization noise. Alex winced and she was pretty sure the ship was insulted as well, judging by the fast hum that ran underneath her fingertips.

"It's not supposed to make that noise," River revealed. "You leave the brakes on."

Amy smirked and Alex fell back into a jump seat from laughing so hard. The Doctor pointedly ignored them, instead telling River "Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise! I _love _that noise." He turned to Amy and Alex. "Come along Pond, Ally. Let's have a look."

"No, wait!" River disagreed. She swung the monitor over. "Environment checks!"

"Oh, yes, sorry," the Doctor said, looking at Alex and rolling his eyes. Alex smiled and decided to humor River. She went over to stand behind her. Amy joined them as well. The Doctor, meanwhile, opened the doors and stuck his head outside. "Nice out," he announced dryly, pulling back in.

River ignored him. "We're somewhere in the Gann Belt. There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest-,"

"We're on Alfava Metraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System," the Doctor interrupted. "Oxygen-rich atmosphere, all toxins in the soft band, eleven hour day and…" he stuck his head out the doors again, "…chances of rain later," he finished. As he spoke, River stared bewilderedly at the monitor as the exact same information the Doctor was rattling off came onto the screen.

Alex looked over and winked at him. That had certainly been impressive.

River rolled her eyes and turned to Amy. "He thinks he's so hot when he does that," she commented. _Well, he is, _Alex thought appreciatively, not even bothering to give herself a mental scolding.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked her.

River smiled. "Oh, I had lessons from the _very _best."

"Well, yeah," the Doctor said smugly.

"It's a shame you were busy that day!" River called out to him. Alex giggled slightly at his put off expression. "Right then," River continued, "why did they land here?"

"They didn't land," the Doctor corrected her.

"Sorry?" River said, grabbing her heels and heading towards the doors.

"You should've checked the Home Box!" the Doctor called after her. "It crashed." As soon as River had left the TARDIS, the Doctor shut the doors and raced back up to the console.

"Explain!" Amy demanded. "Who is that and how did she do that museum thing?"

"I'm quite curious about that myself," Alex agreed, crossing her arms. Actually, she was more curious about River and her relationship with the Doctor. Something about that woman rubbed Alex the wrong way.

"It's a long story and I don't know most of it," the Doctor answered, working the controls. "Off we go!"

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving," he replied. "She's got where she wants to go, let's go where _we_ want to go."

"Are you basically running away?" Amy asked.

"Yep," he answered, not missing a beat.

Amy narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

"Because she's the future," the Doctor answered cryptically. "My future."

"Can you run away from that?" Alex asked, hoping for an affirmative answer.

"I can run away from anything I like," the Doctor told her. "Time is not the boss of me."

Suddenly, something occurred to Amy. "Hang on, is that a planet out there?"

"Yes, of course it's a planet," the Doctor answered dismissively. But Alex quickly saw where this was headed.

"_You _promised me a planet," Amy reminded him. She clasped her hands together prayer-like. "Five minutes?"

The Doctor looked at her for a moment and then at Alex, who he noticed didn't seem very enthusiastic about the prospect. Not that he blamed her. He didn't want to be around River at all. But at the same time, he had promised Amy and he didn't want to face Amy Pond's wrath. "Okay," he sighed reluctantly. "Five minutes!"

"Yes!" Amy cheered before racing down to the doors.

"But that's all, because I'm telling you now, that woman is not dragging me into anything!" the Doctor called after her. As soon as Amy left, he went over to Alex. "You okay?" he asked gently.

Alex feigned indifference. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "It's an alien planet, my first, a lot to get excited about."

The Doctor nodded, not sure how to put his thoughts into proper words that would make sense. "Right," he said slowly, drawing the word out.

Alex sighed and quickly made for the doors. "Come on," she called over her shoulder. _Let's get this over with._

Alex was startled by the sight she saw outside. Crushed into a large building made of rock was a huge, burning ship. Smoke rose into the sky and Alex couldn't help but think of the people trapped inside. She hoped that there were survivors. No one deserved such an awful death.

"What caused it to crash?" River asked as they went over to her and Amy. "Not me."

"Nah," the Doctor dismissed. "The airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it. According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase ship. No survivors." Beside him, Alex made a small sound of sadness for the people who had died. River glanced over at her as the Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. Alex didn't miss the slight look of discontent that crossed her face and she wondered why River hadn't even acknowledged her yet.

River turned back to a device in her hands. "A phase shift would have to be sabotage," she concluded. "I did warn them."

The Doctor and Alex looked at her, quizzical. "About what?" they both demanded.

River groaned at their simultaneous question. "It's annoying the way you two always do that," she muttered. Then, shrugging, she said a bit more loudly "Well, at least the building was empty. Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries."

Amy stepped up to the Doctor, a smile on her face. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked, nodding to Alex and herself.

The Doctor sighed. "Amy Pond, Alex Locke, Professor River Song," he introduced, waving his hand to each woman in question as he said their name.

River gasped and whirled around. "I'm going to be a professor someday?" she cried, a grin on her face. "How exciting!" Turning back around, she laughed and called "Spoilers."

Alex frowned. _Spoilers? What the heck does that mean?_

"Yeah, but who is she and how did she do that? She just left you a note in a museum," Amy demanded curiously.

River smirked. "Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum; the Home Box of a category four starliner and, sooner or later," she turned around, "_him_." She smiled cockily at the Doctor before turning back to Amy. "It's how he keeps score."

"We know," Amy said, smiling and stepping up to her.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" River asked.

The Doctor laughed sarcastically and, pulling Alex along with him, went up to the two women. "I'm nobody's taxi service," he said dryly. "I'm not going to be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship!"

River shook her head. "And you are so wrong," she told him. "There's one survivor," she said as the Doctor started to walk away. "There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die." The Doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. "Now he's listening," she commented to Amy.

River stepped away from the group and Alex turned to look at the Doctor. "Doctor, why is it that this River person has paid more attention to you and Amy while I've been like gum stuck to the bottom of her high heels?" she demanded. From what it sounded like, River knew the Doctor better than he did with her, indicating that she was from his future. This possibility was a bit crazy but Alex deemed it quite likely considering recent events.

The Doctor shifted slightly. He hadn't thought about River's final words at the Library much before, but he now remembered some comments of hers indicating some animosity for one Alexandria Locke. Just as he was about to answer though, River called out "Doctor, can you sonic me?" She held up a device. "I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon!" The Doctor sighed and rather reluctantly, did as she asked.

River did a mock curtsey in thanks and as she stepped away, Amy came up. "Ooh, Doctor, you _soniced_ her," she mocked, laughing a bit.

Alex and the Doctor frowned at her. Alex couldn't understand why Amy liked River Song. _God, what a ridiculous name!_ She thought again. Alex couldn't stand her. Not only was River pointedly ignoring her - although, if she was from the future, she probably had good reason - but the way she talked to the Doctor was getting annoying. She was pretty much flirting with him and Alex couldn't stand it. _Not that I really care or anything, _she reminded herself.

River came back over to them, done with her call. In her hands was a TARDIS blue book. "We have a minute," she said, opening the book. "Shall we?" She looked at the Doctor and Alex for a second before looking back down at her book and asking "Where are we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?" She looked up and sent Alex a death-glare. "Which is where _Ally _nearly pushed me off a cliff?"

Alex frowned at her and narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure I had good reason," she retorted. "And _don't _call me Ally." The Doctor stared at them with trepidation, hoping that the two wouldn't suddenly get into a fight while also wondering why Alex would try and push River off a cliff.

River and Alex eyed each-other for a moment before Amy quickly broke the tension. "What's the book?" she asked.

"Stay away from it!" the Doctor warned.

"What is it though?" Amy persisted.

"Her diary."

"_Our _diary," River corrected him. She looked between the Doctor and Alex, a critical look on her face when she gazed at the latter. "With a bit of Alex tossed in for good measure."

The Doctor glowered. "Her past, my…future." He shifted slightly. "Time travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

Alex was about to question why she was in River's diary - because she certainly didn't want to meet this woman again - when the group was distracted by four small dust tornados twirling in the sand a short distance away that vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving four soldiers in their place. "You promised me an army, Doctor Song," one of the men said to her.

"No, I promised you the equivalent of an army. This is the Doctor and Alex." She mouthed the name _Ally_ to the man, who seemed more familiar with it. The Doctor gave a little salute and Alex smiled, thinking that she must be important in the future if River mentioned her in the same sentence as the Doctor.

"Father Octavian, sir," Octavian introduced himself as he reached out and shook the Doctor's hand, then Alex's. "Ma'am. Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Dr. Song was helping us with a covert investigation." He paused and studied them. "Has Dr. Song explained what we're dealing with?"

River looked at the Doctor critically and decided to pose her question to him, because she knew Alex was too early in her time-stream to know anything about these creatures. "Doctor," she said slowly, "what do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

The Doctor tensed and unconsciously reached out and pulled Alex closer to him. He knew the Weeping Angels alright and they weren't good. Alex looked over at him and watched him. He seemed almost…dreadful. Whatever these Weeping Angels were, he did know them from somewhere and it hadn't been a pleasant encounter.

She reached down and squeezed his hand. The Doctor relaxed almost instantly and even River was forced to make a slight smile. Even though this Alex was very early in her time stream, she had the same bad and good qualities that River had seen previously and had grown to accept.

* * *

Night had fallen rather quickly, what with the eleven hour days and all, and in that time, more clerics had arrived. All along the beach they were setting up camp and Alex couldn't help but admire their efficiency and courage. For the past while, she had been busy following the Doctor, Octavian, and River around, listening attentively to everything they said and making sure her selective eidetic memory drilled everything into her brain. Amy had followed them as well, despite the Doctor previously telling her to wait in the TARDIS, along with Alex actually. Of course, neither of the girls had any intention of following his requests.

Octavian strode along the grounds as the others followed him. "The Angel," he explained, "as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship. Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it. We can't get through up top, we'd be too close to the drives." He held up a device similar to the one River had been using. "According to this, behind the cliff face there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up."

"Oh, good," the Doctor muttered as he leaned against a table. He stared up at the cliffs and he knew that Alex was doing the same thing beside him.

Octavian stared at him. "Good, sir?"

"Catacombs, probably dark ones. Dark catacombs, great!" the Doctor cried sarcastically.

"Technically, I think it's called a Maze of the Dead," Octavian told him, completely missing the sarcasm.

"Oh, that's swell," Alex muttered.

"You can stop any time you like," the Doctor said to Octavian.

Octavian seemed to be about to retort when a cleric called "Father Octavian?" Octavian looked at the Doctor and Alex curiously. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am," he excused before going off to join the cleric. The Doctor simply waved him off, as he was now preoccupied with heading over to a table and sonicing the equipment on it.

Amy headed over to him. "You're letting people call you 'sir'," she observed. "You never do that."

"I'm surprised you aren't saying anything about letting people call me 'ma'am'," Alex said.

Amy shrugged. "That's surprising too. I figured it would make you feel old." Ignoring the stunned look on Alex's face, Amy turned back to the Doctor. "So whatever a Weeping Angel is," she said, hopping up onto the table, "it's really bad, yeah?"

"Now that's interesting," the Doctor muttered before looking up and frowning at the girls. "You two are still here. Which part of 'Wait in the TARDIS till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing?"

Amy playfully stuck her lower lip out at him. "Ooh, are you all Mr. Grumpy Face today?" she teased.

"River mentioned me in the same sentence with you," Alex reminded him, while laughing inside at Amy's comment. "Apparently, despite her _Hate Alex_ attitude, she seemed to deem it worthy enough to mention me along with you to Octavian. Not to mention that he knew me."

The Doctor did have to admit that Alex had a point but that didn't mean he was going to let her stick around next to him as he tried to figure out how to stop a Weeping Angel of all things. He looked at the girls seriously. "A Weeping Angel, Amy, Alex, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced, and one is trapped inside that wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch and assuming I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the whole ship doesn't explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet." He paused and breathed a bit before continuing. Amy and Alex seemed to be taking this all in, thankfully. "That's my day. That's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

Alex was about to ask what made a Weeping Angel so dangerous when Amy blinked and asked "Is River Song your wife?" Alex suddenly started coughing uncomfortably and the Doctor rolled his eyes and shook his head at the question.

Amy ignored their reactions though and continued. "Because she's someone from your future, well, and Alex's, and the way she talks to you, I've never seen anyone do that. She's kind of like, you know, _heel boy_." Amy bounced slightly, completely missing Alex's obvious discomfort at the question. "She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she going to be your wife one day?"

Alex had had enough of this. "I'm going to go see what they're doing," she mumbled, nodding in the direction of where a bunch of clerics were setting up what appeared to be explosives alongside the cliff face. She kept her head down as she hurried off.

Amy stared after her. Why was Alex so uncomfortable speaking about River being the Doctor's wife? Sure, there was animosity between the two for some reason but…Alex couldn't actually be interested in the Doctor in _that_ way, could she? Amy had never seen it although she couldn't excuse the fact that Alex was different around the Doctor. Instead of being her usual uptight, proud, and serious self, she was more relaxed and playful when he was around. Plus…she giggled in his presence and that was something the Alex Locke she knew never did.

Amy turned to the Doctor, wondering if he could answer any of these new questions. "Doctor, how come River doesn't like Alex? Earlier, she said that during some trip, Alex tried to push her off a cliff!"

The Doctor shrugged. He couldn't help but wonder at that himself. Quickly, he thought of the encounter in the Library and River's comments about Alex. He hadn't thought much about it, as he hadn't connected the girl mentioned in her words with the Ally mentioned by the Daleks. But now he knew that both were the very same girl, River's words certainly revealed volumes about the Doctor's possible future personal life.

_River was hooking herself up to the Library Computer, despite his tenth incarnation's begging for her to reconsider and let him loose._

_ "River, please no," the Doctor begged, straining against the damn handcuffs she had attached to him and a pole._

_ River ignored his request. "Funny thing is," she mused, "this means you've always known how I was going to die. All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here. The last time I saw you, the real you, the future you, I mean, you turned up on my doorstep, with a new haircut and suit." _

_ She then frowned slightly. "Alex was nowhere to be seen. I asked where she was, because in the future she's always around you even when I was around, and you said she was in her room on the TARDIS. She wasn't coming out." River snorted a little. "God, that little imp. She knew I was going to come here soon after. Must've been like her birthday and Christmas rolled into one for her, seeing me gone! The only reason she'd never gloat about it is because she knew you were going to take it hard."_

_ "Who are you talking about?" the Doctor demanded, trying to remember if he'd ever met an Alex before. "I don't know an Alex!"_

_ "Not yet, you don't," River clarified. "You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers. What a night that was. The Towers sang and you cried."_

_ "Autodestruct in one minute," the computer announced._

_ "You wouldn't tell me why," River continued while still working, "but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the Library. You even gave me your screwdriver. God knows Alex never would've given me that necklace of hers."_

_ "WHAT necklace?" the Doctor demanded. _

_ River ignored the question. "That should have been a clue," she concluded. She sighed and looked at him. "There's nothing you can do."_

_ "You can let me do this," the Doctor tried._

_ But River wouldn't be swayed. "If you die here, it'll mean I've never met you in the future."_

_ "Time can be rewritten," he argued._

_ "Not those times. Not one line. Don't you dare," she warned. "It's okay. It's okay," she assured him. "It's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come. You and me…Alex…time and space. You watch us run!"_

_ "River, you know my name," the Doctor whispered. Honestly, this had terrified him more than anything._

_ "Autodestruct in ten," the computer counted down._

_ "You whispered my name in your ear," he continued._

_ "Nine, eight, seven."_

_ "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time that I could."_

_ "Hush, now." River said._

_ "Four, three."_

_ River smirked at him and then said her final word "Spoilers."_

_ "Two, one."_

_ River joined two power cables together that she had been holding. There was a huge blast of light and then…she was gone._

"Doctor…Doctor…Doctor!"

The Doctor snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at an angry looking Amy. "Right, sorry," he said. "Just…thinking! Yes, you're right. I'm definitely Mr. Grumpy Face today."

"Uh-huh," Amy said, crossing her arms. "Well, seeing as you didn't answer my question, I'll ask again. Why does River hate Alex in the future? So far, it seems the feeling is also mutual."

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "Why does everyone expect me to know everything? Maybe Alex runs over River's dog or something."

"Yes, I'm sure it's as simple as an accidental animal hit-and-run," Amy said dryly.

The Doctor glowered at her. "It was just a suggestion."

"A rubbish one though," Amy remarked. She hopped off the table and stood close to him. "Doctor? There's another thing I'm curious about."

"It better not be about Elizabeth I," the Doctor muttered as he examined a piece of equipment. "I'm not getting into that."

"Not that," Amy assured him, although she was pretty curious about that particular tidbit of the Doctor's life. "I meant…you call Alex _Ally_."

The Doctor stared at her skeptically. "Yeah, so? I call you Pond and you haven't objected to it."

"But you heard what Alex told River when she called her that, didn't you? She said not to call her Ally. One time, Rory called her Ally and she nearly killed him. And a friend of mine, Mels, she calls Alex that all the time, just to make her go crazy." Amy paused and tried to figure out what to say next. "Point is, Alex doesn't like anyone calling her Ally and she's not hesitant in telling them so, but with you, I haven't heard her object once."

"Maybe she didn't hear me that well," the Doctor dismissed, trying to ignore the feeling of triumph racing through him that Alex wouldn't let anyone but him call her Ally.

"No, she would hear that nickname loud and clear," Amy assured him. "It's just…weird, the connection between you two. She acts different around you, VERY differently. For instance, the Alex I know is NOT a giggler. But around you, she does it."

"Where are you going with this?" the Doctor asked her.

"Nowhere really," she admitted. "I'm just pointing out some facts to you."

The Doctor was about to comment - although he wasn't really sure what he was going to say - when River poked her head out of a drop module, now dressed in army camouflage. "Doctor! Doctor?" Then, as an afterthought, she added "Alex?" Alex whirled around to face her and immediately started walking over to her. Amy hopped off the table and followed the Doctor as River began calling "Father Octavian!"

"Why do they call him _Father_?" Amy questioned.

"He's their Bishop, they're his Clerics," the Doctor explained. "It's the 51st century; church has moved on."

Alex, who had caught up to him just in time to hear this, raised her eyebrows. _Good lord, Marigold and Pastor Mark would have heart attacks if they knew about this!_

They stepped inside the small unit to see a huge screen displaying black and white footage of an angel statue covering its eyes. However, Alex suspected that this statue was really the evil Weeping Angel she had been hearing so much about. Scattered all around the drop ship were other types of equipment that Alex decided to stay away from, less she suddenly cause something to explode or something.

"What do you think?" River asked from the front of the ship as Father Octavian came in. She fussed with a futuristic remote for a moment, apparently trying to make the footage a bit better. "It's from the security cameras in the _Byzantium _vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on loop."

The group watched the four second footage for a moment before the Doctor sighed and confirmed "Yeah, it's an Angel. Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian guessed.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago," the Doctor told him. "But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

Amy frowned and stared at the screen. "But it's just a statue," she argued.

"It's a statue when you see it," River explained.

Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Yes, that clears everything up!_ She thought wryly. Immediately, she set her brain to work digesting the information and had already come up with a pretty good theory by the time the Doctor asked "Where did it come from?"

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan, end of last century," River answered. "It's been in private hands ever since. _Dormant_ all that time."

The Doctor frowned at her. "There's a difference between _dormant_ and _patient_."

"What's that mean, it's a statue when you see it?" Amy questioned.

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen," River clarified. "So legend has it."

"No, it's not a legend," the Doctor shook his head. "It's a quantum lock."

"In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone," Alex breathed, having now grasped the concept of what a Weeping Angel was. She shook her head and stared at the screen, gaze unwavering, as everyone else stared at her. "The ultimate defense mechanism," she finished.

"What, being a stone?" Amy asked.

"Being a stone until you turn your back," the Doctor and Alex said simultaneously. River sighed and rolled her eyes while Octavian and Amy looked impressed.

"Again, it gets annoying how often you two do that," River muttered, although everyone ignored her as the Doctor hurried out of the drop ship, Alex following close behind.

Outside, the Doctor eyed the ship critically, remembering what he had read about the crash. "The hyper drive would've split on impact," he revealed. "That whole ship's going to be flooded with drive burn radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms; deadly to almost any living being."

Octavian looked hopeful at this news. "Deadly to an Angel?"

"Dinner to an Angel," the Doctor corrected. "The longer we leave it, the stronger it will grow."

While the Doctor was examining the crashed ship, Alex was more concerned about the temple it was sitting atop of. _Maybe whoever built that temple could help us,_ she mused. "Who built that temple?" she called out. "Are they still around?" She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Doctor seemed pleased with her. He had just been about to ask those questions himself.

"The Aplans," River answered, looking down at her device. "Indigenous life form. They died out four hundred years ago."

Octavian added "Two hundred years later, the planet was terra-formed. Currently there are six billion human colonists."

"Whoo!" the Doctor breathed. He rested against a table and looked off into the distance, marveling at this news. "You lot, you're everywhere. You're like rabbits! I'll never get done saving you."

"I'm not so sure I like being compared to a rabbit," Alex huffed.

"As if you have so many other lovely things to be compared too," River snidely remarked.

There was a tense silence between them. Alex and River were glaring at each-other and if looks could kill, they'd both be six feet under in a split second. Octavian was glaring at River, as though trying to tell her to shut up, the Doctor was watching the two women with wide eyes, ready to grab Alex in an instant if either she or River made a move towards each-other, and Amy was watching the scene with tense fascination. She caught the Doctor's eye and both silently acknowledged that for whatever reason, Alex and River did not get along.

The silence was broken by Octavian, who figured it best that they get back to the matter at hand. "Sir, Ma'am," he turned back to the Doctor and Alex, "if there is a clear and present danger to the local population-,"

"Oh, there is," the Doctor interrupted him. "Bad as it gets." He glanced over at Alex, who he saw had completely abandoned her hatred of River to focus on saving the human colonists. He was glad that she wanted to put others ahead of her petty rivalries.

"Bishop," she said, her concern over the humans winning out over breaking River's nose, "lock and load."

Octavian nodded, glad at her determination, and turned to his men. "Verger, how are we doing with those explosives? Dr. Song, with me!" He figured it best that he keep River near him and not Alex and the Doctor. After what he heard about her, it was definitely in everyone's best interest if the Doctor and Alex stayed as far away from River as possible.

"Two minutes," River protested before hurrying over to an equipment table. "Sweetie, I need you!" she called to the Doctor. She didn't bother calling for Alex.

The Doctor frowned. "Sweetie?" he muttered as he grudgingly walked over to her.

"Anybody need me?" Amy called from her place in the doorway of the module. "Nobody?"

Alex sighed and decided to hang with Amy. She didn't want to be around River at the moment. She'd probably end up scratching her eyes out, causing the Doctor to send her back to the TARDIS as punishment. Shrugging, Amy walked into the module, followed by Alex. As they stepped inside, their attention turned to the screen. The Angel had changed positions. Its face had been raised from its hands and it was now looking over its shoulder.

"What the hell?" Alex muttered, cautiously creeping up to the screen. That was impossible. It _couldn't _move. It was a recording…wasn't it?

A/N: Thank God it's Friday! Well...River and Alex don't seem to like each-other that much. What happens in River's past and Alex's future to make them like that? I can't say, but all will be revealed eventually!

Notes on reviews...

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you liked the chapter, even if it wasn't what you were expecting. So much for the 'less dangerous trip' huh? :)

**rycbar15 **- Thanks for your encouragement! It really means a lot. I can reveal that an original adventure will be taking place after 'Vampires of Venice', so we don't have that long to wait.

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **rycbar15**, and **The Consulting Editor **for reviewing and thank you to those who favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	13. The Time of Angels Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Meanwhile outside, River held a book out to the Doctor. "I found this," she said, handing it to him. "Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one. Written by a madman. It's barely readable but I've marked a few passages."

The Doctor quickly rifled through the pages of the book. It was a Time Lord skill of his. "Not bad. Bit slow in the middle," he commented. "Didn't you hate his girlfriend? No. No, hang on! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" He sniffed the book and River resisted the urge to grimace.

At the same time, Amy, who had watched Alex stare at the video in shock for a few moments, poked her head out of the module. Alex copied her a second later. "Doctor Song?" Amy called. "Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

"No, just the four seconds," River answered, too distracted by the Doctor's behavior to really absorb what she had said.

Amy and Alex ducked back in just as the Doctor declared "This book is wrong. What's wrong with this book? It's wrong!"

Back in the module, the Angel was now staring at them head-on, its hands completely lowered. The girls watched the time stamp in the corner of the screen move from 00:11:28:04 to 00:11:24:23. When they looked back up again, the Angel had moved closer to the camera. Unbeknownst to them, as they stared at the screen in horror, the module door closed and locked behind them.

Outside, River was watching the Doctor curiously. She studied him critically for a moment before saying "It's so strange when you go all baby face. How early is this for you?"

"Very early," he muttered.

"So you don't know who I am yet?"

"I know you and Alex are rivals in the future. That's a start. How do you know who I am? I don't always look the same."

River examined the Weeping Angels book. "I've got pictures of all your faces. You never show up in the right order though. I need the spotter's guide." She paused and then added "Plus Alex is with you. Whenever she's around, you're around."

But the last part of River's words barely registered with him. He was caught up on something she had said before that. "Pictures," he mused. He whirled around and grabbed the book out of River's hand. "Why aren't there pictures?"

* * *

Inside the drop ship, Amy grabbed the remote she had seen River use and tried to turn the screen off, but it came back on. She tried again and again, but every time she tried to it off, it just turned itself back on.

"Just stop Amy," Alex advised. She was standing just a little ways away, watching the screen apprehensively.

Amy moved to the screen. "But you're just a recording," she said to it. She was almost nose-to-nose with the Angel and this scared her a little more than the fact that she couldn't shut the screen off. "You _can't _move."

Alex looked down to see an object by her legs. It was a large plug and after following the wires stemming from it, determined that it led to the screen. _Maybe pulling the lead out will shut it off,_ she thought. Bending down, she tried tugging it out, but it was too big for her. "Amy! Come help me!"

Amy looked over and watched for a second as Alex tried to pull the plug out. Then, realizing what she was trying to do, Amy hurried over to her, got on the other side of the plug, and started pulling. They attempted this for a few moments and Alex looked up to the screen to see if they were having any effect on the screen at all. However, she saw the Angel even closer to the camera. The time stamp was still running the same four seconds.

Amy noticed Alex's look of fear and she looked over at the screen as well. Swallowing in fear, she hesitantly called out "Doctor?"

Alex darted over to the door and pushed up against it. "It's locked!" she cried. She honestly felt like she could burst into tears.

"What?" Amy cried. She got up and tried the door as well. "It wasn't like this a few minutes ago!"

The two turned back to the screen and saw that the Angel's mouth was now open, exposing its sharp teeth. Its hands now had claws and they were raised, prepared to scratch. Alex pressed herself against the wall and Amy grabbed her hand. "Doctor!" they yelled.

* * *

The Doctor, however, didn't hear them. He was too busy concentrating on the Weeping Angels book. "This whole book, it's a warning about the Weeping Angels, so why no pictures? Why not show us what to look out for?"

River thought for a second. "There was a bit about images. What was that?"

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Hang on!" He rapidly flipped through the book before finding the passage he was looking for. "'That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel,'" he read.

* * *

Inside the ship, noticing that there had been no immediate response to their pleas for help, Amy and Alex tried again. "Doctor!" they cried, nervously eyeing the Angel.

* * *

"What does that mean?" River demanded. "An image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel?"

Amy and Alex decided to try the door again. Surely it couldn't be locked. "Dammit!" Alex cried, slamming her palm against the door in frustration. She raked a hand through her hair, trying to come up with something else.

"We'll think of something," Amy assured her. "Don't worry."

Alex nodded, telling herself to calm down. She took a deep breath and turned back to the screen. However, all thoughts of calming down quickly flew out the window as she saw that an image of a ready to strike Angel was in the room. Based on the squeak she heard behind her, Amy had noticed too.

"Doctor!" Amy and Alex yelled. "It's in the room!"

Outside, the Doctor finally heard Amy and Alex's screams. "Amy! Ally!" he yelled, racing over to the drop ship.

"Doctor!" Amy screamed from inside.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked. _Well, of course they aren't alright! _He snapped to himself. "What's happening?"

Inside, Alex pressed herself against the door in an effort to be heard well. "Doctor? Doctor, it's coming out of the television!"

"The Angel is here," Amy added.

The Doctor soniced the keypad lock. "Don't take your eyes off it!" he called to them. "Keep looking. It can't move if you're looking!" He soniced the lock again but it wouldn't budge.

"What's wrong?" River demanded, coming up beside him.

"Deadlocked," the Doctor bemoaned.

River frowned in confusion. "There is no deadlock."

The Doctor swallowed. "Don't blink, Amy, Ally. Don't even blink."

* * *

Inside, Alex and Amy stared at the Angel in the room. "Doctor," Alex called, hoping and praying that he could get the door open.

* * *

Outside, the Doctor frantically tried to sonic a small box on the side of the ship. If Amy and Alex died in there because he couldn't get the door open…he didn't know what he'd do. Trying not to think about that, he concentrated on the small box.

"What are you doing?" River asked him.

"Cutting the power," he explained hurriedly, not knowing Alex had attempted the same thing. "It's using the screen; I'm turning the screen off." He frowned at the box. "It's no good, it's deadlocked the whole system."

"There's no deadlock!" River protested again.

"There is now!" the Doctor snapped at her.

From inside the ship came Amy's voice. "Help us!" she cried, pleading.

"Can you turn it off?" the Doctor called to them.

"Doctor," Amy called.

"The screen!" the Doctor shouted to them. "Can you turn it off?"

"I tried," Amy replied.

"Try again!" he urged. "But don't take your eyes off the Angel!"

"We're not!" Alex called out.

"Each time it moves, it'll move faster!" the Doctor shouted to them. "Don't even blink!" As he told them this, River had gotten her pistol torch out and was trying to cut through the side of the ship with it.

* * *

Amy tried closing one eye at a time while Alex simply stared at the screen, unblinking. She had won her fair share of staring contests in elementary school, so this shouldn't be too hard.

"I'm not blinking!" Amy cried. "Have you ever tried not blinking?" She reached out and felt for the remote control on the table next to her. She grabbed it and tried to turn the screen off, but the same results occurred; the screen just turned itself back on.

"It just keeps switching back on!" Alex told him.

"Yeah, it's the Angel," the Doctor confirmed.

"But it's just a recording," Amy argued.

* * *

The Doctor heard Amy's argument about the Angel being just a recording and he sought to correct her. "No, anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel." He looked over at River and was surprised to see her aiming her pistol torch at the door. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cut through," River said, pointing out the obvious. "It's not even warm."

"There is _no_ way in," he argued. "It's not _physically _possible."

"Doctor, what it's going to do to us?" Alex called out from inside. She sounded scared and the Doctor didn't like hearing her sound that way.

"Just keep looking at it!" he urged, ignoring her question altogether. "Don't stop looking!"

"Just tell us!" Amy begged.

The Doctor ignored Amy as well and raced back over to the equipment table where he had left the Weeping Angel book. He rushed back over, flipping the pages quickly as Amy's voice rang out. "Tell me! Tell me!" she tried.

The Doctor finally found a passage he remembered and paled slightly. "Amy, Alex, not the eyes! Look at the Angel but don't look at the eyes!"

"Why?" the girls chorused.

"What is it?" River asked.

The Doctor read the passage aloud for them. "'The eyes are not the windows of the soul. They are the doors. Beware what may enter there.'" His face paled even further as he digested what the Angel was capable of doing to the girls.

* * *

Amy frowned, digesting the Doctor's words. She suddenly had a brilliant idea that just might work, as long as she had heard the Doctor correctly. "Doctor, what did you say?"

"Don't look at the eyes!" he replied, his voice slightly faint from traveling through the metal wall.

"No, about images," Amy clarified. "What did you say about images?"

"Whatever holds the image of an Angel, becomes itself an Angel!" River answered.

Amy nodded and grabbed the remote. She held it out in front of her, as though it were a weapon. Behind her, Alex straightened up, no longer frightened now that their ordeal of being trapped with an Angel was almost over. "Okay, hold this," Amy said smartly. She watched as the tape loop returned to the beginning.

Alex watched the seconds tick by on the screen. "One, two, three, four!"

Amy pressed the pause button as the tape returned to the beginning. The Angel projection in front of them flickered for a moment before the screen shut down, causing it to disappear. The Doctor burst through the door, the deadlock broken now that the Angel was gone, River just behind him. The Doctor dove to Alex's side, giving her a look-over.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Alex smiled at him. "Never better. Bit useless though, weren't you? We had to do everything ourselves!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but he wasn't really offended. Alex was still her sarcastic, cheerful self. Even an encounter with a Weeping Angel hadn't changed that. Reaching out, he pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead lightly. Alex pressed her nose to his tweed jacket and inhaled his scent. She loved it a lot. The possibility of never being able to smell it again was something she did not want to consider.

The Doctor probably would've held her there for a lot longer had he not remembered that an Angel had nearly attacked her and Amy through a video screen and he needed to find out what to do to stop it. Pulling back, he went over to the screen and started messing with some controls. Alex followed him. Despite all that had happened, she was still very determined to help him defeat this thing however she could. In fact, that near-death experience had actually _increased_ her determination.

"I froze it," Amy breathed, awed at what she had done. "There was a sort of blip on the tape and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an Angel anymore. That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good."

"That was amazing!" River cheered.

"River, hug Amy," the Doctor instructed, preoccupied with the controls. Alex peered over his shoulder, watching him work.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Because I'm busy and Alex is far too interested in my work to do much of anything." Alex frowned and lightly whacked him upside the head, her eyes not moving away from the controls. He glanced over at her, frowning playfully, before refocusing on the task at hand.

"I'm fine," Amy protested, although she was still a little high on the adrenaline rush she had gotten when she stopped the Angel.

"You're _brilliant_," River told her, gripping her shoulders.

"Thanks," Amy said, regaining a sense of pride. "Yeah, I kind of creamed it, didn't I?"

"Hey, I helped too!" Alex objected.

"And you," Amy consented.

"So it was here?" River asked, looking at the Doctor. "That was the Angel?"

"That was a projection of the Angel," the Doctor explained. "It's reaching out, getting a good look at us." His face turned grave and he pulled Alex closer to him. "It's no longer dormant."

From outside, there came a loud explosion, followed by a cleric saying "Last one positive." A second later, Octavian poked his head in. "Doctor? Alex? We're through."

The Doctor took a deep breath before saying "Okay, now it starts." He pulled Alex along with him out the door, not letting her out of his sight. River started to follow them but then noticed that Amy wasn't moving. "Coming?" she asked.

"Yeah, coming," Amy confirmed, rubbing at her eye. "There's just something in my eye."

Outside, Alex watched as the Doctor stepped away for a moment to check something. Suddenly, a ferocious pounding started in her head. "Ah!" she cried, stumbling a bit. She closed her eyes and rubbed at her head. "Must be a headache or something," she mused.

River approached her from behind. "You alright?" she asked, her tone revealing concern that Alex didn't think she was capable of. "Feeling a bit under the weather Ally?"

Alex turned and shot her a look. "I'm fine," she said testily. She figured that River was somewhat concerned about her, but she had a feeling that River wouldn't mind all that much if she suddenly collapsed right here. "And don't call me Ally."

River smiled slightly at her. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You'll only let one person in the whole entire universe call you that, won't you? You only let _him _call you Ally. The Doctor and his Ally, saving the universe."

"And what does that make you to him?" Alex questioned, deciding not to bother objecting that she and the Doctor weren't a couple. "I mean, clearly you must love him. You wouldn't spend that much time fawning all over him and calling him 'sweetie' if you didn't."

River crossed her arms. "Hardly matters," she replied, her voice cool and a bit resentful. "And it's not for lack of trying, I can assure you."

"Who are you River?" Alex demanded. "I mean, clearly you and I are arch enemies and I can already see why. But who are you to the Doctor?"

River seemed about to respond when the Doctor, who had noticed them talking and wanted to avoid a double homicide, called out "Alex! Hurry up! You're going to love this!"

Alex kept her gaze on River for one more moment before abruptly turning on her heel. "What is it Doctor?" she asked as she walked away. "This better be something enjoyable!"

* * *

Alex shimmied down the rope ladder, feeling the tingle of heat in her back as the Doctor helped her down. His hands were on her hips, staying as far away from her butt as possible. Apparently, her comment on Starship U.K. had resonated with him. What she didn't know was that the Doctor had been trying very hard not to look at that particular asset of hers as she had been climbing down and nearly failing.

As soon as her feet were on the ground, Alex looked at her surroundings. She was in a cave, the air dank and cool. The cave seemed to be divided into levels as she could spot statues rising up towards the crashed ship.

The Doctor looked at Octavian, who had just climbed down along with his clerics. "Do we have a gravity globe?" the Doctor asked.

Octavian turned to one of the clerics. "Grav globe," he ordered. The cleric took a sphere out of his pack and handed it to him.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, having just now climbed down. She peered out into the darkness. "What is this?"

"It's an Aplan Moratorium," River explained. "Sometimes called a Maze of the Dead."

Amy looked at her, startled by the name. "What's that?"

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone…" The Doctor trailed off, turning to Octavian and grabbing the gravity globe from him. He kicked it up into the air where it lit up, a blue glow cast all around the cavern. "….the perfect hiding place," he finished.

The group looked around at all the statues. Alex grimaced. _How are we supposed to find one Weeping Angel in the middle of all these statues?_ It was then that she noticed the statues were chipped and old-looking, bits of them having fallen off. _Oh, that makes it easier then,_ Alex thought, encouraged. The Angel from the ship was full formed and looked healthy whereas these statues looked they had been thrown off a cliff and hit by a train.

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Octavian remarked, intimidated by the amount of statues in front of them.

"A bit, yeah," the Doctor agreed.

"A stone Angel on the loose amongst stone statues," Octavian said. "A lot harder than I'd prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack," River commented. Alex felt her frustration level rise. Honestly! It wouldn't be _that_ hard to find a full-form Weeping Angel amongst a bunch of ruined statues.

"A needle that looks like hay," the Doctor added to River's expression. "A hay-like needle of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues." He grimaced at what he just said. "No," he said, turning to River, "yours was fine."

"Right," Octavian sighed. "Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question; how do we fight it?"

The Doctor had a determined look on his face. "We find it, and hope." He walked off deeper into the cave. Alex started to follow him when she noticed that Octavian had pulled River aside and was having what appeared to be a serious conversation with her. Alex strained to hear them but all she caught was "…too early…time stream…well make sure they don't work it out…won't let you down…back to prison."

Alex frowned and moved off after the Doctor. _What does Octavian not want us finding out? _She mused as she went after the Doctor. _Because it's clearly about me and the Doctor, I'm sure of it! Okay, that sounds a bit conceited. Focus Alexandria! Okay, whatever it is, we can't know about it because it's too early in our time steam. But evidently, it has something to do with River being in prison. _Alex groaned. _Oh great! I'm looking for a deadly Weeping Angel in a cave with a convict!_

Her groan had attracted the attention of the Doctor, who headed over to her. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Alex dismissed, deciding not to let him know what she had heard Octavian and River discussing. The Doctor already didn't trust River; God knew what he would do when he learned she was a convict seeking a pardon! Or whatever she was here for.

Behind her, she heard River ask "You all right?" Alex whirled around to see Amy standing behind her, looking a little confused, River beside her. Seeing that her friend was alright, she turned to examine a crumbling statue but continued to listen to them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy assured her. Her flashlight settled on Alex for a moment as she waved it around the cavern. "So, what's a Maze of the Dead?"

Alex heard River moving stuff around in her pack. "Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds," River said calmly. "It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls." Alex turned on her heel to stare at River with an abashed expression. Amy also seemed shocked, as she had stiffened and her eyes had widened considerably.

"Oh, that's all?" Alex asked sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better!"

"Okay, that was fairly bad," River conceded. "Right, give me your arm." She reached out and gently pulled Amy's arm over. From her pack, she took out what looked like a large gun with a needle sticking out the end. Alex's eyes widened as she watched River aim it towards Amy's arm.

"This won't hurt a bit," River promised. She injected the needle into Amy's arm and Alex winced as Amy let out a cry of pain.

River smirked slightly. "There, you see? I lied. It's a viro-stabilizer. Stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You two are going to need it when we get up to that ship." She pulled the needle out of Amy's arm and headed towards Alex. "Right then Ally, your turn."

Alex gritted her teeth as the needle dug into her arm and she hardly missed River's slight look of triumph as she kept the needle in her arm. _Must be a little victory for her, causing me pain,_ Alex thought. _Still, at least it protects me. I suppose I have to give her __**some **__leeway._

"So, what's he like?" Amy asked as River began to put the device back in her pack. She looked over at the Doctor, who was attempting to scan something with a scanner. "In the future, I mean. Because you know him in the future, don't you?"

River shifted slightly. "The Doctor?" She hurriedly shoved the viro-stabilizer back into her pack, an obvious attempt to avoid the question. "Well, the Doctor's the Doctor!"

_Yes, that's very helpful,_ Alex thought, rolling her eyes.

Amy seemed to feel the same way. "Oh. Well, that's very helpful," she remarked, her voice full of sarcasm. "Mind if I write that down?"

River smiled and glanced over at the Doctor, who was still attempting to scan the wall. "Yes we are," she said loudly.

"Sorry, what?" he asked.

Alex snickered a little as River said "Talking about you."

"I wasn't listening," the Doctor argued. "I'm busy." But Alex knew he had been listening intently to them. He was just as curious about River Song as she was.

"Ah," River said, not believing him. Then, noticing the device in his hand, she instructed "The other way up!" The Doctor reluctantly turned the portable computer around, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Yeah," he commented slowly, seeing his mistake.

"You're so his wife," Amy murmured.

Alex coughed again. _Oh God Amy, shut up!_ She thought. River, noticing her discomfort, smiled slightly and said in a coy voice "Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy. This is the Doctor we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything that simple?"

Amy smiled. "Yep."

River sighed and flashed her flashlight around the cavern. "You're good," she observed. "You aren't _exactly _right, but you are very good."

Alex couldn't stand listening to River's jabber anymore and went over to the Doctor's side. "Find anything Doc?"

"Not so far," the Doctor admitted. "And don't call me Doc."

"You call me Ally," Alex reminded him. "Why can't I call you Doc?"

"Difference is…" The Doctor trailed off, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation why Alex couldn't call him that. He shrugged and went back to examining a statue. "Oh, and I've meaning to ask; why am I the only one you don't object to calling you Ally?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's okay coming from you." Alex refused to believe that her strong attraction to the Doctor was the reason that she let him call her by a nickname she had grown up hating.

The Doctor didn't say anything but inside he was quite thrilled. It just didn't seem right when somebody else called Alex Ally. Whenever someone else did it, it was as though they were mocking her and teasing her. With him, he thought it was cute and suited her. _But that's it,_ the Doctor told himself. _I cannot - will not - get involved with her!_

"So who is River exactly?" Alex questioned.

The Doctor tensed and jolted up. "Uh, I'm not really sure," he admitted.

"Well, she's clearly from your future, judging by her diary and the fact that she likes you to think you and her are involved romantically at some point." Alex's voice dripped with venom and she crossed her arms, glaring at a statue.

The Doctor sighed. "Hopefully, we aren't."

Alex stared at him. "You really hope so?" she asked, trying to keep the hopefulness and eagerness out of her voice.

"I do," he confirmed. He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear "To be honest, I just can't trust her. There's something about her…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Alex agreed, thinking back on the conversation she had overheard between River and Octavian. _You have no idea how much you cannot trust her Doc._

"Still, she knows you in the future. And you two sound like the best of friends."

Alex giggled a little. "Yeah, before you know it, we'll be doing each-others hair and gossiping about boys." She rolled her eyes. "I try to push her off a cliff in the future!"

"Yes, I heard." The Doctor snickered in spite of himself, just imagining River terrified at the prospect of being pushed off a cliff by Alex. The sight was almost too ridiculous to imagine, let alone one day experience.

"How many times do you think we'll see her?" Alex asked him.

"I don't know. Probably a lot though. She did say you were in her diary quite a bit." The Doctor smiled. "That means I'll get to keep you around for a while."

"Good, because I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon," Alex replied. She refused to say that she would stay with him forever. After hearing Rose's tale, she didn't want to tempt fate and end up in a parallel universe with a human clone of this Doctor. Or something like that.

"So, found the Weeping Angel yet?" Alex asked.

"Not yet," the Doctor answered. He crouched down to examine another statue. "Actually, I keep feeling like there's something weird with these statues. Something not normal, something that shouldn't be here." He whirled around and looked at her critically. "Ally, your mind sees past things that try to trick it. Tell me; do you see anything wrong with these statues?"

Alex hadn't noticed anything wrong with the statues. As far as she could see, they were just a bunch of old and crumbling statues. They actually reminded her of the status you saw in Ancient Greek temples. But before she could say any of this to the Doctor, there came the sounds of gunfire. BANG! BANG! BANG! The Doctor, his eyes wide, grabbed Alex's hand and they raced back to the group of clerics, Amy and River just two steps behind them. Once they had reached the main group, they saw that one cleric had shot up a statue that was most certainly not the statue they were looking for.

"Sorry, sorry," the young cleric said nervously. "I thought…I thought it looked at me."

Octavian glowered at him. "We know what the Angel looks like," he reminded the cleric. He nodded at the banged up statue. "Is that the Angel?"

"No, sir," the cleric answered.

"No, sir, it is not," Octavian affirmed. "According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil, so it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of decor!"

Alex frowned at Octavian. The cleric couldn't help it if he was scared and nervous. What they were dealing with practically required it. Wanting to shut Octavian up, she walked over and said softly "What's your name?"

"Bob, ma'am."

"Ah, that's a great name," the Doctor chimed in. "I love Bob."

"It's a Sacred Name," Octavian explained. "We all have Sacred Names. They're given to us in the service of the Church."

"Sacred Bob," the Doctor commented, trying it out. He looked at the cleric with sympathy. "More like Sacred Bob now, eh?"

"Yes, sir," Bob admitted.

"Ah, good. Sacred keeps you fast." The Doctor reached out and pulled Alex closer to him. "Anyone in this room who isn't scared is a moron." He looked around at the clerics before ordering "Carry on!"

Octavian turned back to Bob. "We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes. You stay with Christian and Angelo. Guard the approach."

Alex smiled slightly. "Just have faith," she whispered to Bob. Bob nodded and walked off, his face set in determination.

Alex and the Doctor led the way into the maze. There were even more statues here, cluttering the space along the cave walls. The Doctor's arm was around Alex's waist, keeping her close to him with a tight, but gentle, grip. Alex had an arm wrapped around his back, her hand resting on his right shoulder. Out of the two of them, nobody could tell who was more scared and for whom.

Octavian watched them. "I've heard the stories," he said quietly to River. "I never quite understood the connection that was described until now."

River made a non-committal sound. "Yeah, they've always been like that," she admitted quietly. Her voice was tinged with regret and sadness and jealousy, but Octavian decided not to comment on it.

Amy gazed up nervously. "Isn't there a chance this lot's just going to collapse?" she asked. "There's a whole ship up there!"

"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River commented, doing her best to reassure the young girl.

"Had dinner with their Chief Architect once," the Doctor added. "Two heads are better than one."

"What, you mean you helped him?" Alex guessed.

"No, I mean he had two heads," the Doctor corrected. But as he was speaking, part of his mind was thinking something over. "That book, the very end, what did it say?" he called to River. His sudden change in topic puzzled Alex and Amy but River didn't seem to find anything off about it. She pulled the book out and flipped to the page the Doctor had requested.

"Hang on," she said, flipping.

"Read it to me," the Doctor ordered.

"'What if we had ideas that could think for themselves?'" River read. "'What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels.'"

Alex allowed the words to sink in as they continued on, the Doctor's arm still wrapped around her and vice-versa. The words sounded maniac and didn't make much sense but she knew enough to know that whatever they meant, it wasn't good.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Alex complained. They had been walking for about twenty minutes and it seemed like they would never reach the damn ship. _How big is this cave anyway? This hiking is even more torturous than ninth grade gym!_

"It's a hell of a climb," Amy added in agreement with Alex.

"The Maze is on six levels, representing the ascent of the soul," River explained, rolling her eyes a little at the girls. "Only two levels to go."

"Glad I'm not an Aplan," Alex muttered.

"Lovely species, the Aplans," the Doctor commented. He had removed his arm from her waist a little while back after being completely assured that she wasn't disappearing anytime soon but he still kept her close to his side. Alex hadn't moved a step away from him and for that he was grateful. "We should visit them some time."

"I thought they were all dead," Amy frowned, confused.

Alex sighed. "Amy, what do we travel in? Oh yeah, a _time machine_!" Amy nodded, having gotten that straight in her head again.

"So is Virginia Woolf," the Doctor argued to Amy's comment. "I'm on her bowling team. Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."

"Okay, you're talking about the Aplans right?" Alex joked.

River looked around the cave nervously. "Doctor, there's something. I don't know what it is."

The Doctor looked worried too and Alex felt something click in her brain. _Wait, did he say the Aplans had TWO heads?_ She looked around at the statues. They only had _one _head.

"Yeah, there's something wrong," the Doctor agreed. "Don't know what it is yet, either. Working on it."

"Doctor," Alex said, trying to get his attention.

But he had just begun to ramble, something he did when he needed to distract others so he could think. "Of course, then they started having laws against self-marrying. I mean, what was that about? But that's the Church for you." He paused and cringed slightly as he realized what he just said. He turned to Octavian, who looked mildly put out. "Er…no offence, Bishop."

"Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor," Octavian said coolly. He looked up at the trail ahead. "Lowest point in the wreckage is only about fifty feet up from here. That way."

As the group continued to walk on, Amy thought about the Doctor's comment about self-marriage. "The Church had a point, if you think about it," she told him. "The divorces must've been messy!"

Alex would've laughed at Amy's joke but she needed to get the Doctor's attention. "Doctor!" she cried, placing a hand on his arm.

The Doctor immediately sensed the nervousness in Alex's voice. He could also hear worry and concern and he simply wanted to make all of it go away. He wanted - no, _needed_ - to hear that cheerfulness and optimism and not all those negative emotions. "Alexandria?" he looked down at her. "What is it?"

Alex gulped slightly. "The Aplans have two heads, right?"

The Doctor wondered where she was going with this, but decided to let her keep going. Interrupting would only stall them. "Yes," he said slowly.

Alex looked around apprehensively at the statues and then realized that River was listening in as well. "And remember how you asked me if there was anything off about the statues, like you had sensed?"

Dread filled the Doctor and he placed a grip on Alex's shoulder. "Yes," he confirmed, his voice now giving away the fear and dread that was settling inside him.

"Well, if the Aplans built this temple and if they had two heads…then why don't the statues?"

The Doctor's eyes widened and he pulled Alex close to him, away from a statue just behind her. "Oh," he realized, his hearts beating faster than he ever thought possible.

Amy watched them. The Doctor seemed suddenly possessive of Alex and was keeping her tightly pressed to him, like he was trying to shove her inside of him. That could only mean something bad was happening. "What's wrong?" she asked them.

River quickly caught on and stared at a statue with absolute horror written all over her face. "Oh." Her face paled significantly and she steadied her flashlight to keep from dropping it.

"Exactly," the Doctor said grimly, now pressing Alex face-first into his chest. He could feel her tense underneath his fingertips and he vowed to get her and Amy out of here alive.

"How could we have not noticed that?" River questioned.

"Low level perception filter, or maybe we're thick." The Doctor wanted to smack himself. How could he have been so stupid?_ I should have seen past it! Alex noticed!_

"It's a low level perception filter," Alex answered, oblivious to the Doctor's mental blaming. She wished she could've told them sooner, but it wasn't like she knew there was a perception filter on the statues since she saw past them straight away.

River sighed. "I'm not surprised you could see past it," she commented sadly. To Alex, it almost sounded as though she were sorry for her. _Why is she sorry for me? _

Octavian, however, was oblivious to their lamentations and guilt. He stared at them nervously. "What's wrong, sir, ma'am?"

"Nobody move," the Doctor ordered, his arms tightening around Alex. "Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we're all in terrible danger."

"What danger?" Octavian demanded, not liking the Doctor's tone and the fact that he, River, and Alex had been feeling incredibly guilty about not seeing something that they should have.

"The Aplans," River said, hoping that would get through to him.

But Octavian still didn't get it. "The Aplans?"

"They've got two heads."

"Yes, I get that. So?" _God, why doesn't he get it?!_ Alex thought wearily. She kept herself as close as possible to the Doctor. She knew that he could protect them. He just had to. He was the Doctor, for crying out loud!

"So why don't the statues?" Alex said. She saw the Bishop's eyes widen as he finally realized what was going on.

"Everyone, over there. Just move. Don't ask questions, don't speak." The Doctor led the group over to an alcove where there were no statues. He gently removed Alex from her grip on his clothing and placed her directly behind him. He wanted her to be safe and protected, just in case…

The Doctor gulped, thinking about his plan. It was incredibly stupid and would probably earn him a slap or a lecture from Alex later but he had to be sure. If what Alex had said was true, and if what he now saw was true, then they were in grave danger. "Okay," he began, "I want you all to switch off your torches."

"Sir?" a cleric protested. Alex was pretty sure his name was Marco.

"Just do it," the Doctor shot back. Alex watched, frightened, as one by one, each cleric switched their flashlight off until the only beam left was from the Doctor's own light. _Well, that's new,_ she thought. _I haven't been frightened since that one night when I was five._ And it was true. Though Carla had sometimes lost her temper when drunk or stoned, Alex had never been scared. She always knew it would pass and whenever it did happen, she would just close herself off somewhere with a book and wait for everything to end. But she couldn't do that now. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The only option was to face the monsters.

"Okay, I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment." Alex felt a hand grip hers and she knew without looking that it was the Doctor's, trying to reassure her.

"Are you sure about this?" River's voice sounded timid and fearful, something Alex hadn't thought her capable of up until that point.

The Doctor stared straight-on at the statues in front of them. "No." With that reassuring answer, the light clicked off but a split second later, it was back, revealing the horrifying truth to the realization they had all had. The statues had moved, now closer to them than they had been.

"Oh my God," Amy cried, "they've moved!"

The Doctor tore back down the passage they had come from, and despite her fear, Alex followed him. She needed to know more about these creatures. Knowledge was supposed to protect a person, wasn't it? If that was the case, then knowledge about these creatures would certainly help her.

The statues were definitely Angels all right. Alex spotted several that had moved. One was even on its knees, an arm outstretched, as though it was asking for help. Alex almost would've pitied it had she not realized what it truly was.

"They're Angels!" the Doctor shouted to the rest of the group. "All of them!"

"But they can't be!" River protested.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Use your eyes River! They've moved!" Honestly, she was getting so sick of this woman…

"Clerics, keep watching them!" The Doctor reached over and grabbed her hand. "And you, go back with the rest. It's not safe!"

"Absolutely not!" Alex argued, yanking her hand out of his grasp and crossing her arms. "I'm not leaving you alone with them!" She gave him her best glare, one that had made teachers shudder and made sleazes apologize when they grabbed her ass in the crowded school hallway.

The Doctor knew it was coming, but it was still effective. _It's like looking in a mirror,_ he thought absently. Groaning, he admitted defeat by calling out to the rest of the group "Every statue in this Maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."

A/N: Another chapter down! Glad to see you all are liking and also curious about the relationship between River and Alex. Like I said, their relationship with each-other is interesting. River seems sorry for Alex at points, doesn't she? Wonder why that is... :)

Thank you to **rycbar15**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, and **HopieCC **for reviewing and thanks to those who followed/favored this story. Please review everyone! I love hearing how you like the story and what you think could be improved in it. See you tomorrow!


	14. The Time of Angels Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I'd like to though.

"But there was only one Angel on the ship. Just the one, I swear!"

Alex resisted the urge to snap at River that she should've double-checked. First of all, the woman was panicked and as much as Alex didn't like her, she needed to cut her a little slack. And second of all, she was starting to get a good idea of why these Angels were here. It was a small idea, but she had a feeling she was on the right track to getting the right answer.

"Could they have been there already?" Amy suggested, unknowingly echoing Alex's thoughts.

The Doctor considered her question. Like Alex, he was thinking too and he was pretty sure he had a good idea on what had taken place. "The Aplans," he said. "What happened? How did they die out?"

"No one knows," River answered.

Alex swallowed as all the dots connected. "We know," she said grimly.

Octavian eyed the statues critically. "They don't look like Angels," he observed. _He's got a point,_ Alex thought. _They're all beaten down and rough-looking. There must be another reason the ship crashed here. The Angel on board the Byzantium crashed the ship here on purpose. But why?_

"And they're not fast," Amy pointed out. She looked at the Doctor pointedly. "You said they were fast. They should have had us by now."

"Look at them. They're dying, losing their form." The Doctor flashed his light over one, taking it all in. "They must have been down here for centuries, starving."

"Losing their image?" Amy repeated.

"And their image is their power," Alex mused.

Beside her, the Doctor was thinking this over too. Suddenly, the two looked at each-other. "Power," Alex repeated. The Doctor nodded and the two simultaneously cried "Power!"

Amy stared at the two of them as though they were crazy while River simply rolled her eyes, used to this behavior. "Doctor? Alex?"

"Don't you see?" Alex cried. Amy shook her head and Alex turned to the Doctor. "Explain Doctor!" she urged.

The Doctor was only too happy to comply. "All that radiation spilling out the drive burn! The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident."

"It was a rescue mission," Alex jumped in, "for the Angels."

"We're in the middle of an army," the Doctor finished, "and it's waking up."

River, without moving her eyes or flashlight from the Angels, announced "We need to get out of here fast."

Octavian turned to his little walkie-talkie. "Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in please! Any of you, come in!" he ordered, his voice expressing worry and fear, although Alex knew he was the type of person who would try not to let it show.

"_It's Bob, sir_," Bob came in. His voice echoed in the still cavern. "_Sorry, sir_."

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" Octavian demanded. "All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active."

"_I know, sir,_" Bob replied. "_Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir_." Alex frowned. Bob sounded _way _too calm for someone who had just discovered that his friends and colleagues were dead. He almost sounded detached and unemotional, as if this was something that happened all the time. _Something's happened,_ she deduced.

The Doctor quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie, ignoring the look of outrage on the Bishop's face. Alex wondered if he sensed something was wrong as well. "Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor."

"I'm talking to-," Octavian started but the Doctor held a hand up.

"Where are you now?" the Doctor demanded, ignoring Octavian for the time being.

"I'm talking to my-," Octavian started again but the Doctor finally acknowledged him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up!" he snapped. He really had no time for pleasantries today, not in this circumstance.

"_I'm on my way up to you, sir,_" Bob answered, his voice still calm, like he was reading off stock market quotes. "_I'm homing in on your signal_."

The Doctor smiled. "Ah, well done Bob," he complimented. "Scared keeps you fast. Told you, didn't I? Your friends, Bob. What did the Angel do to them?"

"_Snapped their necks, sir_."

The Doctor frowned. _Well that's not good at all!_ He thought. He glanced over and sensed that Alex was thinking the same thing, judging by the worried and inquisitive look on her face. "That's odd. That's not how the Angels kill you. They displace you in time. Unless they needed the bodies for something."

_Oh shit,_ Alex thought. Her brain had been working everything out and she now had a good idea on what had happened to Bob.

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs?" Octavian asked, hopeful. "We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the Bishop's naivety. "Oh, don't be an idiot," he retorted. "The Angels don't leave you alive."

Alex went over and grabbed the communicator from the Doctor. "Bob, keep running," she advised. She needed to know what the heck had happened to Bob. There was something wrong with him and she needed to know whether her guess was right or not. "But tell me, how did _you_ escape?"

The Doctor watched her, impressed with her determination. But that impressment took a back burner when Bob corrected "_I didn't escape, ma'am. The Angels killed me, too_."

Alex sucked in a breath and the Doctor took the communicator back from her. "What do you mean, the Angel killed you?"

"_Snapped my neck sir_," Bob calmly replied. "_Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something_."

Alex reached over and pressed the talk button. "If you're dead, how can we be talking to you?" she asked.

"_You're not talking to me, ma'am. The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion_."

"So when you say you're on your way up to us…" The Doctor trailed off, already knowing the answer.

"_It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes,_" Bob confirmed. "_No way out_."

"Then we go through the wreckage!" Octavian declared. He turned to the clerics. "Go! Go, go, go! All of you, run!"

Everyone raced past, but Amy and Alex lingered, watching as the Doctor didn't move from his spot. "Doctor?" Amy urged. She hoped he would follow them; without him, they were pretty much screwed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he dismissed her with a flick of his hand. "I'm coming. Just go, the both of you! Go, go, go!"

Alex pushed Amy on and turned back to the Doctor. She watched as Octavian stepped towards them. The Doctor sighed. "Yeah, called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could've saved your men." Alex gave him a sympathetic look but based on Octavian's glower, it appeared that the bishop still wasn't very pleased.

"I know that sir, ma'am," he replied. "And when you've both flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families." He gave them a final sour look and then walked off.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Alex turned to the Doctor. "What religion does the bishop represent?" she asked casually.

The Doctor stared at her. "Uh, I'm not sure." He looked inquisitively at her. "Why?"

Alex gave him a wry smile, showing that she was mad instead of happy. "Because I think I'm starting to understand that whole religious persecution thing," she retorted.

The Doctor shook his head and eyed the Weeping Angels. "I didn't think you had a religion," he remarked, his gaze never wavering. The idea of Alex worshiping anything was a little hard to believe. She just didn't seem to go that way.

"I was christened in a Catholic church," Alex explained. She copied his movements of watching the reforming Angels. "I never go but I still identify with it." She pressed herself against the Doctor's back, feeling comfort from his presence. Unknown to her, the Doctor was also relishing in the fact that she was nearby, even though it was insanely dangerous for her. "So what's our next move?"

"_Your _move is to go with Amy and River," he told her. _There's no way I'll let her get killed by one of these monsters, _he thought to himself.

"Never knew you were a comedian Doctor," Alex smartly retorted. Like hell she was leaving him!

He groaned. "Alex," he started.

"Don't lecture me!" Alex snapped. She turned to him, knowing that the Weeping Angels were still too weak to do anything drastic to her. "We are currently in a bloody tomb with Weeping Angels that, according to you, can either strangle me or put me back in time." She smiled slightly. "Trust me. The safest place for me in this situation is right beside you."

He smiled despite himself. It was so much safer for her if she was far away from him, yet somehow, he just wanted to keep her attached to his hip all the time. If they had had more time, he would've tried to ponder this a little more, but alas, they didn't. He brought the communicator to his lips and asked "Angel Bob, which Angel am I talking to? The one from the…ship?"

"_Yes sir_," Bob affirmed. "_And the other Angels are still restoring_,"

The Doctor nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "Ah, so the Angel is _not _in the wreckage. Thank you!" He put the communicator in his jacket pocket and grabbed Alex's hand, pulling her along. As they ran, they passed Amy, who was leaning up against a wall.

"Don't wait for us!" the Doctor told her as he and Alex raced past. "Go, run!"

"I can't," Amy objected. She cast a look down at her hand which was currently clutching a rail like it was a life-line as the Doctor and Alex skidded to a stop and turned around. The Doctor reached out and tried to grab her hand but Amy flinched. "No, really, I can't!" she cried, her voice slightly fearful.

"Why not?" the Doctor questioned.

"Look at it!" Amy urged. "Look at my hand! It's stone!" The Doctor looked down. It was a perfectly normal hand.

Beside him, Alex tried to look as well, but as she did, a giant burst of pain blasted in her head and she fell back against the wall. "Goddamn it," she groaned, slinking down to the floor. She shut her eyes and buried her head in her knees. This pain was worse than it had been during the Star Whale encounter. It felt like something was attacking her mind and her mind was pretty much going all nuclear war on it.

Amy's eyes widened as she watched Alex slink to the floor. Noticing her alarmed expression, the Doctor turned around and saw Alex's predicament. "Ally!" he cried, kneeling down next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, raise your head," he soothed. Alex bit her bottom lip as she lifted her head up. She felt the metallic taste of blood hit her tongue but as long as she wasn't concentrating on this brain-pain, she didn't care about a bit lip.

The Doctor worriedly watched her pained expression. He grabbed his torch and shined the light into her eyes. Surprisingly, Alex didn't object to this, just confirming that she was ill. He stood up and did the same to Amy. He tutted worryingly. "You two looked into the eyes of the Angel, didn't you?"

"I couldn't stop myself. I tried," Amy defended.

"Ditto," Alex said, still too weak to say much of anything.

"Amy, listen," the Doctor begged. "It's messing with your head. Your hand _isn't_ made of stone."

"It is!" Amy insisted. Honestly! Why couldn't he see it? From Amy's point of view, it certainly looked as though her hand were made of stone. "Look at it!"

"It's in your _mind_," the Doctor argued gently. He glanced over at Alex, who seemed to have recovered somewhat, before turning back to Amy. "I promise you. You _can _move that hand. You can let go."

"I can't okay?" Amy snapped. Why didn't he get it? "I've tried and I can't. It's _stone_."

All of a sudden, their flashlights began flickering. Alex scooted up to where she was leaning against the cavern wall, ready to run if necessary. She looked at the Doctor, eyes wide, as he said "The Angel is gonna come and it's gonna turn these lights off and then there's _nothing_ I can do to stop it. So do it. Concentrate! Move your hand!"

"I can't!"

"Then we're all gonna die," Alex muttered, but it was loud enough for Amy to hear and give her a look.

"You and the Doctor are _not _going to die!" Amy protested.

The Doctor glanced behind Amy for a second before turning back to her. "They'll kill the lights," he told them. Their flashlights flickered again and Alex stiffened as she saw two Angels come up behind Amy.

"You've both gotta go," Amy urged. "You know you have! You've got all that stuff with River and that's all gotta happen! You know you can't die here!"

"Time can be rewritten," the Doctor told her. "It doesn't work like that." _I'll die but I won't let Alex or Amy die,_ he thought. He would be upset if Amy died but even more so if Alex died. If he had had the time, he probably would've thought about why this was so but since they were being pursued by Weeping Angels, he pushed it aside.

The lights flickered again and Alex yelped in spite of herself as she saw the Angels had crawled closer, reaching for them. Hearing her friend react, Amy turned around and gasped. The Doctor also nervously watched them as well. None of the trio allowed their eyes to stray away from the stone monsters inching towards them.

"Keep your eyes on it," he instructed. "Don't blink."

"Run!" Amy insisted. In spite of her predicament, she wasn't about to let her two best friends die trying to save her.

"You see, I'm not going. I'm not leaving you here Amy," the Doctor defied. Knowing Amy was keeping an eye on the Angels, he turned back to Alex. "Alex, run! Go to River. The Angel has clearly done something to you and it'll be safer with her and the clerics."

Alex gave him a dark look. "Doctor, I'm fine now! It was just a passing thing. Besides, I'm not leaving Amy and you are certainly not going to stop me!"

"I don't need you two to die for me!" Amy interrupted, before the two could start fighting like they had on Starship U.K. "Do I look that clingy?" Then, sensing Alex was about to say something snarky, added "Shut up Alex."

Alex rolled her eyes and tried to tell the sarcastic section of her brain to shut it so she could think. "You can move your hand," she insisted gently. Maybe Amy would listen to her.

Amy had an incredulous look on her face, even though she knew Alex couldn't see it. "It's STONE!" she screeched.

"It's NOT stone!" the Doctor and Alex snapped together.

The lights flickered again and Amy sought for a way to get those two stubborn idiots to safety. Never mind her; Alex was suffering from the Angel on the screen and the Doctor needed to tend to her. "You've gotta go," she urged them as the lights flickered once again. "Those people up there will die without you. If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them!"

The Doctor sighed. "Amy Pond, you are magnificent," he told her, tapping his forehead to her head. "And I'm so sorry."

Alex's eyes widened and she gaped at the Doctor. Was he truly serious?! _No, no, not happening,_ Alex decided. _Over my dead body will he abandon Amy here! I'll make it IMPOSSIBLE for him to leave here without her!_

Amy was slightly calmer than Alex. She breathed deeply and nodded. "It's okay," she replied. "I understand. You've got to leave me."

"Oh no," the Doctor shot back. Behind him, Alex's eyes relaxed slightly and her thoughts about wringing his neck went away. "I'm not leaving you, never. I'm sorry about _this_." Alex watched, shocked, as the Doctor quickly leaned down and bit Amy's hand. Amy screamed and yanked it away. As she gave him a disgusted look, Alex laughed maniacally.

He grinned at her, completely oblivious to her sneering. "Ah! See! Not stone!" he crowed triumphantly before pulling her behind him. "Now run!"

Amy just stared at him incredulously. "You bit me!" she cried.

"Yeah, and you're alive!" he reminded her.

"I've got a mark!" Amy continued, holding out her hand for Alex to look at. "Look at my hand!"

"Yes, you're alive!" the Doctor growled while also resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he stared at the Weeping Angels in front of him. "Did I mention?!"

But the fact that he had bitten her refused to leave Amy's mind. It was pretty much the epicenter of her thoughts right now. "Blimey! Your _teeth_! Have you got space teeth?" she accused.

"Amy, alive!" Alex cut in, now completely recovered from her laughing fit. "All we're saying."

* * *

"Yeah, it's the Angels," the Doctor announced as he, Amy, and Alex came into the chamber under where the wreckage of the Byzantium was. The clerics, Octavian, and River were all waiting for them. "They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves."

Octavian grimaced. "Which means we won't be able to see them," he guessed. As if on cue, the lights flickered again along with the Gravity Globe.

"Which means we can't stay here," the Doctor concluded.

"Two more incoming," Octavian reported.

River looked at the Doctor expectantly. "Any suggestions?"

"The statues are advancing on all sides," Octavian grimly announced. Everyone stared up at the wreckage. _Maybe we can climb up to the wreckage,_ Alex thought. That bubble was quickly burst though when Octavian explained that they didn't have the climbing equipment to reach the _Byzantium_.

River groaned. "There's no way up, no way back, no way out."

Alex simply stared at her. Unlike River, Alex hadn't given up yet. She wasn't going to go down without trying. "Well aren't we Miss Optimistic?" she sneered.

River sighed and ignored her. "No pressure," she said, turning to the Doctor, "but this is usually when you have a really good idea."

"There's always a way out," he murmured, staring off into the distance. Suddenly, he brightened up and exclaimed "There's always a way out!"

"_Doctor? Alex_?" Bob's voice rang out from the communicator. "_Can I speak to the Doctor and Alex, please_?" _Well, he's polite, I'll give him that, _Alex thought wryly. She stepped closer to the Doctor and felt peaceful as he looped an arm around her shoulders.

The Doctor pulled the com out of his jacket pocket and spoke into it. "Hello Angels. What's your problem?"

"_Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly_." Then, as an afterthought he added "_Sorry, sir, ma'am_."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. Before he could reply though, Alex beat him to it. "Why are you telling us this?" she demanded.

"_There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end_."

"Which is?" the Doctor asked.

"_I died in fear_."

The Doctor and Alex tensed up and looked at each-other, both of them deadly silent. Above them, the lights flickered ominously, almost telling them that they were doomed.

"I'm sorry?" they both said. This time, River didn't even react. She was too busy watching them worriedly to pay too much attention to their simultaneous speaking.

"_You two told me my fear and faith would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down. I wouldn't have died if Alex had realized there was a filter on the Angels._" Alex flinched, feeling guilty, something that didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor.

Behind them, Amy leaned in to whisper in River's ear. "What are they doing?" she asked, not removing her eyes from the Doctor and Alex.

River didn't move her gaze either. "They're trying to make him angry and Alex guilty, which is never a good idea."

Amy frowned, thinking about Alex's temper. "Because of Alex?" she guessed.

River shook her head and smiled slightly. "No. Because the Doctor will make them regret trying to hurt his Ally."

"_I'm sorry, sir, ma'am_," Bob continued, blissfully unaware of the hole he was digging himself into. "_The Angels were very keen for you to know that_."

The Doctor gave out a slight snarl, making Alex flinch. He tugged her closer to him so that she was pressed into his side and hissed into the communicator "Well, then, the Angels have made their second mistake, because I'm not gonna let those things pass. I'm sorry you're dead Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, _they _will be sorrier."

"_But you're trapped sir, ma'am, and about to die_," Bob replied, confused.

"Yeah, we're trapped," Alex conceded, speaking for the first time since Bob had tried to guilt her. Amy was surprised by the snarky and cold tone in her voice. It reminded her of the Doctor when he got really mad. "And you know what? Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it!"

"A great, big whopping mistake!" the Doctor jumped in, his voice matching Alex's to a tee.

"_What mistake sir, ma'am_?"

The Doctor and Alex didn't bother to answer him. Instead, the Doctor turned to look at the others behind them. "Trust me?" he asked Amy.

A small smile appeared on Amy's face. "Yeah," she replied.

He looked to River. "Trust me?"

River nodded. "Always," she assured him. Alex felt a burn of jealousy inside her heart but brushed it aside in favor of more important matters.

He turned to Octavian and the clerics. "You lot, trust me?"

"We have faith sir, ma'am," Octavian confirmed.

The Doctor nodded and turned back to look at Alex, right into her now light brown eyes. "Ally," he began, their eyes locking. He was about to continue but Alex interrupted him.

"Do you _really_ need to ask?" Alex smirked, her eyes sparkling and changing to dark green, matching the Doctor's own. "Yes, always, absolutely."

The Doctor grinned at her and gave her a fleeting kiss on the forehead. _God, I wish he would kiss me properly!_ Alex inwardly smacked herself. _Oh shut up Alexandria Nicole!_

The Doctor, having gotten the trust from the person whose opinion he valued the most - which he had finally admitted to himself about - turned to Octavian and his men. His lips were stinging with electricity from touching Alex's skin but he reluctantly pushed aside the delirious feeling. "Give me your gun," he ordered Octavian. He could practically feel Alex's shock radiating through him.

He examined the gun as he turned back around, ignoring Amy and River's incredulous looks. "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous," he announced. "When I do…" He jumped before ordering them "Jump!"

"Jump where?" Octavian asked, bewildered.

"Just _jump_," the Doctor insisted. "High as you can. Leap of faith Bishop. On my signal."

"What signal?" Octavian wondered.

"You won't miss it," the Doctor assured him as he lifted the gun and aimed it at the Gravity Globe. Alex watched him, transfixed by the glare in his eyes and how his jaw was clenched. He was furious. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, reminding him that she was there. His tense muscles relaxed slightly and when he turned to her, Alex saw the glare in his eyes was gone, replaced by admiration and assurance. He was instantly calmed by her and though she couldn't explain why, Alex was glad that she had such a big impact on him as he did with her.

But the glare went back up again when Bob called out "_Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake we've made?_"

The Doctor turned back to the communicator but he was relaxed slightly by Alex's presence. "Oh, big, _big _mistake," he replied, his voice back in that low tone. He was still aiming at the Gravity Globe. "Really huge. Didn't anyone ever tell you, there's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, _ever _put in a trap."

"_And what would that would be, sir_?"

The Doctor fixated his gaze on the Gravity Globe, never wavering as he answered "Me." He fired the gun, a shot rang out, and the Gravity Globe burst into blue liquid, thrusting the cavern into total darkness.

A/N: There's 'The Time of Angels'! Tomorrow we start 'Flesh and Stone'. Who else can't wait to see what happens when Amy kisses the Doctor? And Alex has a Weeping Angel in her! What will happen? }:)

Notes on reviews...

**Gwilwillith** - Glad you're liking it so far! Believe me, there are a ton of moments between the Doctor and Alex in this story that I'm really looking forward to revealing. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you liked what I did with Alex. Believe it or not, in the first draft of this, Alex actually noticed the perception filter but didn't get a chance to say anything until that one point in the episode. As I was going back over it though, I realized it didn't work and changed it. Good thing, huh? :)

**Bronzelove** - I'm glad you want more River & Alex and want to know why River is sorry for her. River and Alex's relationship is...interesting. It's a very frenemy-based relationship that did occur because of a few things which I can't reveal just yet. We'll have to wait and see what those thing are! :)

Thank you to **Gwilwillith**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, and **Bronzelove **for reviewing and to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	15. Flesh and Stone Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. If I did, Doctor/Clara would be canon.

As soon as the Gravity Glove burst, Alex jumped as hard as she could. There was a quick moment of weightlessness before she felt herself being flipped in the air and landing, hard, on her back on something metal. She groaned in pain and suddenly felt someone slam down next to her.

The person swore under their breath. "Goddamn it," the Doctor groaned, his back aching. Alex felt a flash of heat race through her veins when she identified him. For some reason, hearing him curse was kinda hot.

Not that she cared or anything.

"Ally?" he called out as further bangs sounded out around them.

"Right here," Alex said. She reached out and ran a hand across his chest. She was pleasantly surprised to feel him shudder underneath her fingertips.

The Doctor involuntarily shuddered as she ran her hand across him. It felt _really _good, more than it should have. Before he could get really excited about it though, he reached out and touched her fingertips, making her stop. "Good," he answered, his voice slightly husky. He cleared his throat and resumed. "I wasn't sure what would happen to you."

Alex laughed lightly. "I seriously doubt you would do anything that would endanger me or anyone else here."

She couldn't see it but the Doctor's face hardened. "Don't make assumptions Alex," he told her.

Alex wondered what he meant but pushed it aside. "You feeling okay?" she asked, remembering his bang right next to her.

The Doctor groaned and grimaced. "Right as rain," he sarcastically remarked. "Remind me to get a chiropractor when we're done here."

Alex giggled slightly but before she could continue, River's voice rang out. "Would you lovebirds cease and desist for a moment please? There are still Angels out there!"

Alex resisted the urge to groan because she knew River was right. Flirting with the Doctor wouldn't help stop a Weeping Angel. She sat up and grimaced as her back muscles screamed in protest. The Doctor, who had managed to get up already, pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steer her wherever he went.

"Up," the Doctor urged everyone as they struggled to their feet. "Look up!"

"You okay?" River called to Amy.

"What happened?" Amy asked as River helped her up.

"We jumped," River answered, staring at her as though this was obvious, which it was.

Amy looked down at the metal ground she was standing on and then at the lights surrounding them in a circle, allowing for very dim light. "Jumped where?"

"Up, up!" the Doctor ordered. "Look up!"

"Where are we?" Amy tried again.

"Exactly where we were," River explained as she looked upwards in fascination.

"No we're not!" Amy argued. _Well, she is right._ Alex reluctantly moved out of the Doctor's grasp and over to the side of her friend, who was clearly starting to panic.

The Doctor came up to them, waving the sonic screwdriver around. "Move your feet," he ordered Amy. Amy obliged, moving off of the metal circle and looked out in the dim light. She looked up and Alex saw her eyes widen.

"Doctor, what am I looking at?" Amy asked shrilly. "Explain!"

"Oh, come on Amy, think!" the Doctor grinned, standing up and on the other side of Amy. "The ship crashed with the power still on, yeah? So what else would still be on?"

"The artificial gravity," Alex realized. She stared up at the Angels. "One good jump and up we fell!"

The Doctor bent back down to work on the metal circle but added "Shot out the Grav Glove to give us an updraft and here we are!"

"Doctor!" Octavian called as he stared up at the Angels. Alex followed his gaze. Above them - or beneath them, depending on your viewpoint - the Angels had their arms raised upwards and they looked much stronger than they had been previously. "The statues, they look more like Angels now."

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage," Alex figured out. "Draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves."

"Within an hour, they'll be an army," the Doctor finished, not even looking up from his work on the metal circle.

Suddenly, the lights on the ship began blowing out. At the same time, the Doctor managed to get the metal circle open, revealing that it was actually a hatch. "They're taking out the lights," Alex reported, moving to the Doctor's side as she spoke.

"Look at them," the Doctor instructed her and the group. He pointed up to the Angels with his sonic. "Look at the Angels!" Everyone followed this order as the Doctor sat on the edge of the hole.

"Into the ship now, quickly!" he commanded. "All of you!" With this final thought ringing in everyone's ears, he jumped down the hole.

"But how?" Amy asked, turning just in time to see him jump in. "Doctor!" she cried, alarmed.

Alex and Amy knelt down next to the hatch and peered in. They were shocked to see the Doctor calmly standing inside the ship…sideways. The girls gaped as the Doctor called up to them "It's just a corridor. The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you. Don't take your eyes off the Angels! Move, move, move!"

Amy stood back to allow Alex to go first. Hesitating slightly, Alex took a deep breath and dove down. Unfortunately, she didn't judge the gravity properly. Alex resigned herself to landing painfully again but was pleasantly surprised when she landed in the Doctor's arms instead. He was holding her bridal style and Alex subconsciously shifted closer to him.

He smirked down at her. "Really, I JUST told you about the gravity and you nearly land on your head!"

"What can I say? I'm a klutz," Alex joked.

River and Amy hopped in behind them. "Never a truer word spoken," River commented. Alex glared slightly at River but was pleased that River seemed to at least tolerate her. She wondered how and why they didn't like each-other that much but since River was her future, Alex was sure she'd find out eventually.

Meanwhile, Amy watched as the Doctor continued to hold Alex in his arms, even though he didn't have a valid reason for doing so anymore. Alex didn't seem to mind; in fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Amy noticed how Alex's eyes sparkled whenever she looked into the Doctor's eyes and vice-versa. She also noted that Alex seemed to fit in the Doctor's arms perfectly, like he had been built for her specifically. It was so weird and so cute at the same time. Amy had never seen anything like it.

As she was taking all this in, River was giving the Doctor and Alex a pointed look. "Hate to ruin the moment, but there are Weeping Angels outside Doctor," she reminded him.

The Doctor blushed slightly. He had been so caught up in holding Alex that any and all thoughts of present danger had completely left his mind. "Yes, right!" he said loudly. Reluctantly, he placed Alex back down on the ground just as Father Octavian called out "Okay, men. Go, go, go!" The clerics jumped in, followed by Octavian.

The Doctor hurried over to a control panel, Alex following him. He pulled out the sonic and quickly scanned it over the panel before looking at the results. "The Angels," Octavian called to them. "Presumably they can jump too?" Behind him, the door shut, allowing Alex to breathe a little easier, knowing that it'd be a bit harder now for the Angels to get in.

"They're here," the Doctor announced. "Now. In the dark, we're finished."

As he spoke, Alex took in her surroundings. They were currently in a corridor, just like the Doctor had said, with a silver floor and glowing blue and silver walls. The corridor was rounded and ahead of them was a large spherical door…which was beginning to close.

Alex's eyes widened. "Doctor! The door!" she shouted. The Doctor followed her gaze and ran towards it. Around them, an alarm sounded and just as he reached the door, it closed, keeping them locked in the corridor.

"This whole place is a death trap!" Octavian shouted, frustrated, when he reached the door along with River, Amy, and Alex.

"No, it's a time bomb," the Doctor corrected. He turned to a control panel next to the door and scanned it with the sonic. "Well, it's a death trap _and _a time bomb. And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic."

_Easy for you to say!_ Alex thought but she quickly reprimanded herself. For all she knew, the Doctor was just as apprehensive and nervous as she was.

A slamming from the door behind them caught everyone's attention. Alex tensed up and moved closer to the Doctor's side. He reached down and gripped her hand tightly and she could feel the beads of nervous sweat forming in his palm.

"Oh, just me then," he joked. Still holding Alex's hand, he turned back to the closed door. "What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck," River replied. As she said this, the pounding on the other door increased and the lights above them flickered, threatening to go out at any second.

"Okay, so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah?" Amy guessed, still caught up on how they had actually entered the _Byzantium_. She suddenly looked worried and watched for a second as River opened another panel along the wall. "So what if the gravity fails?" she nervously asked the Doctor.

"I've thought about that," he replied calmly.

Alex looked at him hopefully. "And?"

"And we'll all plunge to our deaths," he blurted, glancing between the girls. He smiled at them, but he knew it wouldn't do any good on them. "See? I've thought about it!"

"Wonderful," Alex muttered as he turned back to the door.

But the Doctor was too busy to hear her cynical comment. He studied the panel critically. "The security protocols are still live," he revealed. "There's no way to override them. It's impossible."

River raised an eyebrow, not even looking away from her panel. "How impossible?" she inquired.

"Two minutes," the Doctor promised, not missing a beat.

The lights flickered again and a distinct hum was heard, indicating that the ship was powering down. "The hull is breached," Octavian said, staring at the now open outer hatch. "And the power's failing."

The room went dark and Alex hastily reached out for Amy. She managed to find her and yanked her close. The lights switched back on for a moment, revealing an Angel's arm outside the hatch. "Sir, incoming!" Marco warned.

"Doctor?" Amy called out. "Lights!"

Alex heard the sonic whirl up, trying to make the lights come back on. However, it was failing, leaving them with more darkness than light. Alex's eyes widened as she saw an Angel leaning through the open hatch. A second later, the lights came on halfway, revealing that the group was trapped in the corridor with four Weeping Angels, the hatch behind them now closed.

"Clerics, keep watching them!" Octavian ordered. Alex felt slight despair sink into her body. There were only four clerics left. Four clerics against an army of Weeping Angels…even Alex was forced to admit that those weren't good odds. But the Doctor, who was definitely worth more than a bunch of clerics, would think of something. He just _had _to!

"And don't look in their eyes," the Doctor added. He was currently keeping the lights on so that the Angels couldn't move. "Anywhere else, not the eyes. I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now."

"Good work Doctor," Octavian praised.

"Yes. Good, good, good," he spoke quickly. "Good in many ways. Good you like it so far." Alex frowned. She knew that when the Doctor started rambling like this, there was a catch to the currently good news.

"So far?" she questioned. Glancing over, she noticed Amy had fear in her eyes. She hugged Amy slightly, letting her know she was there.

The Doctor was now at the panel he had been working on previously. "Well, there's only one way to open this door," he explained, yanking out a bunch of wires and messing with them. "I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good. Fine," Octavian approved. "Do it."

The Doctor paced over to them. He grabbed Alex's wrist, pulling her away from Amy so that she could accompany him. "Including the lights," he revealed. All eyes - other than the clerics - shot to him, completely shocked. "All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights."

"How long for?" Octavian hesitantly asked.

"Fraction of a second, maybe longer. Maybe quite a bit longer."

_Let's hope that doesn't happen,_ Alex thought.

"Maybe?" Octavian echoed, his voice filled with exasperation and frustration.

"I'm guessing," the Doctor admitted. He walked back to the door, dragging Alex along with him. "We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship - there isn't a manual for this!"

"Like you would even follow it if there was one," Alex cheekily remarked. _Well, at least my wit hasn't left me!_

The Doctor shot her a quick look before turning back to the panel and examining it with his sonic. Amy marched up behind them. "Doctor, we lost the torches," she reminded him. "We'll be in total darkness!"

"No other way," he said grimly. He turned to look at Octavian for approval of this insane plan. "Bishop?"

Octavian turned to River. "Doctor Song," he called. River whirled around from the panel she had been working on for the past few minutes to face him. "I've lost good clerics today," he said. He nodded to the Doctor. "You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him," she replied with no hesitation, looking Octavian straight in the eye.

Octavian looked at her skeptically. "He's not some kind of madman then?"

This time, River faltered for a second and Alex couldn't blame her; it was technically the truth. But a split second later, she answered, even more firmly than she had been last time, "I absolutely trust him." There was a pause and then she added, to the surprise of everyone, "Alex as well."

The Doctor excused himself from them, heading back to the door. He was still dragging Alex along with him. Not that she really minded. Once they had stopped and the Doctor was working on the panel again, Alex glanced over her shoulder to see Octavian and River having another private conversation. She strained to hear them, but she was too far away. However, based on the look on River's face, she concluded that River was not happy about something Octavian had said.

_What does he have on her?_ Alex wondered. _She's in prison - that much I know - but what for?_

Sighing, Alex turned back to the Doctor. It was highly doubtful she was going to gain answers from River so she would have to wait awhile longer. River was her future after all; the truth would be revealed eventually. She was suddenly drawn to look back at River and Octavian again as the latter declared "Okay Doctor, Alex. We've got your backs."

"Bless you Bishop!" the Doctor thanked, now working on the wheel attached to the door.

Alex watched as Octavian stepped behind his men and prepared them. "Combat distance, ten feet," he ordered. "As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shot gun protocol. We don't have bullets to waste."

"Alex, Amy," the Doctor said, attracting their attention. "When the lights go down, the wheel should release. Amy, spin it clockwise, four turns."

"Ten," the girls replied. The Doctor frowned at them.

"No, four," he corrected. "Four turns."

Amy and Alex looked at him strangely. "Yeah, four. We heard you," Amy said, frowning at him before taking position by the wheel. The Doctor turned back to the panel of wires but could distinctly sense Alex right behind him.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"Make sure everyone gets out of here before me," he instructed. Alex opened her mouth to argue, but the Doctor, sensing this, beat her to it. "No arguing Alexandria. Just do it."

Frowning slightly at the use of her full first name, Alex sighed and nodded before going to stand beside Amy. She eyed the Weeping Angels and swallowed thickly. While she wasn't scared of the Weeping Angels themselves, she did fear what they could do to others if they ever fully regained their strength.

"Ready!" the Doctor called out. He stuck the sonic screwdriver into the panel. A hum resonated throughout the room along with another much louder hum that signaled that the power was running. Even though she knew it was coming, the lights suddenly switching off still startled Alex a little. The clerics began firing, the bullets ricocheting off the statues. Every few seconds, a muzzle flash would light the Angels up, exposing them and revealing that they were moving closer and closer to the group.

"Turn!" the Doctor shouted to Amy. His voice sounded much more far away in the dark.

Amy obeyed and when the door began to open, shouted "Doctor, its opening! It's working!" The door soon opened and Alex could faintly make out River rushing through, followed by Amy.

"Fall back!" the Doctor ordered the clerics.

The clerics, walking backwards, passed through the narrow gap along with Octavian. Alex suddenly felt herself being pushed through, landing on the floor with a thump. She growled, ready to snap at the person who did that - a small part of her believed it to be River, though she knew it was impossible - before she was suddenly picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder. She smirked slightly, still a little mad, when she recognized that familiar shoulder. She had been slung over it before.

"Doctor," she said faux sweetly as he began to run down the corridor to another cordoned door. "What was that shove for?"

"I knew you wouldn't leave before me," the Doctor revealed. She could practically feel the self-satisfied grin on his face. "Figured I'd take matters into my own hands."

_Damn right, you did!_ Alex thought, feeling the Doctor's arm wrapped around her waist. It was too bad she had chosen to wear a t-shirt dress today. Actual contact with her skin would've been incredible. _Oh, shut up Alex._

Once they had reached the end of the corridor, the Doctor placed Alex back on the ground, neither of them knowing that the other's ears were ringing from the close contact in an adrenaline-packed experience. The Doctor swiftly opened the door with the sonic and once again, Alex made sure everyone went through the door.

She dashed through the door, not desiring to be shoved to the floor again, and looked at the Doctor, who was still standing there holding the sonic to the panel. "Doctor!" she called.

"Doctor, quickly!" River shouted.

"Doctor!" Amy cried, echoing Alex.

The Doctor removed the sonic from the panel and ducked inside at the last second, the door closing behind him. He tugged Alex to his side and led her to the controls in the center of the room. As he began to examine them, Alex studied her new surroundings. They were in the secondary flight deck, which contained light blue walls and simple flooring. In the center of the room was a circle of controls with a few chairs scattered around.

Alex started to lean over the Doctor's shoulder to see what he was doing when she heard a huge thunking. The Doctor's shoulders tensed up and he reached behind him to grab her wrist, ready to run with her if worst came to worst. The two turned to see the wheel on the door turning, the Angels trying to get inside.

"Doctor!" Amy cried, trying to get his attention, which wasn't really necessary.

The group watched as Octavian removed something from his belt and attached it to the door. "What are you doing?" Amy demanded.

"Magnetized the door," he answered. He smiled confidently. "Nothing could turn that door now."

The Doctor turned back to the controls, but glanced at Octavian with an all-knowing smirk on his face. "Yeah?" he asked, expressing doubt.

Right on cue, the wheel began turning again and Octavian's face fell. "Dear, God!" he breathed, his face etched in shock.

The Doctor laughed sarcastically. "_Now _you're getting it!" he grinned, turning to another section of the controls. "You've bought us some time though, that's good. I am good with time."

"Doctor," Amy warned as a wheel on another door on the right of the main one began to turn.

"Seal that door!" Octavian ordered. "Seal it now!" Marco hastily magnetized the door and pointed his gun at it.

"We're surrounded," River observed, who was now helping the Doctor with the controls. The wheel to the door on the left of the main one began to turn.

"Seal it!" Octavian snapped. "Seal that door!" Once the door was magnetized, he asked "Doctor, how long have we got?"

The Doctor shrugged, not moving his eyes away from his work. "Five minutes, max," he guessed.

"Nine," Amy and Alex said. The Doctor stopped working and raised his head to frown at them.

"Five," he corrected, eyeing them for a moment before turning back to the panel.

"Five, right, yeah," Alex said. She stared at him. What was he talking about?

"Why'd you two say 'nine'?" he asked her.

"We didn't!" Amy argued. Honestly, why was the Doctor choosing now of all times to put words in their mouths?

"We need another way out of here," River pointed out, changing the subject.

"There isn't one," Octavian argued.

"Yeah, there is," the Doctor corrected. He released Alex's wrist and began to pace outside the controls. "Course there is. This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So what do they need?"

Alex thought about this. _Well, other than food or water, oxygen. But where would they get a never-ending supply of oxygen on a spaceship?_ She briefly wondered if there was an air-shell like on the TARDIS when she heard River gasp "Of course."

"Of course what?" Alex questioned, feeling that burn of jealousy rise in her stomach again.

"What do they need?" Amy demanded.

"Can we get in there?" Octavian wondered. Alex frowned. What the hell was this thing everyone knew about but her? It drove her crazy when she didn't know something.

"Well," the Doctor drug out, "it's a sealed unit but they must have installed it somehow." He shoved himself against the wall directly across from the doors and began feeling around it. "This whole wall should slide up." He looked down and cheered. "There's clamps! Release the clamps!"

Amy and Alex watched him, astonished, as the Doctor began shoving the boxes that were blocking the clamps out of the way. As soon as they were all clear, he knelt down and used the sonic on the clamps.

"What's through there?" Amy asked, watching him. "What do they need?"

"They need to breathe," River spoke up, confirming Alex's theory. The Doctor finished with the clamps and stood back as the door rose. When it stopped, Amy and Alex's eyes were wide, both of them in astonishment at what lay ahead.

"But that's…" Amy's voice trailed off as she continued to stare at the sight before her. Alex was currently incapable of saying anything, a first for her. "That's a…"

"It's an oxygen factory," River explained.

"It's a forest," Amy blurted.

"Yeah, it's a forest," River agreed, nodding. "It's an oxygen factory."

Amy was right. It was a freaking _forest. _Out through the door, Alex could see hundreds of trees in a setting that reminded her of nightfall in Kentucky. It even smelled like a forest, all earth tumbled and woodsy.

"And if we're lucky, an escape route," the Doctor added. He glanced over and snorted at the girls shell-shocked reactions.

That amusement quickly faded though when Amy and Alex suddenly said "Eight." While the Doctor simply stared at them, River asked "What did you say?"

The girls stared at her, confused. "Nothing," Alex replied, Amy nodding in agreement.

"Is there another exit?" the Doctor asked the clerics. "Scan the architecture! We don't have time to get lost in there."

Octavian rushed into the forest. "On it!" he called over his shoulder. "Stay where you are until I've checked the Rad levels."

"But trees?" Amy asked, heading over to the Doctor, Alex right behind her.

"On a spaceship?" Alex finished.

"Oh, more than trees," the Doctor grinned. He grabbed Alex's hand and tugged her over to one of the trees. "_Way _better than trees. You two are going to love this. This is brilliant! Tree-borgs!" With his free hand, he reached out and pulled part of the bark away from the tree. Inside were a few wires giving out a white glow. Alex felt her herself grinning as she gazed at it in wonder.

"Trees…plus technology," she breathed. She whirled around to face the Doctor. "That IS brilliant!" she cried. "How's it work?"

"Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull," the Doctor explained. He looked around in excitement, reminding Alex of a kid in a candy store. "A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air! It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate! This vault is an eco-pod running right through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze." He turned to look at Alex and Amy, self-satisfaction as plain as day on his face. "Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond, Alex Locke?"

Alex nodded excitedly and Amy giggled before they both said "Seven."

"Seven?" the Doctor echoed. He headed towards Amy, pulling Alex alongside him. Once in front of Amy, the Doctor moved Alex so that she was standing right next to her.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked, frowning, still oblivious to her and Alex's strange counting.

"You two said seven," the Doctor reminded them.

Amy's frown only increased. "No, we didn't," she argued.

"Yes, you did!" River protested. She looked at the girls curiously. Why couldn't they remember counting?

"Doctor!" Octavian called, diverting the Doctor's attention away from Amy and Alex. "There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the primary flight deck."

The Doctor turned back to Amy and stared into her eyes as he answered "Good. That's where we need to go."

Octavian tapped his device. "Plotting a safe path now," he assured them.

"Quick as you like!" the Doctor reminded him.

Alex frowned at him. "Don't be rude," she scolded.

The Doctor probably would've retorted had someone not chosen that moment to communicate with him. "_Doctor_?" Bob called out from the communicator. "_Excuse me. Hello, Doctor? A-Angel Bob here, Sir_."

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the communicator. He sat down in the control chair while Amy leaned against the panel next to him and Alex stood by the chair. "Ah," the Doctor hummed into the communicator. "There you are Angel Bob. How's life?" He snorted sarcastically, showing that he was being truly cut-throat and rude right now. "Sorry…bad subject."

"_The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve,_" Bob replied.

"Achieve?" the Doctor repeated. "We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here; consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How're things with you?"

"_The Angels are feasting, Sir,_" Bob reported. "_Soon we'll be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world and all the stars and worlds beyond_."

The Doctor didn't look very bothered by this. "Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?"

"_We have no need of comfy chairs_."

The Doctor smirked at Amy and Alex. "I made him say 'comfy chairs'."

Amy laughed while Alex simply rolled her eyes. Suddenly, they both blurted out "Six."

The Doctor shot to his feet and took a few steps forward. In the space of a second, he suddenly managed to look very threatening. "Okay, Bob, enough chitchat," he snapped into the communicator. "Here's what I want to know. What have you done to Amy and Alex?" Amy and Alex's eyes widened and they stared at the Doctor. _What is he talking about? _Alex wondered desperately.

"_There's something in their eyes,_" Bob said cryptically.

"What's in their eyes?" the Doctor demanded.

"_We are_."

"What's he talking about?" Amy asked as the Doctor hurried over to them. "Doctor, I'm five!"

Alex stared at her, startled. "She means five," she corrected but her eyes widened when she realized what she had said. She bit her lip nervously and looked into the Doctor's worried irises. "Fine!"

"We're fine," Amy insisted, but her voice was weak now that she had heard what she and Alex had been doing the past couple minutes.

"You're counting," River told them. The girls' eyes traveled towards her.

"Counting?" Alex repeated. She clutched onto Amy's arm and Amy huddled closer to her, both of them terrified.

"You're counting down from ten," the Doctor told them, trying to keep his voice low and soft so as not to scare them even more than they already were. "You have been for a couple minutes."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"I don't know," he admitted, peering closely into her eyes. He turned and did the same to Alex, making her flinch slightly and cast her now dull green eyes to the ground.

"Well, counting down to what?" Amy asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor confessed again. _And it's driving me insane!_ He thought.

"_We shall take them_," Bob announced. "_We desire Alex but we shall also take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space_."

The Doctor's face hardened at the mention of Alex being the object of the Angels desire and he clutched the communicator so hard, Amy thought it would break. He fell back into the chair and tugged Alex away from Amy, right onto his lap. Alex curled into his chest, gripping his jacket tightly in one hand. He had never seen her so frightened.

He spoke into the communicator. "Get a life Bob," he quipped, hoping it would cause Alex to tell him to quit being rude. When she didn't say anything, he continued on. "Oops! Sorry, again. There's power on this ship but nowhere near that much."

"_With respect, Sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand_."

Suddenly, a deafening and chilling screeching sound rang throughout the room. Alex jumped, nearly causing the Doctor to fall out of his chair. He wrapped an arm around her tense shoulders and she relaxed almost instantly. It seemed that he could calm her down the same way she calmed him down.

"What is that?" she whispered in his ear.

"Dear God, what is it?!" River shrieked.

"They're back," Octavian groaned.

"_It's hard to put it in your words, Doctor Song,_" Bob admitted, "_but as best as I understand it, the Angels are laughing_."

"THAT's laughing?" Alex wondered. The Doctor sighed in relief. It seemed she was coming back to him…er, _them_.

"Laughing?" he questioned into the communicator.

"_Because you haven't noticed yet, Sir, ma'am. The Doctor and his Ally in the TARDIS haven't noticed._"

"Doctor-," Octavian started but the Doctor shushed him.

"No! Wait!" he commanded. He gently pushed Alex off him and sprang out of the chair. "There's something I've…" He sensed something behind him and glancing out of the corner of his eye, noticed Alex had too, based on the sudden look of realization on her face. Together, they turned around and looked at the wall behind them. "…missed," he finished.

In the wall before them, a huge shining crack grimaced down at them. Alex shuddered. It looked exactly like the crack she had seen so many times in Amy's room. She followed the Doctor around the console to look at it closer, Amy close behind them.

"That's…that's like the crack from my bedroom wall when I was a little girl," Amy breathed, unknowingly echoing Alex's thoughts. She stared at the crack in shock and disbelief. Around them, the room shook violently, causing them to stumble and trip.

"Okay, enough!" Octavian headed towards the forest. "We're moving out!"

"Agreed," River called. She looked at the Doctor worriedly. "Doctor?"

"Yeah, fine!" he dismissed before standing on top of a box and pulling the sonic screwdriver out.

"What are you doing?" Alex questioned. He wasn't seriously going to study a giant, creepy crack the Angels were so gleeful about right now…was he?

"Right with you!" he assured her, but as Alex expected, didn't move.

"We're not leaving you!" River told him. Alex nodded defiantly. _Come hell or high water, nobody is getting me away from here without the Doctor,_ she decided.

"Oh, yes, you are!" he objected as the room started shaking again.

"Miss Pond, Miss Locke, Doctor Song, now!" Octavian shouted.

"Doctor, Alex, come on!" Amy begged them. She and River turned to run but Alex was still staying right by the Doctor's side.

He looked down with her. He was both impressed with her dedication to him and annoyed that she refused to follow orders…well, some of them anyway. "Go, Alex!" he commanded.

"Forget it," Alex snapped. "I'm not leaving."

"Alex!" River begged. God, she was even more stubborn now than she was later on!

"River, you should know as well as I do that I'm not leaving him," Alex remarked. River had to admit that she had a point.

"We don't have time for this!" Octavian growled. He made a move to grab Alex but River yanked him back.

"Not a smart idea," she told him. "I saw Alex bite someone who did that to her." Alex cast her a look and the Doctor couldn't help but give a slightly puzzled frown even as he stared at the crack before him. Who the hell did Alex bite in the future? And more importantly, why?

Octavian was about to make a go for Alex again - even though River's cautionary advice was still ringing in his ears - when Alex suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the floor. The Doctor visibly started and looked over at her, alarmed. She seemed unconscious when her eyes suddenly sprang open. "What happened?" she asked weakly.

He looked over at River. "River, get her out of here!" he demanded. Knowing better than to argue, River hastily tugged the girl to her feet and helped her out of the flight deck. For once, Alex didn't argue and regained her strength a few steps in, letting River release her.

A/N: Poor Alex! Hope she's going to be okay... :)

Notes on reviews...

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I know, I AM a tease with those two! They're just so cute and easy to mess with! :)

**HopieCC **- I love that line too. Alex gets some good ones, doesn't she? Glad you liked the forehead kiss. It seems like something the Doctor would do with Alex...a lot. :)

**rycbar15** - SO glad you chose to follow this story! It means a lot! I'm glad you're looking forward to more River & Alex. Their interactions with each-other are so interesting and fun to write. Yeah, I've read a lot of Doctor/OC fics and I love them, but I wanted to make mine different. Is Alex human? I can't say! Other than her mind, she certainly seems human. We'll just have to wait and see!

**setsuna1415 **- I'm so happy you love this story! It means a lot to know people like my work!

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **HopieCC**, **rycbar15**, and **setsuna1415 **for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Until tomorrow!


	16. Flesh and Stone Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Doctor Who.

The group walked a ways until Alex suddenly started feeling faint again. There was a ridiculous amount of pounding in her head, like there had been before she screamed and passed out. She felt like she was going to throw up and she could feel her energy level rise and fall as her body tried to fight whatever was inside her. Yes, there was something inside her. Not a virus per se, but something that was out to do her harm.

Even though her eyes were now partially squeezed shut in pain, Alex could still make out Amy looking a lot like she was. Amy swayed a bit and Alex started to rush over to her but suddenly felt faint again and was forced to stop. Luckily for her, River happened to turn around to check on them and Alex could vaguely see her eyes widen in alarm. "Amy? Alex? What's wrong?"

"Four," the girls recited. Amy swayed again and collapsed onto a mossy tree trunk in the middle of the clearing they were in. Alex fell onto the ground. She attempted to make her way over to Amy, but failed as her body lost momentum again.

"Marco, get her and bring her over here!" River commanded. As Alex was being lifted up off the ground, River knelt down next to Amy and called out "Med scanner, now!" Alex was carefully placed on the trunk next to Amy and immediately curled into a tight ball. Beside her, Amy was in a similar position.

As River sat down next to the girls with the med-scanner, Octavian protested "Doctor Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving."

Had she been able, Alex would've glared at him. Now though, she settled for thinking rather nasty thoughts about the Bishop. River ignored him, instead focusing on placing a blood pressure cuff around Amy, then Alex.

"We wait for the Doctor," she said calmly.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels," Octavian ground out, stepping towards her. "Until that is achieved-,"

"Father Octavian," River interrupted. "When the Doctor's in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him and Alex alive long enough to get everyone else home." She turned to give him a wry look. "And trust me, it's not easy. Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. And if he's alive, I'll never forgive him." There was a brief pause, during which Alex was able to detect a slight jolt of adrenaline to her system, which could only mean one thing. "And Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor breathed, stepping out of the shadows. Alex opened her eyes slightly and smiled. He looked perfectly fine, except for the glaring absence of his tweed jacket.

River whirled around and fixed him with a smirk. "I hate you," she told him, in the exact type of voice that meant she didn't. It made Alex's jaw clench.

"No, you don't," the Doctor shot back in the exact same tone. Alex's jaw clenched tighter. She watched him race into the clearing. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest!" he warned.

Octavian nodded. "We need visual contact on every line of approach!" he ordered.

The Doctor ran over to them and knelt beside the girls. He smoothed Alex's bangs away from her forehead and lightly kissed her hairline before moving to Amy. Alex felt herself relax and regain enough strength to move into a sitting position.

"How did you get past them?" River questioned. Alex frowned and opened her eyes all the way. The Doctor was purposely avoiding her gaze and was focusing only on Amy.

"Did you encounter the Weeping Angels?" Alex asked.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe," he said casually, answering both Alex and River's questions.

"What was it?" Amy croaked out.

"The end of the universe." Before Alex could jump in, he grabbed the monitor from River's hands and said "Let's have a look then."

"So what's wrong with me?" Amy wondered. Alex scooted closer to her and brushed some stray hairs out of her face, letting her know she was there.

"Nothing, you're fine," River assured her just as the monitor the Doctor was holding began beeping wildly.

"Everything, you're dying," he blurted, quite unsympathetically actually.

"DOCTOR!" River and Alex snapped. Alex reached over and wacked the back of his head.

"Ow!" he yelped, shooting Alex a dirty look. He eyed them both critically. "Yes, you're right. If we lie to her, she'll get all better." He tossed the monitor to the side and stood up, beginning to pace rapidly. "Amy, Amy, Amy, what's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? Does it mean anything?"

"Doctor," Amy moaned.

"Busy," he shot back.

"Scared!"

"Course you're scared. You're dying," he retorted. "Shut up!"

"Doctor!" Alex cried, outraged.

"Alex, hit him," Amy weakly instructed. The Doctor hastily moved out of Alex's reach and gave Amy a quick glare before pacing again.

"Okay, let him think," River soothed.

"What happened?" the Doctor questioned. "She stared at the Angel, she looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long…"

"Sir! Angel incoming!" a cleric called out.

"And here!"

"Keep visual contact. Do not let it move."

"Come on, come on!" he groaned to himself. "Wakey, wakey! She watched an Angel climb out of the screen, she stared at the Angel and…and…"

"The Image of an Angel is an Angel," Amy recited.

"A living mental image in a living human mind," the Doctor mused, coming back over to kneel by Amy's head. "We stare at them to stop them from getting closer, we don't even blink, and that is _exactly _what they want, 'cause as long as our eyes are open they can climb inside."

Alex's eyes widened, her mind processing this, and the truth soon became clear to her. "There's an Angel in her mind!" she and the Doctor cried at the same time. River stared at them, her eyes wide and filled with terror at this news. Alex hastily looked into Amy's eyes. Sure enough, an outline of an Angel was visible in her pupil.

"Three," Amy and Alex recited and Amy bit down on her lip in an effort to keep unwanted counting from flying out anymore. "Doctor, its coming. I can feel it! I'm gonna die!"

"Please just shut up," the Doctor begged. "I'm thinking! Now counting - what's that about?"

Alex thought about this. _Maybe a scare tactic? It would make sense. It would make someone so terrified about why they were doing this that they wouldn't even notice a Weeping Angel slowly taking over their mind._ She was about to voice this to the Doctor when she heard him ask to the com "Bob, why are they making Amy and Alex count?"

"_To make them afraid, Sir,_" Bob replied calmly.

"Okay, but why? What for?"

"_For fun, Sir._" Alex mentally groaned. Did these Angels have a death wish or what?

She watched as the Doctor's gaze grew dark and he growled slightly, the sound sounding both terrifying and sexy to Alex, before throwing the communicator down on the ground, most likely causing it to bust. _Let them try to hurt Alex and Amy,_ he thought. _They won't succeed. I'll make sure of it._

"Doctor, what's happening to me?" Amy asked, her voice weak and filled with terror. "Explain."

He sighed and stepped towards her again, gently pushing Alex to the side to sit next to her head. "Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel. It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind and the Angel is climbing out of it and its coming…to shut you off."

"Why isn't Alex being affected the same way as her?" River wondered.

The Doctor thought about this very quickly. He had a pretty good idea and it only proved, once again, that Alex really wasn't that safe in _many _situations. "Alex's mind is extremely strong," he said slowly. "There's an Angel in there but Alex's mind is fighting it, trying to get it out like with the Star Whale and with me when I entered her mind."

"That screaming I was doing and when I fell unconscious…" Alex started, then stopped, trying to wrap her head around this. "I could feel those atomic bomb things going off in my head."

"Your body temporarily shut itself down and when the Angel was significantly weakened, it allowed itself to go back to normal."

"Is the Angel inside me defeated?" Alex asked.

The Doctor only had to take one look into Alex's eyes to answer that question. Surrounded by copper-colored irises, an outline of an Angel could be seen in her pupils. It appeared to be a little weak but also _extremely _angry. "No, not exactly," he answered cautiously. He readied himself for an outburst but was surprised when Alex simply cast her eyes to the ground, swallowed down a lump in her throat, and silently nodded.

"Okay," she whispered, accepting her fate. She looked over and eyed Amy nervously. "What about Amy?"

The Doctor's face tightened and he mentally cursed the Angels in just about every language he could think of. "Ally, your mind is not normal. You see past perception filters with ease and your mind goes DEFCON whenever something threatens you. Normal humans cannot do that. Amy's mind is average. It's so normal that the Angel can access it easily."

"Then what do I do?" Amy shivered.

"If this was a real screen, what would we do?" The Doctor stood up, glancing between Alex and River.

"We'd pull the plug, we'd kill the power," Alex answered. She suddenly looked panicked. "But we can't just knock her out!"

"You're right," the Doctor conceded. "The Angel would just take over."

"Then, what?" River asked, her voice expressing worry. As she kept a close eye on the rapidly dropping blood pressure monitor, she reminded him "Quickly."

"We've got to shut down the vision centers of her brain!" the Doctor cried. "We've got to pull the plug, starve the Angel."

"Doctor, she's got seconds!" River reported.

"How would you starve your lungs?" the Doctor wondered, not letting panic seep into his voice even though it was already spreading through his system like poison.

"Uh, I'd stop breathing," River replied, distracted.

Alex immediately saw where the Doctor was going. "Amy, close your eyes!" she ordered.

"No, no I don't want to," Amy whimpered.

"Good, because that's not you, that's the Angel inside you," the Doctor spoke softly, trying to keep the frightened girl calm. "It's afraid. Just listen to Alex. Close your eyes."

She glanced between them in fear before willing herself to close her eyes. Once she did, River's monitor beeped and switched from the alarming red it had been to a calm green. "She's normalizing," River breathed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, you did it! You two did it!"

"Sir? Two more incoming," a cleric announced, unwillingly breaking the joyful mood.

"Three more over here!"

Amy slowly sat up, assisted by Alex. River monitored her vitals before abruptly pulling the blood pressure cuff off her arm. The Doctor stood in front of Amy, watching her like he expected her to spontaneously burst into flames, as River reported "Still weak. Dangerous to move her."

"So, can I open my eyes now?" Amy quizzed. She really wanted to open her eyes. It was scary keeping them closed while a bunch of Weeping Angels ran all around the group.

"Amy, listen to me," the Doctor ordered, his voice both firm and gentle. "If you open your eyes for more than a second, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it. We've just sort of…," He paused, looking for the right words. "…_paused_ it. You've used up your countdown. You can_not_ open your eyes." River wrapped an arm around Amy while Alex gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Doctor, we're too exposed here!" Octavian cried. "We have to move on."

"We're too exposed everywhere," Alex grimaced. "And Amy can't move!"

"And anyway, that's not the plan," the Doctor jumped in, getting Alex's attention.

"There's a plan?" River and Alex questioned. Once the two had finished, they slowly turned to look at each-other, both shocked. River shook her head. "God, you two are rubbing off on me," she muttered bitterly.

"I don't know yet," the Doctor replied quickly. He didn't exactly look forward to the prospect of a cat-fight between River and Alex and he didn't want one to start now.

"Doctor, what about me?" Alex asked. River immediately started checking her blood pressure as Alex asked "I mean, there's an Angel in my mind. Am I safe?"

The Doctor was about to respond when River cut in. "Her blood pressure's perfectly fine," she reported, taking the cuff off Alex. "But, based on the way she's been acting, it probably isn't a good idea to take her along. She could collapse again."

Alex wanted to hate River for this remark and dismiss it off as jealousy - even though she had no idea why River would be jealous of her - but she knew the somewhat insufferable woman was right. She could have a freak-out at any moment. The safest place for her right now was not by the Doctor's side but by Amy's.

The Doctor also knew this but he hated to admit it. He wanted - no, _needed_ - Alex by his side. He wanted to protect her, but he knew forcing her to move quickly along a huge oxygen factory was selfish for him and harmful for her. He reluctantly nodded and bent down to meet Alex's eyes. "She's right," he admitted, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice and failing. "It wouldn't be safe for you."

Alex nodded, then thought of something. "Doctor?" she said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

Alex swallowed roughly before plunging ahead. "Could you…maybe, take a peek in my mind at the Angel?" she requested. "Just to see what its doing?"

The Doctor was surprised to say the least. He stared at her, his expression serious. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly. Amy and River, sensing that this was a private conversation being continued, shifted a little ways away from them. "I don't want to cause you any more pain."

"I'll be fine," Alex assured him. She looked up at the glass ceiling of the oxygen factory and studied the stars that gazed down upon them. Then, still staring upwards, she said "I just want to know what my mind is doing."

The Doctor nodded, knowing it would be pointless to try and change her mind. Instead, he got up and sat beside her. He gently pulled her into his lap and settled her so that her back was pressed into his chest. "Comfy?" he asked. Alex nodded and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply, he placed his hands on Alex's temple and entered her mind.

Her mind was dark except for a single spot of illumination. He was shocked to find a Weeping Angel in a type of cage. It had been significantly weakened and appeared to have parts of it missing while other places were crumbling into dust. Its face was currently showing a look of outrage and pain. Clearly, Alex's mind had done a number on it.

He sensed the mental attack rather than felt it. The Doctor hastily retreated out of Alex's mind and found himself back in the _Byzantium_ oxygen factory, Alex perched on his lap, her eyes closed and her jaw clenched. He lifted a hand and smoothed out her hair, causing Alex to relax almost instantly.

She opened her eyes, now a simple chocolate brown. "Well?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Your mind currently has the Angel trapped," he told her. "I saw a cage which I guess is the equivalent of stopping it for the time-being. The Angel was rather weak and it can't do much to you right now."

Alex nodded. "That's good." She looked into his eyes and studied them carefully. In them, she saw fear, worry, and a huge amount of determination to save her, Amy and everyone here. She also saw a faint glimmer of something she couldn't identify. _Is it…love?_ She wondered. _Oh God Alex! Stop it! Get it through your head! He isn't in love with you!_

She smirked at him and reluctantly got off his lap. "Go," she ordered, sitting down beside him. "Save the planet and everyone here."

He nodded and leapt to his feet. "Right!" he cried, jumping up on a rock. "Father, you and your clerics, you're gonna stay here, look after Amy and Alex. If anything happens to either one of them, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible…_twice_. River, you and me, we're gonna go find the primary flight deck, which is…" He licked his finger and moved around until he was facing Amy, Alex, and River again. "Quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there, we're going to stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Amy and Alex."

"How?" River questioned.

"I'll do a thing," he replied vaguely.

"What thing?" River frowned.

"I don't know!" he admitted, exasperated. "It's a thing in progress, respect the thing! Moving out!"

"Doctor, I'm coming with you!" Octavian spontaneously declared. He approached the Doctor and River to look them right in the eye but he could already see that the Doctor wasn't thrilled about his announcement. "My clerics will look after Miss Pond and your Ally. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in their protection."

"I don't need you," the Doctor scoffed. He took a backwards glance at Alex before adding under his breath "And Alex is not my _anything_."

"I don't care," Octavian shot back. "Where Doctor Song goes, I go."

The Doctor stared at them, completely baffled. "What?" he blurted out, similar to the way his tenth incarnation used to do. He stared at River, then Octavian. "You two engaged or something?"

_God, if only it were that simple,_ Alex thought wryly. She wouldn't have felt so threatened by River if she had been Octavian's fiancée - even though she didn't have a reason to feel threatened by River in the first place. She wasn't involved with the Doctor. That was that.

Octavian gave River a long look, who shifted slightly, before turning back to the Doctor. "Yes. In a manner of speaking," he answered vaguely. "Marco!" he called to a cleric. "You're in charge till I get back."

"Sir!" Marco affirmed.

As the three began to walk ahead, Amy called out "Doctor! Please, can't I come with you?"

"You'd slow us down, Miss Pond," Octavian told her, no trace of sympathy in his voice. Alex frowned and stuck her tongue out at his retreating back, before muttering an unintelligible curse under her breath.

"I don't want to sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up!" Amy shot back. Alex smirked and watched as the Doctor sat down beside Amy.

"You'll be safer here," the Doctor explained gently. "We can't protect you or Alex on the move. I'll be back for you as soon as I can. I promise."

Amy frowned. "You always say that," she retorted. Alex bit her lip and turned to watch the clerics watch the Angels. She knew Amy still had trust issues regarding the Doctor and her waiting for different periods of time. She was still scarred from him abandoning her when she was seven years old and frankly, Alex couldn't blame her. Amy should be a bit cautious when it came to this man.

"I always come back," the Doctor reminded her. He stood up and looked around at the clerics. "Good luck, everyone! Behave! Do _not_ let that girl open her eyes! And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, Ally…later." He turned to River and Octavian in the distance. "River, going to need your computer!" And with that, he was gone.

Amy shook her head. "Yeah, later," she responded sadly.

Alex sighed but quickly gritted her teeth as a ridiculous pounding started in her head. Apparently, the Angel had regained some strength and was using it to try and overpower her. _Well, that's not happening. _Alex squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in her lap as she waited for the pounding to pass. As she was down there, she heard footsteps approaching them.

"Amy, you need to start trusting me." It was the Doctor! Alex perked up but quickly perked back down again as she detected something in his voice. It sounded like desperation and sadness. He hadn't been like that a few seconds ago! "It's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth," Amy accused.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me."

"Doctor," Amy began slowly. "The crack in my wall…how can it be here?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." The Doctor's voice sounded rushed and he paused for a moment, possibly to try and gather his thoughts. "Now, listen," he instructed. "Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?" Amy asked, confused.

"No. No," the Doctor groaned. "That's not the point. You have to remember."

"Remember what?" Amy quizzed desperately. But there was no response from the Doctor. "Doctor? Doctor?"

Alex lifted her head, the pain having subsided a bit, as Amy quieted down, now convinced that the Doctor had left. But Alex knew otherwise. She could feel a distinct rush of adrenaline in her system and her heart was beating faster than it had been before. She scooted away from Amy a little, her eyes still closed, and hesitantly whispered "I know you're still here."

There was a deep, throaty chuckle that sounded like it was coming from in front of her. "You always know," the Doctor said. Alex heard him shift and he was kneeling in front of her. She smiled, beginning to open her eyes, when she felt a hand cover them.

"Don't," the Doctor ordered. Alex stiffened at the edge in his voice and nodded slightly. She heard the Doctor sigh. "Sorry," he whispered, removing his hand.

"You don't need to be worried about me," Alex assured him. "I'm fine. It's just a headache. The Weeping Angel is just trying to break out of its cage, that's all."

"Hmm," the Doctor hummed. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before slowly tracing her jawline with the pad of his thumb. Alex's breath hitched and she shifted closer to him.

"Like that?" Alex could practically hear the smirk in his voice. He knew he was making her lose control and that was the one thing Alex didn't like to do; except with him.

Alex bit her lip to keep from moaning out a yes and instead reached out to grab his shirt collar and pull him closer to her. Damn not kissing him! She'd kiss him properly this time, completely unlike the spur-of-the-moment one during the Dalek adventure. She was going to… Alex stopped as she felt a familiar material beneath her fingertips. It was a tweed jacket, the one the Doctor always wore. But he had lost his to the Weeping Angels a few minutes ago. So…how was he wearing this one?

"Doctor," she said, running her fingers over the material, "where did you get-,"

But Alex was cut off as the Doctor, without warning, pressed his lips to hers. Alex was shocked, but quickly overcame it. After all, she had been fantasizing about this for the last two years.

The Doctor's lips tasted like how you might imagine a flame would taste, all daring and hot. Alex grazed her tongue over his upper lip and she could vaguely hear him suppress a moan. He parted willingly and she dove her tongue into his mouth, running it over every inch, committing it to memory. He reached up and tugged slightly on her hair, pulling her head back to slant her mouth over his the way he wanted. Alex felt a shiver run through her at his dominating actions but didn't do anything to stop them. As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he wanted to her.

The Doctor sank his teeth into her lower lip and nibbled a little, requesting permission. Alex gleefully opened her mouth and about fell back in ecstasy as his tongue raced over the roof of her mouth. His hands landed on her hips and she was soon pressed right against him. How anyone was not noticing them she could not answer.

The Doctor moved his lips away from hers and started planting hot kisses down her neck. Alex strained towards him. "Please," she begged. "Don't stop."

She felt him smirk against her skin before he planted a long, lingering kiss in the hollow of her throat. Alex swallowed the strangled cry that threatened to come up and dug her fingers in his hair, pulling him back up to her lips. She hurriedly kissed him, feeling rushed and panicked all at once, as though this were all something that had to be done quickly.

She was about to move and kiss his jaw when she felt his hands land on her shoulders and push her back. Alex whimpered slightly from the loss of contact and tugged on his jacket collar. She wanted to forget all about the Weeping Angels here and just keep on kissing him senseless. She knew it was selfish, but she wanted this more than anything.

He moved out of reach. "I have to go," he said softly but firmly. There was a pause and then, Alex felt his lips on her forehead. That kiss was oh-so brief and then, like a ghost, he was gone.

Alex felt a slight lump rise in her throat but shoved it back down. She was _not _going to cry over this man leaving her, particularly when said man was being completely mysterious for no apparent reason. For whatever reason, he needed Amy to remember something, something Amy herself couldn't remember. And he had somehow regained his tweed jacket even though she knew he had lost it to the Weeping Angels. Alex wouldn't have put it past him to keep a spare somewhere on him, but it was still extremely suspicious.

She groaned as she opened her eyes and muttered "That man is an absolute mystery. He'll be the death of me."

"Mine too," Amy joked, although Alex knew there was a small glimmer of possibility in her statement as well.

Alex scooted closer to Amy and the two sat in silence for a few minutes, Amy trying not to panic and Alex trying to figure out what the hell had been up with the Doctor. "Do you know what the Doctor was talking about to you a few minutes ago?" she abruptly asked. When Amy raised an eyebrow, Alex blushed and smiled apologetically, even though she knew Amy couldn't see her. "Sorry. Couldn't help but overhear."

Amy shrugged. "It's fine. I don't know. I can't recall him telling me anything majorly important when I was seven." She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "What did he say to you? I heard you telling him that you knew he was still here and then him replying but nothing after that."

Alex shifted and gulped. She didn't really want to tell Amy of her kiss with the Doctor. She knew her friend - for whatever reason - had developed a crush on their time-traveling alien friend, or at the very least wanted to sleep with him, and it didn't seem right flaunting it in Amy's face that the Doctor had kissed her best friend. On the other hand though, maybe she would dismiss a romantic interest in the Doctor as foolhardy and follow her heart back to Rory. Oh, but then Alex would never hear the end of the Doctor having a crush on her. No, better to stay silent for the time being.

"Oh, uh nothing," she lied. "He was just checking on me. I had a headache but I'm better now."

"That's good," Amy said, not allowing her true thoughts to enter her voice. Alex was hiding something, but what? Knowing it would be pointless to try and grill her, Amy decided to see how their current situation was. "So…what's happening?" she called over to one of the clerics. "Anything happening out there?"

"The Angels are still grouping," one of the men told her. Above them, the lights flickered ominously. "Are you getting this too?" the man asked another cleric.

"The trees? Yeah."

Amy straightened up, her shoulders stiff. "What's wrong with the trees?" she demanded.

Alex's eyes darted around them, watching for any Weeping Angels. As a cleric called out something, she answered "The Angels. They're ripping the tree-borgs apart."

"And here!" a cleric Alex thought was called Philip reported. "They're taking out the lights."

Amy was rapidly beginning to panic and she grabbed Alex's wrist in a death-grip. As Alex winced, she cried "What is it? What's happening? Tell me! I can't see!"

"It's the trees, ma'am," Marco answered grimly. "The trees are going out."

"Oh crap," Amy mumbled. "I can't see and we're in a bloody forest with bloody Weeping Angels!"

_Think I don't know that?_ Alex thought, but didn't say. Aloud, she quipped "Well, look on the bright side. At least we're not in a black hole! Then we'd really be screwed!"

Amy frowned. "Shut up Alex."

Alex was about to retort when she heard some clerics announce that the Angels were advancing on their respective sides. "Weapons primed," Marco ordered. "Combat distance five feet. Wait for it."

"What is it?" Amy demanded, hating that she couldn't see and was pretty much being kept out of the loop. "What's happening? Just tell me!"

"Just keep your eyes shut Amy and don't move," Alex advised. She was about to say more when she caught sight of a bright light currently flooding one side of the forest. "What the hell?" she blurted out.

"What is it?" Amy asked, reacting to Alex's sudden outburst.

Alex ignored her though. "The ship's not on fire is it?" she asked, remembering the burning ship she saw crushed into a mound of rock hours earlier.

"It can't be!" one cleric protested. "The compressors would have taken care of it."

Alex frowned. Well, what else could that light be? A startling thought occurred to her and she was just about to voice it when a cleric announced "Marco, the Angels have gone! Where'd they go?"

"They just vanished?" Amy shot a confused look at Alex.

"This side's clear too, Sir."

"Are you seriously saying that the Angels are just gone?" Alex checked, not believing her ears.

"There's still movement out there," one cleric told her. "But away from us now. It's like they're running."

_What the hell could frighten a Weeping Angel?_ Alex wondered. It would have to be something big. Again, she thought about the startling thought that had come to her a few moments ago. Was it the crack? Was it expanding?

"Running from what?" Amy questioned.

"Phillip, Crispin," Marco called, attracting Alex's attention. He pointed to the light and ordered "Need to get a closer look at that."

Alex frowned. For some reason, she didn't think that was a good idea. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she demanded, but the clerics ignored her and headed towards the light.

"What are you all looking at?" Amy demanded, beyond frustrated that she couldn't see anything. "What's there?"

"It's like…" Marco trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain such a sight to a person who currently couldn't see. "I don't know, a curtain of energy, sort of shifting. Makes you feel weird, sick."

"And you think it scared the Angels?"

"What could scare those things?" a cleric wondered.

It was then that Alex noticed Amy turning on the spot, trying to find a certain spot. She frowned at her and narrowed her eyes, even though she knew it wasn't worth doing since Amy couldn't see, thus not being affected by them. "Amy, what are you doing?"

"Point me at the light," Amy ordered her, knowing that Alex would immensely disapprove of what she was planning to do, but not caring in the slightest.

"You can't open your eyes!" Marco objected, unable to avoid hearing the girls' conversation.

"I can't open them for more than a _second_," Amy corrected. "That's what the Doctor said. I've still got a bit of countdown left."

"I will not let you do this," Alex argued, her eyes flashing angrily. "I'm not going let you kill yourself! And even if you do succeed, the Doctor will kill us both!"

"Ma'am, you can't," Marco continued, but Alex already knew that it was pointless. Once Amy Pond made up her mind on something, you couldn't argue her out of it.

"I_ need_ to see it!" Amy cried. Alex sighed. She knew Amy had made up her mind and no amount of arguing could change it. _The Doctor will kill me for this,_ she thought wryly, before tuning back in to hear Amy ask "Am I looking the right way? I have to be quick."

Alex reluctantly moved her into the right position. A moment later, Amy opened her eyes, which widened in terror as she saw the crack outline heading closer towards them.

"It's the same shape!" she gasped. "It's the crack in my wall!"

"Amy, close your eyes now," Alex gently ordered her but Amy was too shocked to listen.

"It's following me! How can it be following me?" she shakily wondered as she sank down to the ground, landing on her knees. Alex followed her and hurriedly covered Amy's eyes. Once she felt Amy's eyelashes flutter close, she removed her hand and watched Amy process this new information.

"Are you alright?" Marco called over to them.

"Yeah," Amy answered. "I-it was the same shape. Alex, what does that mean?"

Alex sighed and shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted aloud. "I really don't." She rubbed Amy's arm comfortingly. "But don't worry. The Doctor will fix it. I know he will."

"Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" a cleric Alex was pretty sure was called Pedro asked. She frowned at him but only frowned even further at Marco's answer of approval.

"Don't get too close," Marco warned as Pedro set off, leaving them to be guarded by only one cleric.

"Hang on, what about the other two?" Amy asked him.

Alex felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She _knew _it hadn't been a good idea for those clerics to go off and investigate that crack. "Why not just wait until they're back?"

Marco turned to look at them confusedly. "What other two?" he demanded.

"The ones you sent before," Amy reminded him. Even though she couldn't see him, she still managed a frown in his direction.

"I didn't send anyone before," Marco objected.

Alex's eyes widened. Was he an idiot or something? _Knowing recent events, probably or something…_ "Yes, you did," she argued. "Phillip and Crispin. I said that probably wasn't a good idea and judging by how you can't remember them, I was right!"

But Marco didn't register this last part. "Crispin and who?" he frowned.

Amy quickly spoke up. "It's true, I heard you!"

"Ladies, there never was a Crispin or Philip on this mission," Marco insisted. "I promise you."

"No, I heard you," Amy continued, desperately trying to get him to see the truth. "Before you sent Pedro, you sent Crispin and Phillip and now you can't even remember them."

_Something had to have happened,_ Alex thought. She cast a nervous look at the expanding crack. _And I'll bet anything that it had something to do with that crack._

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Marco repeating "Pedro?" He said this in a confused voice and Alex instantly knew that he had forgotten that cleric as well.

"Yeah, before you sent Pedro," Amy impatiently replied.

"Who's Pedro?" Marco questioned.

Alex groaned and sank down onto the tree stump. God, what was happening here? It was like these men, once reaching the crack, were…erased from people's minds. But why only Marco? How come she and Amy weren't being affected? _It could be because of my mind but that still doesn't explain Amy._

"…Pedro was here a second ago and now you can't even remember him!" Amy was crying as Alex tuned back in.

"There never _was _a Pedro!" Marco cried, frustrated. Sighing, he lowered his voice to gently say "There's only ever been the three of us here."

"No, there were _six _of us!" Alex snapped. She got up and began to pace. "Why can't you remember?" she shouted towards the ceiling.

"Listen," Marco said, turning to Alex. "I need to get a look at that light, whatever it is."

Alex felt like banging her head against a tree - or his even. "Were you even listening to a word we said?!" she shouted. "That light is the whole cause of why you can't remember three clerics!"

"Don't worry, I won't get too close," he assured her.

"No, you can't!" Amy objected, although not as fiercely as Alex. "You mustn't!"

"Here." Marco reached into his bag, ignoring their protests, and pulled out a communicator. He passed it to Amy. "Spare communicator. I'll stay in touch the whole time."

"You won't," Amy remarked gravely, shaking her head. "Because if you go back there, what happened to the others will happen to you!"

"There _weren't _any others!" Marco protested.

"There won't be any _you_ if you go back there!" Alex yelled. God, why couldn't this man get it?!

"Two minutes," he assured them, again ignoring everything they had to say. "I promise."

"Please, just listen to us!" Amy begged.

Alex closed her eyes and groaned. "Stupid bloody religious numskull!" she cried. She had half a mind to march off after him but she knew she couldn't leave Amy alone. The Weeping Angels could come back at any minute and someone who could actually see needed to be there to hold them off.

"Alex, where are you?" Amy cried out, her voice panicked. "Don't leave!"

Alex crouched down next to her and rubbed her shoulder. "I'm right here. Don't worry, the last thing I'm doing is leaving you."

The girls situated themselves back on the tree stump. Alex stood on top of it, up on her tip-toes, trying to see any Weeping Angels, how big the crack was, and Marco. So far, she hadn't seen any Angels or Marco but she could tell that the crack was big and it was getting even bigger by the minute. As she kept watch, Amy was fiddling with the communicator, trying to contact Marco.

"Hello?" Amy called softly into the device. "Are you there? Hello? Hello?"

"_I'm here,_" Marco's voice responded. Both girls breathed sighs of relief. "_I'm fine. Quite close to it now._"

"Then come back," Amy begged. She knew Alex was starting to get worried, even though she hadn't said anything out loud. Both of them would feel a lot safer if the cleric was there with them. "Come back now, _please_."

"_It's weird looking at it,_" Marco revealed. Alex listened attentively. His voice sounded awed and distanced at the same time. "_It feels really…_" Feedback erupted on the com and Alex felt a cloud of despair sink over her. Marco had evidently disappeared, just like the other clerics. _Stupid creepy crack,_ she thought angrily.

"Really what? Hello? Really what?" Amy demanded desperately. She fiddled with the dials on the com some more. "Hello? Hello?!"

"Amy-," Alex began but Amy refused to listen.

"Hello?! Please say you're there! Hello? Hello?"

"Amy, he's gone," Alex said sadly. She jumped down and sat next to her distraught friend. "It's just us now."

A/N: They kissed! Properly this time, not just a quick peck! And that Doctor was from the future. Wonder what's going to happen...? :)

Notes on reviews...

**rycbar15 **- Thanks for the compliment! And don't give up on writing. Believe me, I used to write horribly. Most of my stuff from elementary school is unreadable and embarrassing. Sorry, you'll just have to wait and see what exactly Alex is. I can promise that it'll be big though, so that's something. :)

**HopieCC **- Glad you like that Alex is counting down with Amy. You're right, I can't think of any OC fics I've read where that happens. And I have to agree with your comment about Alex and River. Alex is concerned about why River is in prison, but she's more inclined to judge after she learns why River is in prison. At this point, for all she knows, River's in jail for shoplifting. :) Right now, she just doesn't like River because she's flirty with the Doctor. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- I'm glad you like the dynamic with River and Alex. Lots of OC stories portray OC's and River as friends/almost-sisters, but based on Alex and River's personalities, I think they're a bit more inclined to act as frenemies. :) I can also say, on the Mels note, that 'Let's Kill Hitler' is very entertaining and interesting.

**The-Lonely-Assassins** - Thanks for the kind criticism! I'll admit, the Doctor is a little different here than he is on the show, mainly around Alex, but I am trying to keep him just like he is on the show as much as possible. And I'm trying not to be mean to River, I swear I'm not! I'll admit that I really don't like River that much. I've always seen her as manipulative and not really concerned about anyone else except the Doctor, but I'm not a fan of character-bashing stories and this is not going to be one of them. I promise I'm going to try to treat River equally. Glad you like the story and I hope you keep reading! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I can't say who she bit! It will be revealed eventually. :)

Thank you to **Sherlockian082994**, **Gwilwillith**, **BadWolf666**, **rycbar15**, **HopieCC**, **SopherGopherroxursox**, **The-Lonely-Assassins**, and **ElysiumPhoenix** for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story and put me on Author Alert. It means so much! Now, I have to go do history homework... :( Please review and see you tomorrow!


	17. Flesh and Stone Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Doctor Who. A girl can dream though.

Some in such a situation might begin to panic. After all, all the clerics had mysteriously disappeared, a creepy crack was starting to expand, a bunch of murdering angel statues were running all around, and the guy who could most likely navigate you around these numerous obstacles was on the other side of the forest with an annoying bishop and an equally annoying woman who clearly needed to go out on a date to release all that sexual frustration that was coming off of her like cheap perfume.

But not everyone was Alex Locke. Alex didn't do panicking. She needed to keep calm in order to think on how to get her and Amy out of this situation. She paced up and down, reviewing the past few minutes in her mind, before abruptly stopping and pulling Amy to her feet.

"Whoa!" Amy cried, clutching the communicator close to her chest. "Alex! What are you-,"

"We have to start moving!" Alex interrupted. She looked over her shoulder at the crack, which was still expanding towards them. "That crack is expanding, right out towards us, and we need to stay ahead of it to make sure what happened to the clerics doesn't happen to us."

Amy nodded and began fiddling with the communicator again. "Where are we going exactly?"

"To wherever the Doctor is," Alex answered. She reached out and wrapped an arm around one of Amy's, carefully leading her out of the clearing. "He said they were going to the primary flight deck. It's on the other side of the oxygen factory. If we walk far enough, I'm sure we'll get there." She looked down and noticed Amy messing with the com. "What're you doing?"

"Maybe we can contact the Doctor with this," Amy explained. Alex stopped so Amy could fiddle with the knob some more. "Hello?" she hesitantly called into the com. "Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?"

"_Amy? Amy?_" the Doctor's voice sounded from the receiver. "_Is that you?_"

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed happily.

"_Where are you?_" he demanded, getting right to the point. By the tone in his voice, Alex guessed that he had figured some things out regarding the crack. "_Are the clerics with you? Is Alex there?_"

Alex reached out and gently took the com from Amy's hand. "Right here Doc!" she chirped. She was suddenly reminded of their passionate kiss but pushed that to the back of her mind. There were more important matters at hand right now than her love life - or lack thereof.

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "_Good. Now, where are the clerics? Are they still with you?_"

Alex gulped. "Um, no, they're not. They walked into this light - pretty sure it's the crack expanding by the way - and when they did, they didn't remember each-other."

"_No, they wouldn't,_" the Doctor replied grimly. Alex raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. She knew he would come across some new information.

"_What is that light?_" she heard River distantly call out. Somehow, Alex managed not to create a look of discontent appear on her face.

"_Time running out,_" the Doctor cryptically answered. Alex and Amy exchanged baffled looks. What did that mean? But their pondering was quickly put on the back burner when the Doctor came back and said "_Amy, Alex, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I should never have left you two there._"

Amy took the communicator back and questioned into it "Well, what do we do now?"

"_You come to us,_" the Doctor told her. "_Primary flight deck, the other end of the forest._"

Amy grinned. "We were already doing that. Alex said that the crack was expanding and that we needed to get to you to keep ahead of it so that what happened to the clerics wouldn't happen to us."

Alex could practically feel the Doctor's smile and sense of pride through the communicator. "_Good job Ally!_" he cheered. "_But do you actually know the way here?_"

"No," Alex admitted, reaching over and leaning into the speaker so that she could talk. "We just planned on walking straight." There was a comment from River and it didn't seem to be a polite one, judging by the way the Doctor snapped "_Shut up! No one asked your opinion!_" Amy pursed her lips at this but wisely chose not to say anything. After a moment, Alex added "And Amy can't see. She used up her countdown."

"_Alex, have Amy turn on the spot with the communicator,_" the Doctor instructed. Alex grabbed Amy's shoulders and carefully began to turn her. The Doctor's voice rang out again. "_When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound._"

Alex continued maneuvering Amy around in a circle. When Amy had almost completely turned around, the familiar hum of the sonic screwdriver rang out from the communicator. Amy stopped moving and Alex quickly took position right beside her. "_You have to start moving now. There's time energy spilling out of that crack and you two have to stay ahead of it._"

"That's what I thought," Alex muttered. She linked arms with Amy again and the two started walking in the direction of the primary flight deck.

"But the Angels, they're everywhere!" Amy objected into the com.

"_I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you._"

"What does the time energy do?" Amy quizzed.

"_Just keep moving!_" the Doctor urged, deliberately avoiding the question.

Alex huffed and wrenched the communicator out of Amy's hands. "Doctor, just tell us," she said calmly. She figured maybe the Doctor would tell her instead of Amy, knowing that she'd probably react better to whatever it was.

"_If the time energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will_ _**never **__have lived __**at all**__._"

Both girls were shocked by this revelation and stopped in their tracks. They looked at each-other, fear etched on their faces as the total truth about what happened to the clerics sank upon them like a sack of bricks. They were only pulled out of their trance when the Doctor ordered "_Now Amy, keep your eyes shut…and keep moving._" There was what sounded like him releasing a breath he had been holding and then nothing.

Alex swallowed and clenched her teeth before helping Amy along again. "You're doing good Amy," she assured her. "Just keep walking normally. We'll be there soon."

"What about the Angels?" Amy asked nervously.

"I'm watching for them," Alex replied. Of course, between making sure their path was clear and checking every few seconds on the crack's progress, there wasn't enough time to look out for any Angels. As she was pondering this, the Doctor's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"_Amy, Alex, listen to me. I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. It'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver until the beeping stops._"

"Why do we need one?" Amy asked. "Alex is watching."

"_Knowing Alex as well as I do now,_" there was a mutter from River at this but the Doctor pointedly ignored it, "_she's probably watching to make sure your path is clear and to see how much progress the crack is making. Therefore, she can't keep a close eye out for Angels. Now, Amy, this is important. The forest is full of Angels…you're going to have to walk like you can see._"

Amy and Alex stopped again, considering this frightening instruction. "What do you mean?" Amy questioned.

"_Look, just keep moving._"

The girls sighed and continued walking. They went along in silence for a few moments until a bunch of beeping came from the com and the lights began flickering. "Shit," Alex declared. She gripped Amy's arm tightly, which didn't serve to reassure Amy at all.

"What's that?" Amy asked nervously, already knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"_It's a warning,_" the Doctor explained. "_There are Angels round you now._"

As he said this, the lights faded, leaving the girls in near darkness. When the lights came back up, Alex nearly screamed. Surrounding them were a bunch of Angels, too many for Alex to keep her eyes on at once. Her eyes darted around to each of them but that was when she noticed something. The Angels weren't paying attention to her. Actually, they weren't even _looking _at her. They seemed to be looking back at the crack, expressions of alarm on their stone faces.

"_Amy, Ally, listen to me. This is gonna be hard but I know you can do it. Both of you. The Angels are scared and running and right now, they're not that interested in you. They'll assume that both of you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do, Amy, is walk like you can see. Just don't open your eyes. Walk like you can see. Ally, make sure she does this._"

Alex bit her lip and nervously looked around at the Angels. Beside her, Amy was far too frightened to move. "_You're not moving,_" the Doctor observed. "_You HAVE to do this! Now! You have to do this!_"

Alex swallowed thickly and set her face into an expression of determination. She wasn't going to let a bunch of statues that looked like they belonged on the rooftop of a church frighten her or her best friend. Still keeping an eye on a few of them, she kept her arm looped through Amy's and started walking slowly away from them. "Just go forward and I'll direct you," she whispered. "We can do this."

Amy was affected by Alex's optimism and determination and nodded her affirmation. Alex kept her eyes on a few of the Angels, in case the Doctor proved to be wrong and they really were interested in her and Amy after all. Whenever the beeping on the com sped up, Alex subtly steered Amy away from an Angel she was about to run into. This happened a few more times until Alex, preoccupied with watching the Angels, failed to notice a huge exposed root in the ground that Amy was trying to step over. The girls, their arms still linked together, tumbled to the ground when Amy tripped, the com knocked from her hand. Alex was about to reach out and grab her when a sudden splitting pain resonated throughout her head.

"AH!" she screamed, shutting her eyes and curling into a ball on the ground. Tears of absolute pain ran down her cheeks and she furiously rubbed them away. She screamed again for she could literally feel the Angel in her mind forcing its way past her mental barriers, trying to shut her off…

"Alex!" Amy called worriedly as she heard her friend scream in pain.

"Amy, get the communicator," Alex instructed weakly before screaming again. "AHHH! Please stop!"

Amy got to her knees and pawed around the worn path. "Doctor? I can't find the communicator! I dropped it and Alex is screaming! She's in pain! I can't find it, Doctor! Doctor!" Unbeknownst to the girls, an Angel turned its head towards them, now figuring out that they couldn't see them.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Alex joined in. She attempted to get to her knees but instantly collapsed in pain again. Behind her, two more Angels turned to face them.

"Doctor!" Amy called once more, managing to get to her feet. She turned to find Alex just as an Angel reached for her throat. Alex weakly opened her eyes just in time to see a large flash of light, taking Amy with it.

Meanwhile, on the primary flight deck, Amy found herself stumbling only to be caught by someone. She first assumed it was Alex, having recovered from the attack the Angel made on her mind, but this was quickly disproven when she heard a familiar voice say "Don't open your eyes!"

River held Amy, letting the young woman lean on her shoulder. "You're on the flight deck, the Doctor's here. I teleported you." She turned to give the Doctor a triumphant look. "Told you I could get it working."

"Get Alex!" Amy begged. "She started screaming suddenly. I think the Angel attacked her again." Though she couldn't see anything, Amy could tell that the Doctor was scowling in River's direction. The air had become very tense and sharp. She then heard him say in a stiff and pissed-off voice "River, get Ally out of there _now_." Amy shivered and made a mental note to herself to never get in-between the Doctor and Alex.

"I was getting to her!" River cried. She carefully positioned Amy away from the teleport and set to work.

As this was going on, Alex was desperately trying to crawl along the path to the Doctor. She wasn't sure what had happened to Amy, but was trying not to think about it. She was still incredibly weak and she knew the Angels were behind her but she refused to let that deter her. All she had to do was go a little further and she'd be fine…right?

Back on the primary flight deck, River worked hastily at the controls but they weren't responding as well to Alex as they had to Amy. "Work you stupid contraption!" she cried, slapping the machine with a BANG! She knew very well that the Doctor would kill her if she failed to save Alex, especially when she had already shown some dislike of the girl.

The Doctor's face was set in a hard scowl, a scowl that grew even harder as he watched River struggle with the teleport. He _knew _he couldn't trust her, especially after what Octavian had told him before his death. "River," he said quietly, holding back his fury, "I swear to God, if _anything _happens to Alex-," But he was cut off as a bright light flashed in the teleport. When it faded, it revealed the still, curled up figure of Alex Locke.

The Doctor rushed forward and quickly scanned Alex's body. She was still breathing, but her pulse was faint and nearly all of her body functions had shut down. At the moment, she was unconscious. He knelt down and picked her up. He smoothed the hair away from her face and watched as her face fell from a scrunched up expression to a calm and serene one. Still looking at her, he announced "River Song, I could bloody kiss you." _Not that I'm actually going to,_ he thought.

"Ah, well, maybe when you're a little older," River smiled, pleased at the comment.

The Doctor carefully deposited Alex in a chair and was pleased to see her stir a little. Hopefully, she'd regain conscious soon. This hope intensified as an alarm began to blare, the lights flickering along with it.

"What's that?" River wondered, who had gone back to holding Amy.

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power," the Doctor explained as he stepped to the front of the room, positioning himself right in front of Alex. "Which means…the shield's going to release." At that moment, the door leading to the oxygen factory rose, revealing not only the forest but a whole Weeping Angel population. One of them was holding a communicator.

"Angel Bob, I presume." The Doctor nodded at the angel with the com.

"The time field is coming," Angel Bob said. "It will destroy our reality."

"Yeah, look at you all, running away," the Doctor scoffed. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you or Alex throws yourselves into it, it will close and they will be saved."

"No!" Amy objected, not wanting to see either of her friends sacrifice themselves.

"Why would Alex be a possibility?" River asked.

"She's a fixed point," the Doctor answered, not moving his eyes away from the Angels. "According to the Daleks, at least."

"Alex is the most powerful fixed point in all of time," Angel Bob explained. He almost seemed awed by this. "Her timeline and destiny has been pre-set for centuries, since the beginning of time itself. If she throws herself in, time would not be able to handle the discrepancy and restore, thus saving the Angels."

"Would that be the same with me?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Angel Bob replied. "You must throw yourself or Alex into the crack."

"Yeah, yeah, _could _do," the Doctor mused. "Could do that. But why?"

"Your friends would also be saved," Angel Bob pointed out.

"Well, there is that," the Doctor considered, shrugging.

River couldn't believe what she was hearing. She highly doubted the Doctor would throw Alex into a crack in time but himself? Surely he knew that Alex would be devastated…and also herself if she was being honest. "I've traveled in time!" she announced, marching to his side. "I'm a complicated space-time event too, throw me in!"

"Oh, be serious!" the Doctor mocked. "Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you, and it would take every single one of them to amount to me or Alex, so get a grip."

"Doctor, I can't let you do this," River argued.

"No, seriously, get a grip!" _Honestly, doesn't she get it?!_

Behind him, he heard Alex weakly say "Where am I?" He felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him that she was awake but before he could check on her, he needed to make sure River understood his plan.

"You're not going to die here!" River cried.

"No, I mean it!" he ordered. "River, Amy, Ally…_get a grip_."

A light-bulb clicked on in River's head and realization flashed in her eyes. "Oh, you're a genius!" she breathed before rushing off to get Amy and Alex situated. She guided Amy over to a handle and told her "You hold on tight and don't you let go for anything." She looked over at Alex, who still looked too weak to try and hold onto anything. Rushing over to her, River quickly strapped Alex to the chair she was in with the seatbelts and, snitching the sonic from the Doctor, reinforced the whole contraption.

"Hold on as tightly as you can," she said gently to the still slightly unconscious girl. "And stay still." She paused to see if Alex had heard her and was quickly relieved with a slight nod of understanding.

"Sir, ma'am, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourselves now," Angel Bob insisted.

"Thing is Bob," the Doctor began, demonstrating that his clever plan was about to go into effect, "the Angels are draining all the power from this ship. Ever last bit of it…and you know what? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the _gravity _of the situation. Or, to put it another way, Angels…night-night."

The Doctor swiftly turned around and hastily checked to see that Alex was strapped in tightly enough. Satisfied that she was, he gripped a hand on the console right when the alarm blared again, the screens around them announcing that the gravity had failed. Amy, River, and the Doctor became weightless and gripped their respective handles tightly as they were pulled towards the crack that was currently sucking all the Angels in. Behind them, Alex felt herself being pulled upwards, but something was stopping her. Glancing down, she saw that several seatbelts had been strapped around her chest, keeping her in a chair. Now fully conscious, she tilted her head to see a bunch of Weeping Angels whizzing towards the crack at the other end of the forest.

The Doctor briefly glanced back to see an alarmed looking Alex watching the scene before her. Now fully alert, she was gripping the ends of the chair so hard that her knuckles were turning white. He called back to her "Ally, just hold on! It's almost over!" Alex cocked her head to try and look at him but was unable to due to her angle. Nevertheless, she relaxed slightly, taking comfort in the knowledge that the Doctor was with her again and that he had somehow fixed everything.

A few seconds later, the crack closed and the gravity went back online. Alex breathed a sigh of relief when the Doctor rushed over to her and started undoing the belts. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Never better," Alex assured him. And weirdly enough, she was. She could no longer feel the Angel in her head. _It must've been the crack,_ she mused. _All the Angels going into it erased them from time. Technically, the Angel in my mind never existed._ But Alex knew she would never forget this ordeal, no matter how hard time tried to make her.

Sometime later, all four of them were back out on the beach. Alex and the Doctor were standing in front of Amy, who was sitting on a rock, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Amy gritted her teeth and moaned "Ah, bruised _everywhere_!"

"Me too," the Doctor retorted dryly. Amy had been convinced that the Angel was still in her mind and had forced the Doctor to carry her on his back the last two levels. Apparently, judging by the Doctor's repeated cursing during the ordeal, Amy was heavier than she looked. Alex had been cackling madly during it and she and River even managed to bond a bit, teasing the Doctor about his plight while he just responded by giving them filthy looks.

"You didn't have to climb out with your eyes shut," Amy pointed out.

"No, but I had to carry you," the Doctor reminded her. "And I kept saying, the Angels all fell into the time field. The Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now."

"Then why do I remember it all? Those guys on the ship didn't remember each-other."

The Doctor smiled at them. "You're a time-traveler now Amy. It changes the way you see the universe. Forever. Good, isn't it?"

Amy laughed slightly and Alex bounced a little. Looking at her, you'd never even know she had been unconscious multiple times that day. "It's amazing!" she smiled, bouncing again.

"Will you please stop bouncing?" the Doctor begged. "You're making me nervous."

"And giving me a headache with all that cheerful optimism of yours," Amy smirked at her.

Alex obliged and stuck her tongue out at Amy before turning to the Doctor. "I keep telling you, I'm fine. I don't feel any pain at all."

"Well, I'm still checking your mind when we get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor informed her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked into her pupils, relieved to no longer see an Angel in them. "And possibly teaching you how to use mental barriers. You really need them."

"Think I can actually do that?" Alex questioned. While she knew she was capable of many things, she doubted that she could conjure up mental barriers at will. Maybe if she wasn't human, it was possible, but right now, it seemed too good to be true.

The Doctor shrugged. "I would think so. We'll see." Alex nodded, accepting his answer, and curled into his side, hearing one of his hearts beating beneath her head. It was strangely comforting.

Amy looked at him expectantly. "And the crack? Is that gone too?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking down at her. "For now. But the explosion that caused it is…still happening…somewhere out there. Somewhere in time."

All three looked at one another, wondering what exploded in the future. All of them knew that it would have to be something pretty big and powerful in order to create cracks that were spread out all across time and space. What was it? And would they have to encounter it?

The Doctor abruptly broke away from Alex and started walking in the direction where River was, now handcuffed near a group of rocks. He glanced at the clerics around them before continuing on. Alex frowned and quickly raced after him. Something had happened with River during his walk to the flight deck. He seemed a bit more hesitant around her and as Alex approached them, she didn't miss the way he put himself in front of her. Amy, meanwhile, stood a little off to the side, observing the scene.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at River. "What now?"

"The prison ship's in orbit," River told him, with a brief glance up at the sky as she said this. "They'll beam me up any second." She smiled slightly. "I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see."

Alex raised her eyebrows but stayed silent. The Doctor had found out about River being a prisoner? Interesting…

"Octavian said you killed a man," the Doctor reported, interrupting her thoughts. "And attempted to kill his girlfriend."

River's smile fell and she hesitantly replied "Yes, I did."

"A good man," the Doctor added, staring at her critically.

"A _very _good man," River corrected. "The best man I've ever known."

"And the girl?" Alex quizzed, stepping out from behind the Doctor.

River smiled at her and for the first time, Alex could see regret and pain in her eyes. What had happened to her to cause her that much pain and regret? "An amazing girl," River breathed. "One you could only hope to aspire to. And their connection with each-other…it was unlike other couples. It was unique."

"Who were they?" the Doctor demanded.

"It's a long story Doctor." River smiled again in apology. "Can't be told. It has to be lived. No sneak previews." She paused, considering something. "Well…except for this one. You'll see me again quite soon…when the Pandorica opens."

The Doctor laughed, seemingly amused by the end of her sentence. "The Pandorica…" he murmured. He shook his head and leaned down to whisper in River's ear "That's a fairy tale." Even though this action seemed innocent enough, Alex still felt a hot burn run through her veins, even though, as she kept reminding herself, she had no. Reason. To. Be. JEALOUS!

River laughed as he stepped away. "Oh, Doctor, aren't we all?" she said mysteriously. "I'll see you there."

"I look forward to it," he nodded.

"I remember it well," River smirked.

Amy finally stepped up to her. "Bye River," she smiled softly.

River laughed again. Out of all of them, she seemed to get along with Amy the best. "See you, Amy," she said. She then looked over at Alex. "Bye Ally," she said, winking. At that moment, her handcuffs beeped, causing the Doctor and Alex to look back at her. "Oh! I think that's my ride."

As Amy stepped over to them, the Doctor asked "Can I trust you River Song?"

River simply shrugged. "If you like." She then smiled at them deviously. "But where's the fun in that?"

Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Well, we'd feel a lot safer around you for starters._ Alex had a feeling that the man River had killed was the Doctor but who was the girlfriend?

The group watched as a large whirlwind swirled around River, like how the clerics had first arrived. When it had faded, she was gone. The Doctor turned to look out at the sea, Alex and Amy on either side of him. Alex watched his expression, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.

The Doctor looked down at her, a slight smile on his lips. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Time can be rewritten," he answered. Alex stared at him and was about to ask what he meant by that but then, he was pulling her along after him towards the TARDIS, calling for Amy, off to their next adventure.

They had been in the TARDIS for about five minutes. Alex was leaning against the railing, watching as the Doctor pressed a few buttons on the console. He seemed to be thinking something over, although he was trying not to show it. Amy was watching him as well, also deep in thought. Alex had never seen her like that. She seemed to be seriously considering something.

A few moments later, she spoke. "I want to go home," she quietly announced.

The Doctor looked up from the console, purposely not turning around to face her. Alex could almost see the pain etched onto his face and damned if she didn't feel some herself. Did Amy want to leave because of the ordeal with the Angels or because the whole experience had finally made her realize that she loved Rory? Alex seriously hoped it was the latter. She hadn't spent two years urging Rory to propose to her for nothing!

"Okay," the Doctor said, trying not to let sadness cake his voice.

Amy smiled and sidled up to him. "No, not like _that_," she assured him. "I just wanna show you something. Alex already knows. You're running from River…I'm running too."

Alex sensed that this was a conversation she didn't need to be around for. "I'm…going to go try and rest," she said as smoothly as possible. "Surprisingly, it's exhausting getting knocked unconscious so many times." The Doctor and Amy rolled their eyes at her but didn't say anything as Alex quickly darted to her room, leaving them alone.

A/N: And that's 'Flesh and Stone' over and done with. The next chapter will be 'Meanwhile in the TARDIS 2' and then we get 'Vampires in Venice' and Rory! I'm glad you all liked the kissing scene. It was so much fun to write! :)

Notes on reviews...

**hp1525 - **I'm glad you love the story! And thanks for the luck on my history homework. It wasn't horrible, but who likes doing homework? :)

- Good observations on the Doctor's intentions in the kissing scene. Like you said, I can't give spoilers! Just keep reading and you'll find out! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix -** It is about time, isn't it, lol? And that's a good observation. Can you imagine the look on this Doctor's face if Alex told him his future self snogged her? Don't worry. We'll see Alex's thoughts about that kiss in the next chapter. :)

Thank you to **hp1525**, , **ElysiumPhoenix**, and **Gwilwillith **for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story and me as the author. :) It means a lot! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	18. Arguments and Realizations

Ten minutes later, Alex was still awake. She hadn't bothered changing out of her clothes and she was instead pondering the Doctor's and her kiss back in the oxygen factory. It was something she couldn't get out of her mind so easily.

There were several things wrong with what had happened. Not the kiss; that was spectacular. Of course, that did raise questions on why it had happened but Alex had a few theories. Since she had been about to ask the Doctor where he had gotten a new tweed jacket from, maybe he had kissed her to shut her up and make her forget about it. But why would he do that? And more importantly, where had the jacket been on the primary flight deck? It was still glaringly absent from him there and he hadn't even made any reference to their kiss. It was probably because of the current circumstances but still…you would think he'd shown some sign of acknowledgment, like blushing when he saw her for instance.

Alex groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow. This was all so confusing! She wanted to ask the Doctor about it, but she wasn't sure how he would react. He had been pretty stunned when she spontaneously kissed him during the Dalek debacle but he had said he could 'bloody kiss' her and she had told him he could if he met certain requirements, which he did. That kiss had been expected. This one hadn't.

Alex sat up, abandoning the idea of resting. It was pointless while she was trying to work all this stuff out, not to mention the fact that she would probably be called in pretty soon to clarify anything Amy said about her engagement to him.

As she was considering this, there came a significant thump from outside the door. Alex frowned. What the hell was that? There was what sounded like someone protesting something. Curious, Alex inched open the door and poked her head out. Her room was only a few doors down from the control room, allowing her to hear everything.

"…nine hundred and seven years old. Do you understand what that means?"

"It's been awhile?" Amy remarked, her voice sounding to Alex, almost seductive.

"Yeah…no, no, no! I'm nine hundred and seven, and look at me; I don't get older, I just change. You get older, I don't, and this can't _ever_ work!" _What the hell is he talking about?_ Alex wondered.

"Oh, you _are _sweet Doctor," Amy coyly remarked. "But I really wasn't suggesting anything quite so…_long-term_." There wasn't any talking after that but Alex could easily hear the sounds of kissing coming down the hall.

Her jaw dropped. What the hell was Amy thinking?! Kissing the Doctor on the NIGHT BEFORE HER WEDDING?! A large amount of envy and jealousy ran through Alex's system like a wild-fire, making every part of her want to strangle Amy for no apparent reason. Alex's heart sped up and her grip on the doorframe tightened.

There was a loud SMACK as the Doctor and Amy's lips broke apart. "But you're _human_!" the Doctor objected. "You're Amy! You're getting married in the morning!" He stopped suddenly before musing "In the morning…"

_No, no, do NOT sleep with her!_ Alex thought angrily.

"Doctor?" Amy's voice sounded hopeful and Alex felt her teeth clench at it.

"It's you, it's all about you, everything!" the Doctor rambled excitedly, much to Alex's hatred and heartbreak. "It's about you."

"Hold that thought," Amy suggestively ordered. Alex heard a bed creak.

"Amy Pond. Mad, impossible, Amy Pond. I don't know why, I have no idea, but quite possibly the single most important thing in the history of the universe is that I get you sorted out right now."

_Oh, sorted out?_ Alex thought, disgusted. _Is THAT what we're calling it now?_

"That's what I've been trying to tell you-," Amy began but was cut off as the Doctor pulled her up, calling "Come on!"

Alex was already ticked but her blood began boiling when she heard Amy seductively say "Doctor." _Stop it!_ Alex thought, but she felt like shrieking it. Why was she feeling so strongly about this? She had no right to. Yes, it was her friend Amy who was choosing to go against her fiancé but Alex didn't need to have any thoughts about the Doctor. If they wanted to have a little affair, that was their business. But it didn't stop Alex from wanting to throttle their heads.

Alex continued listening as the TARDIS door banged shut. After all, she needed to know if she should disappear for a few hours before yelling at the two of them. There was a slight giggle from Amy but no response from the Doctor. "Aw, typical bloke, straight to fixing his motor!" Amy sarcastically remarked. Alex instantly perked up. Was the Doctor not following her advances? Curiosity prevailed as she inched along the corridor and stood in the doorway leading to the control room.

Amy was leaning against the console, the Doctor standing significantly farther away from her, almost on the other side. His shirt appeared to be rumpled and the top button was undone. But what Alex mainly noticed was that the shirt was _very _tight on him, showing off a great physique. She licked her lips. No wonder Amy hadn't been able to resist him. But that still didn't give her a free pass to cheat on her fiancé.

"Well, that's the thing Amy; I'm NOT a typical bloke!" the Doctor shot back. He seemed to be pretty angry, only confirming that he was not interested in hooking up with Amy._ Thank God._ He fussed with the controls, not looking at Amy, even as he reached to pull a lever down beside her.

Amy cocked her head. "Sorry, but did I do something wrong?" she questioned, turning around. She didn't even notice Alex, which was probably a good thing considering the shocked and appalled look the latter was giving her. Something wrong? Of course she had done something wrong! She had tried to hook up with a guy other than her fiancé on the night before her wedding! "'Cause I'm getting kinda mixed signals!" She swiftly returned the lever the Doctor had yanked down back to its original position, glowering at him all the while.

"Mixed signals?" the Doctor scoffed. He was forced to look at her as he reached over and yanked the lever back down. "HOW?"

"Oh come on!" Amy worked her way around the console to him as she coyly spoke. "You turned up in the middle of the night, got me out of bed in my nightie - which you then don't let me change out of for _ages_ - and take me for a spin in your time machine…"

By this point, Amy was right next to him. "No, no, you're right, no mixed signals there," she mused sarcastically. She stared at him challengingly. "THAT is just a signal! Like a great big bat signal in the sky - get your coat love, the Doctor is in!"

During this, the Doctor actually seemed pretty amused, smirking at her in a manner that could be considered flirty, if one didn't know any better. But then, he came out of it. "No, no, no, no, no, no, it's…not like that!" he protested, stepping around her. "That's not what I'm like!"

"Then what are you like?" Amy asked desperately.

"I don't know, Gandalf." Alex and Amy both stared at him. _What in God's name is he talking about?_ Alex thought bewilderedly, but her question was answered a second later, as the Doctor had evidently noticed Amy's confused look. "Bit of space Gandalf, little green light _Star Wars_ wand…" He then proceeded to mime fighting with a light-saber, making Alex shake her head, while Amy just gawked at him.

"Right…" She drew out slowly once the Doctor had stopped fighting an imaginary Darth Vader and went back to the console. "You. Are. A. Bloke!"

The Doctor smiled at her. "I'm the Doctor."

Amy raised an eyebrow at him. "Every room you walk into, you laugh at all the men and show off to all the girls." Alex bit her lip to keep from snickering. That was very true. The Doctor had disregarded Jeff, Rory, and Father Octavian, while impressing her and Amy and any other females that happened to be around repeatedly.

"Do not!" the Doctor quickly objected.

"What about Rory?"

In response to that, the Doctor snorted and snickered. He mimed a large nose, which Alex had to admit was a slight physical flaw for Rory, while Amy just looked at him, shocked and offended. "You laughed!" she accused.

"No," the Doctor hastily backtracked. "That was an involuntary snort…of _fondness_." Alex shook her head. _Yeah, right._

Amy apparently thought so too, for she scoffed and said "You are a bloke and you don't even know it." She reached out and wrapped her hands around his neck before moving them down to his chest. The Doctor hastily raised his hands, trying to stop her. "And here I am to help you." Alex felt another burning sensation in her stomach and tried to quiet her heart-beat, which was beating so loudly she was sure those two could hear it.

"That is _not _why you're here," the Doctor told her.

"Then why am I here?" Amy demanded, her hands still on him, now clutching at his braces.

"Because," the Doctor started, removing her hands from him, "because, because…because I can't see it anymore."

Alex craned her neck to follow him as he walked away from Amy. She watched him sit down in a jump seat, Amy standing before him. "See what?" Amy demanded.

"I'm nine hundred and seven," the Doctor told her as he sat down. "After a while, you just can't see it."

"See what?!" Amy repeated, getting aggravated. Alex wished he would get to the point as well.

"Everything!" the Doctor cut her off. "I look at a star, and it's a big ball of burning gas. I know how it began, I know how it ends, and I was probably there both times. Now after a while, everything is just _stuff_. That's the problem; you make all of time and space your backyard and what do you have? A _backyard_." He stood up and pointed his finger at Amy. "But you, you can see it, and when you see it, I see it."

Alex absorbed this information. The reason he brought them along was because he wanted to get excited about seeing stuff he had seen before again? Then she remembered his letter. Was all of that really lies to get her to come with him so he could feel revitalized again? But he constantly seemed so _awed_ of her and curious of her mental abilities. But now that he had confessed that, Alex wasn't sure what to think.

Amy seemed unable to process this new revelation as well. "So that's the only reason you took me with you?" she asked quietly, her voice expressing slight hurt.

"There are worse reasons," the Doctor gently pointed out.

Amy snorted. "I'm certainly hoping so." She stepped around him, thinking, and Alex watched as a realization sprang to her mind. "Does that mean I'm not the first then?" Amy asked, whirling around. "There have been others traveling with you?"

The Doctor laughed nervously, not sure how to respond. "Yeah, sure, loads of them. They're just friends, you know, chums, pals, buddies, mates…" He paused, rethinking this last part. "Not mates, forget mates," he said quickly, evidently reliving something Alex was going to have to pry out of him sometime.

Amy's mouth was hanging wide open, shocked. _How could she not have considered that before?_ Alex thought. _907 years of time-travel is a bit long to have traveled on your own for._ She was pulled out of these thoughts by Amy asking "And just out of these friends, how many would you say, just out of curiosity, were girls?"

The Doctor looked at her, clearly nervous but trying to hide it. "Oh," he said, stalling for time. He walked around the console. "Some of them I suppose must've been," he answered vaguely. Alex rolled her eyes. _Liar, liar, pants on fire! Remember Rose? You knew SHE was a girl!_

The Doctor pressed a few buttons on the console. "Hard to tell, it's a gray area," he lied. Alex figured he knew _exactly _how many girls had traveled with him.

Amy watched him and looked at him as though she knew better. "Under half? Over half?"

The Doctor put a hand on the console and another on his hip, clearly uncomfortable with these questions Amy was hurling at him. "Probably…slightly," he said slowly, "a little bit over."

Amy nodded, as though a point had been proven. "Young?"

"Everyone's young compared to me," the Doctor answered evasively. _That's not what she meant and you know it!_ Alex thought but she was enjoying watching the Doctor squirm, and wondered if Amy could get any more information out of him about previous TARDIS passengers.

Amy smiled at him. "Were they…hot?" she asked, stepping around the console.

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no, not really, not at all!" the Doctor said quickly. Alex raised an eyebrow at him. Even though he had resisted Amy's advances, the Doctor had to have noticed whether his female passengers were good-looking or not at some point. Rose was a prime example.

"Probably not," he added, scratching his cheek nervously. He shrugged. "Maybe one or two. I didn't really notice."

Amy looked at him mischievously. "Well….this big old machine must have some kind of visual records." Her eyes glittered dangerously, expressing a deep desire to see something the Doctor desperately wanted to keep hidden.

The Doctor groaned, afraid of this. "Oh God, Amy, no, and anyway, they're voice-locked!"

Amy laughed. "Ah, voice-locked!" she repeated as the Doctor pressed his back to the console. "So…I would just have to say 'Show me old visual records of previous TARDIS inhabitants'?" Alex smiled. She knew what Amy was trying to do, and frankly, she approved.

Luckily, the Doctor hadn't caught on to her scheme. Instead, looking smug, he replied "No, no, no, no, no, I mean _voice-locked_. _I _would have to say 'Show me old visual records of previous TARDIS inhabitants'."

As he was speaking, Amy was walking over to him. When he finished this declaratory sentence, Amy patted his shoulder and smiled at him. "Aw, thank you!" she chirped in a manner similar to Alex. A _whoop _sounded out around them and Amy waltzed over to the railing to look at the giant screen on the wall while the Doctor looked around, panicked.

"No!" he cried, throwing a look up at the ceiling. "No! No! NO!" he cried in defeat as what sounded like a lottery machine began sounding around them. He went over to Amy and leaned against the railing, looking at the screen. From Alex's angle, his back was tense, something easily seen due to his shirt. Again, Alex licked her lips, pleased at the site.

Amy's and Alex's jaws collectively dropped as a bunch of black and white pictures of attractive girls went past on the screen. Alex had figured the Doctor had traveled with some companions before, but not _this _many! Amy laughed as numerous women passed. "Ooh, Gandalf," she said in a scandalized voice to the Doctor.

The Doctor swatted her hand and stormed back over to the console. "Thanks, thanks dear," he sarcastically thanked the ceiling, glaring at it. "Miss out the metal dog why don't you?" Alex frowned. _Metal dog? Now there's a story!_

Amy was still peering intently at the photos. "Is that a leather bikini?" she called out. Alex's attention shot back to the screen, but unfortunately, she missed that photo. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the Doctor was smiling, evidently knowing who Amy was referring to.

That smile suddenly faded though as the Doctor's bipolar-ness kicked in again. "That's it!" he declared, rushing around the console to yank at a lever. "Rory, we're gonna find Rory, and we're gonna find him _now_!"

Amy looked over her shoulder. "He's at stag night!" she dismissed. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and flounced up to the Doctor, a seductive/smirking look on her face, a look Alex never thought possible until now. "And we don't need to disrupt him, now do we?" She fingered his braces and moved to kiss him again while the Doctor hastily tried to back away.

Alex's ears were ringing and her breath was coming out in short gasps. Her blood was racing and boiling, all her nerves were frayed and heightened all at once, and all she could see was Amy kissing him when she had no right to. She couldn't take this anymore. Before she could even think, she stepped out from the doorway and loudly called out "Amelia Jessica Pond, for God's sake, stop it!"

Both Amy and the Doctor screamed when Alex surprised them. "AAHHH!" they both yelped, springing apart. They turned to look at her, both of them looking horrified. Amy even had the decency to look mortified, especially as Alex looked pretty damn frightening descending the steps, a critical and pissed off look on her face.

The Doctor wisely chose to stay silent, meanwhile panicking on the inside. _Dear God, how much did she see? How much did she hear?!_ He thought as Alex went up to Amy, a crocodile smile gracing her face.

"Doctor," she said faux sweetly, making her seem even more threatening, "why don't you go get changed and then get Rory while Amy and I have a little chat?" Alex looked at Amy the whole time during this, eyes narrowed, making Amy gulp. Then, without another word, Alex stormed off.

Amy looked at the Doctor, panicked. "Come with me!" she pleaded, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him up the stairs.

The Doctor held his ground though. "What? Why?" he demanded, removing Amy's hand from him.

"Because she is obviously furious and seeing her furious makes me terrified!"

"Oh, come on Amy," the Doctor groaned exasperatedly. It didn't seem likely that Alex could get so infuriated that it would literally terrify someone, especially someone like Amy Pond.

"I never told you this," Amy ignored him, "but the first time I met her was when she almost _ran me over_."

The Doctor gaped at her. "_What_?"

"She was angry, she had had a fight with her grandmother and she was letting off steam." Amy paused for dramatic effect. "With her _car_. She was probably going over a hundred miles an hour. She would've hit me and Rory had we not jumped out of the way and had she not swerved and nearly hit a tree."

"Well I seriously doubt she's going to kill you," the Doctor said dryly.

"You've never seen her fight with my friend Mels," Amy protested. "If Rory and I let her, she'd tear her _limb from limb_."

"AMELIA!" Alex yelled, causing Amy to jump and squeak. Alex appeared again and let out a frustrated sigh when she saw Amy still with the Doctor. Before Amy could object, Alex had grabbed her wrist and was pulling her out of the console room.

* * *

Five minutes later, the Doctor had changed clothes, having found a new tweed jacket in his room to replace the one he had lost to the Angels. He had located Rory and had landed them in Leadworth, but for now, he was in the control room, listening to all the yelling coming from the wardrobe room. He hadn't even needed to reprimand Amy; Alex was doing it for him.

Meanwhile in the wardrobe room, Alex dug through a bunch of clothes racks. She was still pretty angry, judging by the way she kept slamming the metal hangers together, making them CLANK furiously. "For God's sake Amy, are you crazy?!" she cried as she pulled out a leather jacket and passed it to Amy, who was standing a little ways away, watching her nervously. Alex had been yelling at her and scolding for five minutes as she dug through the wardrobe, passing articles of clothing to her.

"He is an alien, and may I remind you, we don't know that much about him!" Alex was saying as she tossed a pair of black tights over to Amy. "For all we know, he's married and has a couple of kids somewhere!"

"I doubt that," Amy spoke up, her first words since Alex had dragged her in here. When Alex turned to give her a deadly look, she quickly added "I mean, don't you remember how he evaded my question on if he was a parent back on Starship U.K.? He looked so sad."

Alex's face relaxed and she nodded. She remembered thinking that the Doctor probably hadn't answered Amy because of painful reasons. She turned back to the rack and went through the clothes on it, this time not banging the hangers together. "Okay, forgetting the kid angle, but we still don't much about him! And also, you pretty much attacked him! Or at least, I'm assuming, judging by what I heard."

"Which was how much by the way?" Amy asked, hoping Alex hadn't heard….well, really any of it.

Alex glowered at her. "Enough," she replied. She pulled out a denim mini-skirt, crossed over and held it up to Amy, and then pressed it in her hands. "Here, take that."

"Okay, why are you yelling at me and giving me new items for my closet?" Amy questioned, studying the skirt in a nearby mirror. It was pretty cute. She had to give it to Alex; the girl had good fashion sense.

"That is what you are wearing when we meet Rory," Alex explained. She crossed her arms, looking pretty pleased with herself. "He was always gawking at you in those skirts. He won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

"Are you saying the Doctor is taking Rory with us somewhere?!" Amy sounded horror-stricken at the thought and Alex narrowed her eyes again.

"Amy, Rory is your fiancé," she reminded her. "You love him, he loves you, the whole shebang. It is my duty as maid of honor to make sure that you two remain together, despite your school-girl crush on the Doctor."

Amy studied her carefully. Alex had always had a good poker face, but there was always a little tell-tell way of knowing when she was holding something back. Her posture would suddenly stiffen, her voice would become more defensive than usual, and her eyes would briefly look at the ground before quickly coming back up again. Right now, her voice was defensive and her posture stiff. "Alex," she said slowly, "why do you care so much?"

Alex stomped her foot impatiently. "Didn't you hear a word I just said?" she cried, turning around. She let out a hot breath of air and began to repeat herself. "Okay, as your maid of honor-,"

"Yeah, yeah, I got that bit!" Amy interrupted. She placed the clothes down on a nearby shelf and went up to Alex. Turning her around, she looked at Alex closely, trying to spot whatever she was hiding. "But Alex…this is more than mild interest. There's another reason why you don't want me to get involved with the Doctor. What is it?"

Alex shrugged in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. "I'm concerned for Rory, that's all," she answered. She went over and started poking through a bin packed with ballet flats. "I mean, he's practically obsessed with you. If you reject him, he's not going to bounce back so easily."

Amy could see the truth in those words, but she knew there was something else as well. "Yeah, you have a point there but are you sure there isn't anything else?"

Alex laughed dryly. "Of course there isn't!" she assured her, stepping away from the bin and walking over to a shirt rack. She started flipping through clothes at a rapid speed, not even registering them as she began talking rapidly. "I mean, what other reason could there be? The Doctor's attractive and I know he's a damn good kisser but you belong with Rory! He's perfect for you!"

But Amy barely heard this last part. She had immediately figured out what was making Alex so crazy and eager to shove Rory and her in a locked closet for a few hours. And all it had taken was a little slip of Alex's tongue. "Oh my gosh!" she cried, her eyes wide and gawking at Alex.

Alex looked over at her, taking in her shocked expression. "What?" she demanded, not registering what she had accidentally revealed.

Amy squealed, looking as though Alex had just given her all of the gold locked up in Fort Knox. "You're in love with him! You're in love with the Doctor!"

Alex gaped at her. "WHAT?!" she cried.

Amy bounced up and down. "You," she said, rushing over and banging her fingertips excitedly on Alex's shoulder, "are in LOVE with the DOCTOR!"

Alex slapped a hand over Amy's mouth. "Would you be quiet?" she hissed, throwing a look over her shoulder. If the Doctor ever heard that, she'd die. "He'll hear you!"

Amy swatted Alex's hand away and continued bouncing up and down. Alex could now see how all that bouncing could be exhausting to another person. "God, no wonder you were so pissed with me!" Amy remarked. "I mean, you were jealous! Pure, simple jealousy!"

Alex shook her head. "No, no, that's not it," she weakly tried but Amy wasn't having any of it.

"It explains a lot actually," Amy was saying as she began pacing the ground floor of the wardrobe room. "I mean, you're so different around him! You're not as uptight and strict as usual - no offense by the way - but more…_bubbly _and flirty."

"I'm already bubbly," Alex tried.

Amy shrugged. "True, but even more so around him. It's weird. Plus, you two are constantly finishing each-other's sentences. And it's like you know what the other is thinking all the time." She paused, thinking all of this over. "I've never seen anything like it. Certainly not with me and Rory, and nobody else I know. It's…" She paused again, looking for the right word. "Unique," she finally decided.

Alex couldn't help but think that that was how River had described the relationship between the man she had killed and his girlfriend she had attempted to kill.

"Maybe so," she conceded to Amy, "but everyone's interactions with others are different."

"Yes, but not like this," Amy persisted. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I can't describe it," she admitted. "There aren't any words good enough to describe it, none that I can think of anyways."

Alex looked at her for a moment before turning back to the clothes racks. "What on earth gave you such a cockamamie idea?"

Amy grinned at her. "Because you said the Doctor had kissed you!" she teased.

Alex about spat and quickly went over everything she had said to Amy. _I did NOT say that-,_ she started but then a slight wording caught her attention and she winced. _Oh crap, I DID say that!_

Amy clapped her hands triumphantly at the embarrassed look on her friend's face. "I knew it!" she crowed. "When did this happen? And more importantly, why did you not tell me about it? I wouldn't have snogged him if I knew!"

Alex highly doubted that statement but chose not to comment on it. "Not that long ago actually," she confessed. If she didn't come clean right away, Amy would just badger her about it for all of eternity. "He came back when you had your eyes closed because of the Angels and just…kissed me."

Amy's eyes glittered. "And how was it?"

Alex blushed in spite of herself. Pretty damn good did nothing to describe it. "Let's just say I don't entirely blame you for wanting to test his kissing skills tonight," she said evasively.

Amy cackled. "Ha! I knew it! 907 years is _plenty _of time to practice THAT!" She finished her laughing and quickly became serious again, or as serious as she could actually get. "What happened next?"

"Well, he pulled back and when I tried to stop him, he said he had to go." Alex stopped for a moment, reflecting. "He kissed me on the forehead and then he went back and joined River…I think."

Amy frowned at her, her brow furrowing. "You _think_?" she repeated dubiously.

Alex nodded, deciding to let Amy in on her weird suspicions regarding the Doctor during that kiss. "Yeah. It's kinda weird. You probably don't remember but he had lost his-,"

"Tweed jacket, I know," Amy interrupted. She gave her a wry look. "I couldn't help but notice how tight that shirt is on him."

Alex gave her a look but continued on. "Anyway, when he came back over to me, I reached out to him and I felt it."

Amy frowned. "But that's impossible. He wasn't wearing it at the flight deck. I wouldn't put it past him to have a spare but where would he keep it? If he'd had it at the flight deck, he'd have been wearing it."

"Exactly!" Alex exclaimed, pleased that someone else could see this besides her. "I was about to ask him about it and that's when he kissed me."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Maybe he was trying to shut you up so you wouldn't ask. Or so you'd forget. Or both."

Alex snorted. "Well, he should've known that wouldn't have worked." She ran a hand through her hair, completely baffled by this puzzle. "He was acting so different. Almost…sorrowful. Like something was upsetting him, but he wasn't like that before or after that. It was a one-time thing."

Amy thought for a moment. "What if, and this is going to sound crazy, what if it wasn't him at all, at least not the one we know?"

Alex felt some pieces beginning to click in her head. "You mean…like a future version?" she asked.

"Yes! Exactly! I mean, it's not _completely_ impossible…is it?"

Alex laughed dryly. "Amy, after all the things we've seen, I think there are very few things that are _completely_ impossible." She stopped and thought for a minute. "But it definitely makes the most sense. If you were going to go back in time to see someone, why? What'd be your motivation behind it?"

Amy mulled over this before answering "Because something bad had happened in the future to whomever you were seeing. Or something was about to happen to you."

Alex swallowed thickly. This last possibility seemed to be the most likely. If something bad was going to happen to a future version of the Doctor, what about herself and Amy? Something in the future had to be affecting them as well. "He must've come back because in the future, something big and bad is happening and it affects all of us. Maybe…maybe he meant to put this little seed in our minds so we'd know what to expect when that future occurs."

Amy nodded, trying to keep up with her logic. "Or so we can figure out an alternative to the future."

"He told you to remember something that he told you when you were seven," Alex recalled. She began pacing, trying to make all of this information form into a clear and concise picture. "Are you positive that there was nothing he specifically told you to remember?"

Amy wearily shook her head. "Nothing other than to trust him, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't travel back in time to tell me that."

Alex gave her a doubtful look. "You never know," she said, her voice almost matching River Song's whenever she said something cryptic. "Trust can mean a lot to people. Sometimes it's the only thing that will make them act on something."

"Perhaps," Amy conceded. She turned her head to look at the wardrobe room door and, satisfied that no one was there, turned back. "Well, we can't really worry about a future we don't know much about. What do we do in the meantime?"

Alex sighed. She wished she could ask the Doctor what he thought but she had a strange suspicion that if she did that, it would cause even more problems. "I think that for now, we keep all of this quiet from the Doctor. I hate to say it, but I agree with one thing that River said today; it can be dangerous to know your own future before you experience it. It can make people rash, make them volatile, make them so desperate to change it that they end up making things worse. As far as the Doctor is concerned, we sat there quietly in the clearing until all the clerics disappeared. As far as he knows, you got so scared by the Angel in your mind that you decided to kiss him." Amy looked like she wanted to object at this, but a glare from Alex silenced her.

"In the meantime," she continued, "we watch. There might be some clues hinting to what might happen in the future. We can prepare for it and maybe lead the Doctor in the right direction when the time occurs. For now, we act as normally as possible and watch and wait."

"Watch and wait," Amy repeated. "Okay, got it." She was silent for a moment when something suddenly occurred to her and she grinned. "Still doesn't explain one thing though."

Alex gave her a surprised look. "What thing?"

"Why the Doctor kissed you," Amy smiled.

Alex rolled her eyes. "For God's sakes Amy! We don't know what kind of future he was coming from! People do stupid things when crazy and awful events happen to them!"

"Maybe he thought it was his last chance to kiss you before whatever happened," Amy mused, ignoring Alex's protests. "Maybe he's in love with you too!"

"All of this wedding business has made you positively loony," Alex retorted. "Everywhere you look now, there's romance and passion when it's really just some guy arguing with his boss about being late for work."

"You just don't want to admit you like him like that!" Amy declared. Noticing Alex's stubborn silence, she cockily smiled. "I KNEW it! I _knew _it! I have an eye for these things!"

"Would you turn that eye into making sure you get those clothes on before we pick up Rory?" Alex asked, beginning to make her way towards the doors. "I need to go find the Doctor before he goes off. Knowing him, he'll do something completely ridiculous, like crash Rory's stag or something."

But Amy wasn't having that. Quick as a wink, she grabbed Alex's wrist and flung her down in front of a small mirrored vanity that hadn't been there a few moments before. Alex sent a suspicious look up at the ceiling and the TARDIS murmured in reply. It almost sounded like she _agreed _with Amy and was determined to get Alex to realize it as well. "Amy, what are you-,"

"If you're going to make me get changed so Rory will gawk at me and make me realize why I am engaged to him, then I'm making sure another member of our party will do the same to you."

Alex felt her blood pulse, knowing that there was no way she could get out of this, no matter how hard she tried. "Amy-," she tried again, but once again, her friend cut her off.

"Don't object! You're not getting out of this!" Amy quickly dug around in a rack of dresses. "Now, I think red looks good on you, but we should really find something to accent those eyes of yours…"

Alex sighed in defeat and slumped back in her chair. "Remind me again why I'm friends with you?"

Amy smirked. "Because I haven't collected a single rent payment since the day you moved in despite your attempts to force the money on me and because you love me."

Alex sighed, knowing that all of this was very, very true.

A/N: Wow, Alex gets REALLY jealous, doesn't she? I'd be afraid to get in a fight with her over the Doctor, lol. Don't worry, there's PLENTY more jealousy to come! And tomorrow, we start 'Vampires in Venice'. Yay! Lots planned for that, including a very-angry Doctor? Hmm...:)

Notes on reviews...

**rycbar15 **- Here's the chapter you couldn't wait for! Hope it didn't disappoint!

**ElysiumPhoenix **- So much for Amy not kissing him. That was kinda shot to hell, huh? But at least Alex put her in her place. :) And don't worry. I will say that from here on out, Amy will be much more in tune with the Doctor and Alex's interactions than she has been. :)

**Gwilwillith **- A bit of tension, but not too much. I'll admit that I'm not much of an angst writer, but I'm working on that. :)

Thank you to **rycbar15**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, **Gwilwillith**, and **Lynn Kyzar **for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	19. The Vampires in Venice Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Doctor Who.

Ten minutes later, Amy had finally coerced Alex into a gray jumpsuit with shorts and a strappy top, black heeled leather boots that reached to mid-calf, large hoop earrings, and a faux emerald necklace so as to make Alex's eyes stand out. Looking over herself in the mirror, Alex had to admit that she looked pretty good. Her eyes were sparkling and looked more green than brown and her legs seemed never-ending. She originally wanted to wear black tights with the outfit, but Amy wouldn't let her, saying that Alex's legs were an absolute godsend. And, of course, she was right.

Amy had also changed and Alex had to say that she looked pretty good as well. Amy went to stand beside her in front of the mirror. "They won't know what hit them!" she joked.

Alex giggled a little. "Yeah, but I still think this whole idea of yours is ridiculous. The Doctor is not in love with me nor me with him and I wish you would get that through your skull already."

But Amy again ignored her, a skill one acquired when dealing with Alex. "Come on!" she cried, dragging Alex out of the room. "Let's go see how my fiancé is."

The Doctor had already gotten Rory by the time they got to the console room. And just as Alex had expected, poor Rory had been dragged directly from his stag party, the Doctor saying something about popping out of a cake as they approached the door. Alex shook her head. She knew she should've gone with him. No doubt she could've explained things a lot better and a bit more tactfully than the Doctor ever could.

Glancing over, Alex noticed that Amy looked rather nervous. Not that she was surprised; she had tried to cheat on her fiancé just an hour earlier and now, here was said fiancé, probably not very happy about this news while also being overwhelmed with a spaceship that was bigger on the inside along with its nutty pilot. _Nutty, but cute, _Alex couldn't help but think.

Seeing Amy hesitate, Alex pushed her into the room. This made the men look up. Rory's face brightened when he saw her but quickly dimmed, remembering what the Doctor had told him about Amy kissing him. The Doctor, meanwhile, was still looking up at the door, as though expecting something or someone else. Amy watched him the whole time, purposely not looking at Rory since she still felt a little weird about having him here, taking in the slightly disappointed expression on the Doctor's face when Alex didn't immediately show up. This only confirmed her suspicions about the Doctor and Alex; both of them were attracted to each-other in ways that others couldn't imagine. It was a connection all their own that they needed to recognize.

As soon as the Doctor turned and went down the steps leading under the console, Alex came in. She really did look good, almost radiant, as she descended the steps. And no one, not even Alex, could miss the way the Doctor's head banged against the glass in shock when he caught sight of her through the glass floor.

"Rory!" Alex squealed, launching herself into the taken-aback man's arms. Nevertheless, he recovered quickly and hugged her back.

"Alex," he greeted. He pulled back slightly to study her. She still seemed cheerful and determined, her usual self, but there was something different about her, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Alex moved back and cocked an eyebrow at him. "So? How was the bachelor party?"

Rory shifted. "Fine," he said evasively. "Most everyone was a little disappointed with the cake though."

Alex nodded and cast a look down at the Doctor. "Those idiots were probably half-expecting _me _to pop out," she snidely remarked. From underneath them, there was another bang and then what sounded like a torch being drilled.

"Probably," Rory admitted. It was no secret that all the single males of Leadworth thought that Alex was the hottest girl next to Amy to ever grace the town.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, everyone feeling that awkwardness that comes when couples have a disagreement or a falling out. It was hard to classify Amy and Rory's current debacle, but it was awkward nevertheless. Therefore, Alex was almost grateful when the Doctor suddenly started up, blabbering on about love and whatnot, even though she suspected most of it was nonsense.

"…the life out there, it dazzles!" he was saying as he welded something. Alex had the sneaking suspicion that he probably wasn't meant to be messing around with the controls like that. "I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans."

At that moment, there was a slight explosion from where he was working, causing Rory to jump. "Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed before glowering at the origin of the spark. "It's meant to do that!"

_Is not,_ Alex thought, rolling her eyes, but the Doctor was talking again so she tuned back in.

"Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back…, it _will _tear you apart." He looked up at them triumphantly through the glass. "So, I'm sending you somewhere, together."

"Whoa!" Amy stepped forward, clearly nervous. "What, like a date?"

"Anywhere you want. Any time you want," the Doctor assured him as he leapt out of his harness and came up to the console. He cast a lingering eye on Alex before continuing. "One condition. It has to be amazing."

"The Moulin Rouge in…1890!" Alex suggested, bouncing slightly. If she remembered correctly, her family had been a silent partner in the popular nightspot until the late 1950s.

"The first Olympic Games!" the Doctor jumped in. "Think of it as a wedding present, because it's either this or game tokens."

Alex smirked. "And personally, I'd rather have the free trip." However, neither Amy nor Rory would comment. Of course, this was probably because Rory was still looking around the TARDIS in disbelief, something that was bound to be expected when encountering such a thing as a bigger on the inside ship.

The Doctor noticed Rory's stunned expression and as he walked up the stairs, he smirked and called over his shoulder "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension," Rory revealed.

"It's basically another dimen-," The Doctor's voice cut off and he turned to stare at Rory in shock. "What?"

Rory shrugged. "After Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes…"

The Doctor descended the stairs and stepped closer to Rory, his expression expressing both disappointment and slight anger. "I like the bit when someone says 'It's bigger on the inside!' I always look forward to that bit."

Alex giggled slightly and quickly hopped up to balance on the railing surrounding the console. "Aw, poor Doctor," she pouted, sticking out her bottom lip in fake sympathy. "He doesn't get to show off his TARDIS for once!"

The Doctor shot Alex a playful glare which quickly fell as he caught sight of her protruding bottom lip. _Oh, the things I could do to that lip,_ he thought absently but immediately mentally smacked himself. What the hell was he thinking, thinking of Alex like that?! No doubt if she ever heard those thoughts, she'd slap him silly!

Well, maybe not.

Amy noticed the Doctor looking at Alex, seemingly thinking over something. She smiled to herself. She KNEW the Doctor had a thing for Alex! "So…this date," she cut in, "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think Rory?"

Alex looked over at the Doctor mischievously. "How about somewhere…romantic?" she suggested. A beat later, the Doctor pulled a lever down on the console and they were off. Rory, a little surprised by the bumpy ride, gripped onto a railing as though his life depended on it.

The second the TARDIS landed, the Doctor raced to the doors. Alex was right behind him, followed by Amy and Rory. The Doctor threw them open to reveal a bustling market place sometime in the 1500s, everyone dressed in proper attire. But what caught Alex's attention the most was the large canal just a few feet away from them. She shifted aside to allow Amy and Rory to pass, but remained in the doorway, staring ahead trance-like.

"Venice!" the Doctor cheered, throwing his arms out wide, completely ignorant of Alex's discomfort. "Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city! Preposterous city! Founded by-,"

"Founded by refugees from Attila the Hun," Alex recited, deciding that sprouting off a bunch of facts would help calm her down from the possibility of falling in the canal a few feet away. "It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding…" She paused, trying to see if there was anything else but the Doctor took control again.

"Constantly beautiful!" he finished. He twirled around the marketplace, either ignoring or just not noticing the people who were staring at him and the TARDIS. "Oh, you gotta love Venice," he remarked as he eyed a young woman nearby. The girl blushed, lowered her head, and walked away, clearly be smitten. Amy glanced over at Alex to see if there was an inkling of jealousy in her after witnessing that, but Alex wasn't really listening, still frozen in the TARDIS doorway.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was still talking. "…many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova, oh!" He frantically glanced down at his watch. "That reminds me! 1580." He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's all right," he said to himself. "Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty five years. Don't want to run into him! I owe him a chicken."

Rory stared at him. "You owe Casanova a chicken?"

The Doctor waved the question off. "Long story…we had a bet," he dismissed. He expected Alex to jump in, demanding to know what the bet was and otherwise just pestering him until he finally cracked and told her. However, she was silent. He turned around and was surprised not to see her. For a split second, his hearts sped up and he panicked. Had he lost her? Oh God, if anything ever happened to her, he'd never forgive himself…

It was then that he noticed Amy standing by the TARDIS, seemingly talking to someone. He crossed back over and was surprised and a little worried to see Alex standing in the doorway, her hands clutching either side of the doorframe, staring vacantly at the canal in front of them. For a second, he thought something had invaded her mind again but he was quickly reassured when Alex glanced over at him before blinking and turning back to the canal.

"Ally?" he said hesitantly, trying not to startle her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and noticed the way her muscles were tensed. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," Alex said shakily. "Just…water. So easy to drown in, you know. So deep and cold and weighting…" She sounded as though she were reliving a memory, the memory of the night where her parents died and she had almost drowned.

The Doctor mentally slapped himself again. Dammit! How could he have been so stupid? Alex couldn't handle water. If she was nervous to be around a swimming pool, Venice was like Ground Zero for her. "Ally, if you want to stay in the TARDIS, it's fine…"

Alex blinked and took a deep breath. She knew which option sounded more appealing to her. In the TARDIS, she'd be perfectly safe without having to worry about drowning in a canal. But at the same time, she'd be missing out on an adventure that many people would never experience. Plus, despite how she felt about some aspects of Venice, she had to admit that it was a beautiful city. How many people ever got to see it, let alone during the 1500s?

Releasing her breath, Alex courageously stepped away from the TARDIS and shut the door. She turned to the Doctor and linked her arm through his, taking in his surprised but pleased expression. "I'm fine," she said, her voice a little less steady than she would've liked. "Let's go."

The Doctor grinned and quickly rushed her away from the canal. He was so happy that she had decided to come along. Not that he would've forced her into coming had she decided to sit this one out, but he would've been disappointed with not having her right next to him. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry, it's Venice," he whispered to her. "What could possibly go wrong?"

But before Alex could object to this question - something was always going wrong with the Doctor around - they were suddenly stopped by an official in black robes. "Papers if you please!" he barked, standing in front of them to keep them from going any further into the city. "Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection!"

The Doctor calmly reached into his pocket and removed his psychic paper. As he held it open before the official's eyes, he calmly said "There you go fella. All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."

The official snatched the paper from his hands and examined it. Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes wide as he stared at the group before returning to the Doctor and Alex. He hastily bowed, making Alex, Amy, and Rory frown in confusion while the Doctor simply watched him, as if this was an everyday occurrence. "I am _so _sorry, Your Holiness," the official begged. Alex was about to burst into laughter when the official turned, took her hand, and kissed it. "Your Royal Highness," he continued, making Alex's eyes go wide. Stunned, she did a flimsy curtsey as the official went on. "I didn't realize."

The Doctor patted him on the shoulder and retrieved the psychic paper. "No worries, you were just doing your job."

Alex quickly stepped in. "I'm sorry, but what is your job exactly?"

"Checking for aliens," the official calmly replied. Alex bit down on her lip, trying not to look at the Doctor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amy giggling. "Visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them."

"Oh, that's nice," Amy groaned before fixing a deep glare on the Doctor. "See where you bring me? The PLAGUE!" She wacked his arm for emphasis.

"Don't worry, Vicountess," the official assured her, bowing as Amy rolled her eyes, sighed, and gave a regal-looking nod. "We're under quarantine here. No one comes in, no one goes out and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri!" The official presented a thick book, the cover embossed with an Italian family seal.

"How interesting," the Doctor murmured, staring at the seal. "I heard the plague died out years ago." He said this in such a way that you knew that he actually knew the answer.

"Not out there!" the official protested, nodding towards the horizon. "No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes; streets are piled high with bodies, she says!"

The Doctor frowned in thought. "Did she now?"

Without another word, the Doctor pulled Alex down the street as the official hurried off to accost some other poor tourist. Rory grabbed the psychic paper from the Doctor and examined it. A funny look crossed his face. "Um, according to this, I'm your eunuch!" he called out to Amy.

Amy whirled around and a funny look crossed her face as well, trying to process this. "Uh, yeah, I'll explain later," she said vaguely before hurrying off after the Doctor and Alex.

Ahead of them, Alex wacked the Doctor on the head. "Eunuch?" she repeated. "Really?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind!" the Doctor protested.

Alex rolled her eyes and called out "Rory, what does that thing say about me?"

Rory examined it again. "Uh, Her Royal Highness Alexandria, Princess of France," he recited.

Alex turned and cocked an eyebrow at the Doctor. "A princess?" she whistled. "Of France? My oh my, you think highly of me."

The Doctor smirked at her. "That might've said you were my wife if I wasn't pretending to be the Pope." The Doctor honestly didn't know why that came out of his mouth. Somewhere along the way, his and Alex's bantering had turned into flirting. And her in that revealing outfit only intensified it.

Alex blushed brightly. "By the way, what is that paper?"

"Psychic paper," the Doctor explained. "It allows a person to see whatever I want them to see."

Alex's eyes brightened. "Sounds incredible!" she squealed. She paused, thinking of something. "Do you think I'd be able to read it? What with my mind and all?"

The Doctor thought about this. "I'm not sure," he admitted. He reached over and grabbed the paper out of Rory's hands. They stopped walking as he thrust the wallet under Alex's nose. "See anything?"

Alex squinted, but all she could see was a blank piece of aged paper. She shook her head. "Nope, sorry," she said, hardly surprised.

Rory peeked over her shoulder. "Really?" he said doubtfully, the only one in the group unaware of Alex's mental prowess. "It clearly says _Trust me, I'm the Doctor_."

"Alex's mind is a little different from other humans," the Doctor explained. He pocketed the psychic paper and pulled Alex a little closer to him. "Things designed to trick the mind, like psychic paper, don't work on her."

"I wish we knew why," Alex moaned. She ran a hand through her hair, causing it to become unkempt. The Doctor eyed it. He thought it looked pretty good like that, all tousled and wild. He knew he really shouldn't be thinking stuff like that, especially when they involved Alex, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe it was her outfit that was making him react this way. She certainly looked good in it.

During this conversation, the group found themselves wandering onto a large covered walkway overlooking the canal. Boats bobbed up and down in the marble blue water, a light breeze rippling their sails every few seconds. Across from the walkway was a large plaza, right in front of a stone fortress. Alex and the Doctor leaned up against the stone railing, eyeing the fortress while Amy and Rory laughed and commented on the scenery.

The two watched as several girls in full-length dresses and shawls came to the doorway of the fortress. Alex squinted at them, trying to get a good look at them. At first glance, they all appeared about her age but suddenly, her vision shifted and she was alarmed to see green lizard creatures standing in the girls' places. She sucked in a breath and blinked rapidly. But by the time she had done this, an older regal looking woman had stepped in front of the girls and ordered them to put down their veils. Down went the veils and up came several white parasols.

"Geez, they're really concerned about getting sunburn here," Alex joked, trying to take her mind off what she had just seen. Had that been a perception filter? If it had been, it must've been a pretty strong one due to the fact that it took a minute for her mind to bypass it.

The corners of the Doctor's mouth turned upwards a little at her words but they quickly went back down again as they watched what happened next. An African man in simple peasant clothing came running up to the girls. He flung up a few of their veils before finally reaching the one he was looking for. He seemed to be pleading with her, trying to get her to come with him when one of the other girls approached him and pushed him to the ground. The other girls quickly swept the one girl off as the man attempted to get up, but was stopped by another man for a moment. The latter spoke to him for a moment before flouncing off with a kind of walk that screamed upper-class and elegance.

"What the hell?" Alex said before finding herself being dragged by the Doctor down to the fortress. The duo bobbed and weaved through the crowd before reaching an exposed stone alleyway. Ivy crept up a few of the walls and some laundry had been hung above them but instead of taking in the details, Alex focused her attention on the man they had been watching, who was now at the end of the alleyway.

The Doctor released her hand and leapt onto the bottom step of a series of stairs on the building the man had just passed. "Who were those girls?" he swiftly demanded, not bothering to waste time. Alex had to admire the way he went straight to the point.

The man turned to stare at them, taking in Alex's revealing outfit for a moment before turning to address the Doctor. "I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri School."

"Our first day here," Alex explained. She leaned up against a wall and crossed her arms and ankles. Despite her casual stance, you could tell she was determined to figure out what was going on here. One look into her currently honey-colored eyes confirmed this, for they were filled with determination and authority.

The Doctor jumped down from his perch and stepped towards the man. "Okay, parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools," he theorized. "They move house, they change religion." He paused for a moment, allowing someone to walk past without hearing them. He leaned towards the man in a conspiring manner. "So why are you trying to get her _out_?

"Something happens in there," the man explained worriedly. "Something magical, something…_evil_. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face…" He trailed off and Alex could see the fear and worry in his eyes. "Like an animal."

Alex pursed her lips and right in chime with the Doctor said "I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri." The two looked at each-other, slightly startled but grinned nevertheless.

"Seems to be a reoccurring thing," Alex snickered, her eyes twinkling.

"We seem to be making a habit of it," the Doctor joked, making Alex giggle slightly.

The man stared at them, transfixed. Never in his life had he seen a couple who radiated such passion and depth in just a few spoken words as these two did. "Quite an interesting couple you two are," he commented.

The Doctor and Alex's eyes widened and they hastily shook their heads. "N-no, no, w-we're not…" the Doctor stuttered, blinking nervously.

"We're not a couple," Alex said adamantly. She stepped a little ways away from the Doctor to emphasize her point but the man still didn't look convinced.

"Really?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "It certainly seems like it."

The Doctor rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Oh humans," he groaned, casting an agitated look towards the sky. "Always asking personal questions!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Ignore him," she advised. "And speaking of personal questions, what's your name?"

"I am Guido."

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor greeted. "I'm the Doctor - and it's just the Doctor before you ask - and this gorgeous girl next to me is Alex Locke."

Alex felt her cheeks flame up at this. Maybe she should listen to Amy more often. This outfit certainly seemed to be fulfilling its purpose. "Thank you Doc!" she chirped.

"I thought I told you not to call me that," the Doctor objected.

Alex giggled mischievously, the sound ringing in the Doctor's ears. "Maybe, but it's a lot of fun," she smirked. She linked arms with him and bounced up and down slightly, relishing in the adrenaline rushing through her.

All the while, Guido stared at them. They certainly _acted _like a couple… "Are you _sure _you're not a couple?" he questioned skeptically.

Both the Doctor and Alex did simultaneous eye-rolls but their hearts sped up as they thought about this interesting assumption. "Is that all you're going to focus on?" the Doctor demanded. "Or do you want to find out what's going on in the school and get your daughter?"

Any and all thoughts about a possible Doctor/Alex romance immediately vanished from Guido's mind. "Isabella," he answered affirmatively. Alex could see the love and determination to save his daughter on his face, as though it had been etched there in stone. He looked at them carefully, the face of a concerned father confirming his words. "I need to save my daughter."

The Doctor grinned and patted Guido on the shoulder. "Exactly what I wanted to hear!" he crowed. He looked over at Alex, a slight smile on his face. "Willing to plan a break-in?" he asked, already knowing her answer.

"Absolutely!" Alex bounced, teetering slightly on her heels before catching herself. "But what about Amy and Rory? Shouldn't we include them?"

The Doctor glanced back in the direction they had come from before replying. "I think we'll let those two sit this one out. They need to work some things out."

Alex nodded. "Right. Can't risk Amy snogging the living daylights out of you again."

"Exactly. Now Guido, you are going to distract the guards while Alex and I investigate…"

It didn't take them long to formulate a plan and before she knew it, Alex was racing across the plaza after the Doctor, her heels clicking slightly on the stone, as Guido loudly distracted the guards, demanding they let him see Isabella. The two stopped and carefully inched their way along a narrow ledge to the side gate. Alex focused on her feet and not the water beneath her, willing herself not to freak out again. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped on stone again. Next to her, the Doctor soniced the lock, the gate swinging open.

The fortress was dark and gloomy and Alex unconsciously grabbed the Doctor's hand. She wasn't normally scared of the dark but she had to admit that this, combined with what she saw earlier, only spelled trouble. Sensing her slight panic, the Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly and gave her a little smile. Alex smiled back. Somehow, despite their precarious situations, she always felt safe around the Doctor. She knew it made about as much sense as being safe when you were surrounded by ten tornados, but that was the truth. Outside, she heard Guido's yelling cease and she knew that all was currently going to plan.

The two made their way down a set of stairs before entering a small room. Three doors lined one wall with a mirror on the wall directly opposite. Alex immediately went over to examine the doors while the Doctor turned to the mirror, grinning as he studied himself.

"Where do these lead?" Alex muttered, trying one. To her dismay, it was locked.

The Doctor didn't hear her though. He was too busy admiring his reflection. "Hello, handsome," he smirked into the mirror. As he fixed his bowtie, he watched Alex's reflection frown and step over to him.

"Are you always so vain?" Alex questioned as she began fussing with her bangs. She fluffed her hair up, trying to give it more volume than it currently possessed.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really? You call me vain when you're busy with your hair?"

Alex stuck her tongue out at him. "Longer hair is harder to manage," she said defensively. "Besides," she added, turning back to the mirror, "you're fussing with your bowtie, which is much worse."

The Doctor was about to retort but he was interrupted by a bunch of voices ringing out. "Who are you?" they demanded.

The two froze and whirled around to find themselves facing five of the girls from earlier. They were all dressed in white nightdresses, their skin pale. Alex and the Doctor swirled back to the mirror and were stunned to see that the girls had no reflection. As Alex simply stared in shock at the girls, the Doctor was busy glancing between them and the mirror while also doing what he did best; rambling.

"How are you doing that?!" he cried. He took a few more back-and-forth glances between them and the mirror. "I…am…_loving it!_ You're like Houdini, only five, slightly scary girls. And he was shorter…_will be _shorter!"

"You're rambling," Alex told him.

"I'll ask you again Signor," the girls chorused. "Who are you?"

The Doctor looked at them, a cocky expression on his face. "Why don't you check _this_ out?" he answered, pulling out a wallet and showing it off to them.

The girls frowned in confusion at it and Alex leaned around him to take a look. Noticing this, the Doctor looked at it and groaned slightly. "Library card," he realized. "Of course, it's with…he's…" He trailed off, silently cursing the complicated effects of regeneration.

Alex yanked the wallet down to her eye-level. "Who the hell is this?" she demanded, recognizing the face of the old man from the Atraxi hologram. "Is this your grandfather or something?"

The Doctor shot Alex a dirty look and snatched the wallet back. "No!" he snapped sharply, tucking it back in his pocket. He focused back on the girls. "Pale creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen…" he mused. He stopped and a look of realization crossed his features.

He turned to Alex, who had already caught up with him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked quickly.

"I think so," the Doctor affirmed. He turned back to the girls. "But the city - why shut down the city? Unless-,"

"Leave now Signor, or we shall call for the steward…" They trailed off and smiled almost flirtatiously at the Doctor, revealing a set of sharp pointy teeth in each one of their mouths. It was at this same moment that Alex's mind finally bypassed the perception filter covering the girls. She squeaked and jumped as she watched the creepy lizard figures in white nightgowns inch towards them while also saying "_If _you're lucky."

"Ooh," the Doctor breathed. Alex sent him a flabbergasted look. _Do you seriously think they're hitting on you right now?_

The girls began advancing on them, their mouths wide open, hissing. The Doctor maneuvered Alex behind him and started backing them up the stairs. "Ally, _run_," he commanded. Alex didn't want to obey but she knew she had to listen to the Doctor. Compromising, she ran to the top of the steps, allowing herself to listen to the rest of the exchange.

"Tell me the whole plan!" the Doctor demanded once she was far away from him. Alex raised an eyebrow. _Really? He actually thought that would work?_ She was proven right a second later when she heard the Doctor mutter to himself "One day that'll work." _Yeah, right_. She listened as he began backing up the steps. "Listen, I would love to stay here. This whole thing…I'm thrilled. Oh, this is Christmas!"

Alex had had about enough of this by now. "Doctor, I swear to God-," she began but there was a sudden hurrying of stomping and she found herself being dragged out of the fortress.

"I thought I told you to run!" the Doctor snapped at her as they ran out onto the plaza.

Alex frowned at him. "I wasn't going to leave you alone!" she objected. They slowed down, passing the guards as casually as possible. Once they were out of sight of the fortress, they immediately began sprinting back towards the walkway. Alex was slightly impressed that she could run in these heels but resolved not to make a habit of it.

When they reached the walkway, they were surprised to see Amy and Rory rushing towards them. Amy sprang into the Doctor's arms and immediately began talking excitedly. "Doctor! Alex!" she cried.

"We just met some vampires!" the Doctor told her as Amy quickly added "We just saw a vampire!"

"You did?" Alex cried, jumping into the conversation.

All three of them started talking over each-other, the energy and adrenaline inside each of them boiling to nearly impossible levels. "…and creepy girls and everything!" the Doctor revealed.

"Vampires!" Alex and Amy squealed. The three of them started jumping and down in excitement, similar to Alex on an adrenaline high, as Rory skidded to a stop beside them.

"We think we just saw a vampire!" he announced a little too late.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the Doctor replied, calming down a little. "Amy was just telling us."

"The Doctor and Alex actually went to their house." Amy laughed and hugged the Doctor, then Alex. She leaned back, breathing heavily. She couldn't remember the last time she had had this much fun.

"Okay." The Doctor patted Rory's face before beginning to pace. "So, first we need to get back in there somehow."

"What?!" Rory cried.

Alex stared at him. "You've seen how guarded that place is," she reminded him. "It'll be really hard to sneak in undetected."

Amy stared at him a little skeptically as well. "How do we do that?" she wondered.

"Back in where?" Rory asked, still ignorant of the vampires residing in a school.

The Doctor threw his arm around Alex's waist, conscious of the thin fabric separating his fingers from her skin. Alex blushed a little at the contact but made no move to stop him. "Come and meet our new friend," he said vaguely as he led Alex off.

Underneath his fingers, he could sense Alex's excitement at this turn of events. "Excited?" he said quietly into her ear.

Alex looked up at him and grinned, her currently light brown eyes glittering. "Yes!" she cried, bouncing on her toes a little to prove her point. She wrapped an arm around the Doctor's shoulders and leaned in to him, relishing in his scent. "I expected I would see a bunch of weird things traveling with you, but _Twilight _vampires were not one of them."

The Doctor groaned. "_Twilight_?" he repeated, his voice exasperated. "Tell me you don't watch those ridiculous films."

Alex laughed. "Of course not! My friend Lacey tried to get me to read the books but I could barely get through them. It was some of the worst writing I'd ever seen." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Amy and Rory weren't listening before turning back and quietly adding "But Amy loves them though. Can't imagine why."

The Doctor snorted a little at this information. "Well, I seriously doubt they're like the vampires you're thinking of."

Alex thought about what she had seen the girls back in the fortress turn into. "Yeah, I think you're right," she agreed. She nibbled on her lip for a moment before adding "I saw something."

"Saw what?"

Alex racked her brain, trying to figure out how to describe the weird creature she had seen the girls turn into. "It's like…the girls; they all turned into this hideous green lizard thing." She thought for a moment, thinking that there was something she had missed. "And, now that I think about it, they kind of seemed fish-like too. Green lizard-fish people." She groaned. "Does that make any sense?"

The Doctor frowned, thinking this over. "Possibly," he admitted. "How long did you see them for?"

"Less than a minute," Alex replied. "I think there's a perception filter on them but it's a really strong one and it takes a minute for my mind to bypass it."

"If what you're saying is true, then we're dealing with really powerful aliens."

Alex sighed and closed her eyes. "Why can't anything be easy?"

The Doctor smirked and plucked a rose off a nearby bush. Pausing, he carefully tucked some of Alex's hair behind her ear and slipped the rose in. Alex blushed and smiled up at him. They didn't even notice the townspeople around them, whispering about the beautiful couple and the extraordinary love that was radiating off them. "Easy is very, very boring," the Doctor told her.

Alex pulled the rose down from her hair to sniff it. "Mmm," she sighed. "My favorite flower, red roses. Best make a note of it for birthdays and holidays."

The Doctor laughed. "Dually noted," he promised, taking the rose and placing it back in her hair.

Behind them, Amy and Rory were watching the two with unabashed astonishment. "Okay, first she lets him call her Ally and now they're basically flirting with each-other?" Rory cried. He gawked at Amy. "When did this happen?"

Amy shrugged. "Almost instantaneously," she guessed. "Seriously, the connection between them…it's like nothing I've ever seen before."

Rory crossed his arms. "He best not hurt her though."

Amy laughed. "Oh, is that the protective side coming out in you?" she teased. Rory had always been a little protective of Alex, since he considered her like a little sister.

"Yes," Rory confirmed. He watched the Doctor and Alex laugh and banter ahead of them. He only hoped that he and Amy could have a relationship like the one the Doctor and Alex shared.

Several minutes later, the group found themselves in Guido's cottage. The cottage was small, but cozy. They were currently in the kitchen, grouped around a large rectangular wooden table, staring at a map of Venice that Guido had brought out. Across from them was a fireplace where a pot cooking something sat. In one corner of the room were a bunch of barrels where Rory was currently sitting. Alex was sitting on the table, her legs propped on a chair. Amy was leaning against one end of the table while the Doctor and Guido were up on the other end by Alex.

"As you saw, there's no clear way in. The House of Calvierri is like a fortress," Guido explained. He ran one of his fingers across the crinkled, aged map. "But, there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself but I hit a trapdoor."

"You need someone on the inside," Amy realized.

"No," the Doctor said quickly, not even looking up from the map.

Amy frowned at him. "You don't even know what I was gonna say!"

"Oh, that we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in," the Doctor answered, his tone of voice oh-so casual.

"Oh," Amy said, seemingly defeated. "So you _do _know what I was gonna say."

"Are you insane?" Rory snapped.

"We don't have another option," Amy reminded him, her voice nearly singing this.

"He said no, Amy," Rory argued sternly. "Listen to him."

"There _is _another option," Guido jumped in, catching everyone's attention. "I work at the arsenal," he explained, pointing to the pile of barrels Rory was sitting on. The Doctor frowned and stepped towards them. "We make warships for the Navy."

Alex's eyes widened. "Is that seriously-,"

"Gunpowder," the Doctor confirmed, sniffing at the barrels. "Most people just nick stationary from where they work." He leaned on one of Rory's shoulders, who was staring wide-eyed at Guido like a deer caught in the headlights. Alex watched, amused, as he carefully shuffled away from the barrels, acting as though they were going to explode at any second.

Alex shook her head. "Look, that's not how the Doctor or I work. We don't want to kill them. We have to give them a chance." The Doctor stared at her, impressed. His logic and beliefs had quickly snuck into Alex's psyche, making her believe them. He wondered if she had always been like that or if it was a new development and, if it was the latter, what else had rubbed off on her from him.

"Well, what do you suggest then?" Guido snapped at her, turning to the fire. As he messed with the pot cooking over the flames, he rhetorically asked "Wait until they turn her into an animal?"

"There is definitely another option," Alex assured him. She turned to stare at the Doctor critically. Already, she could tell that he knew what she was about to suggest and that he didn't like it one bit. "But the Doctor will refuse to consider it."

"She's right," the Doctor said darkly. He crossed his arms and stared Alex down, who didn't appear fazed by his stance. There was a noticeable tension in the room at these actions. It appeared that if the Doctor and Alex could love or flirt hard, they would be able to fight hard as well.

"What option?" Amy asked hesitantly, hoping to break some of this tension. She still vividly remembered the duo's argument on Starship U.K.

"That I go in and open the door for you all," Alex answered, her stare not wavering from the Doctor. She crossed her arms and legs and cocked her head to the side. "But the Doctor would never let me."

"Do you have any idea how _insanely_ idiotic and-?" the Doctor started but Alex quickly cut him off.

"May I also remind you that I'm the only one here who can actually see these creatures?" Alex pointed out. The scowl on the Doctor's face failed to be moved by this though. Alex sighed, hopped down from her perch, and crossed over to place a hand on the Doctor's arm.

"I'll be in there three…four hours tops," she assured him. She watched as the scowl on his face passed and changed to thoughtful pondering. He seemed to be seriously considering it.

_She wouldn't be in there __**too**__ long,_ the Doctor mused. _And if Amy is really serious, I could always have her go in with her…oh God, what am I thinking?!_ "No, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor objected before beginning to pace. "It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go." He flopped down into a chair and rubbed his face, exasperated and worried.

Alex walked over and leaned against the wall next to him. The Doctor sighed and looked up at her. "But I have to know," he admitted. "We go together, say you're my daughter."

"Your daughter?!" Alex repeated, giving him an incredulous look. Across the room, Amy burst into a fit of giggles. She had seen how the Doctor acted around Alex and it was definitely _not_ in a fatherly way! She listened as Alex added "I once told you that you looked twenty-five and I'm only _twenty_! That's five years difference! You look like you're a little older than me!"

"Brother, then," the Doctor shrugged, not at all bothered by Alex's protests of how old he looked.

"Too weird," Amy chimed in. A mischievous look crossed her face. "Fiancé?" she suggested innocently.

Rory leapt up, fueled with a sudden burst of protectiveness. "Alex, I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiancé!"

"And anyway, we are _not _a couple," the Doctor reminded Amy, giving her a pointed look.

Amy sighed and backed down. "No, no, you're right," she admitted.

"Thank you," Rory and the Doctor muttered.

"Besides, they've already seen the Doctor," Alex pointed out. She turned to give Rory a cat that ate the canary smile. "_You _should do it. You already act like a brother towards me. It'd be easy."

"But didn't they see you as well?" Guido asked.

Alex shook her head. "They only noticed the Doctor, not me," she assured them. She gave the Doctor a little smirk. "He is pretty hard to miss after all."

"This whole thing is mental!" Rory protested. "They're vampires for God's sake!"

"We hope," the Doctor said cryptically, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

"So, if they're not vampires…" Amy breathed, trailing off as the possibility occurred to her.

"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire," the Doctor replied, baring his teeth at the end of this remark, causing Alex to roll her eyes at him.

"So, who's going in there?" Amy asked. She stepped over to Alex's side and crossed her arms. As she stared the Doctor down, she asked "Me or Alex?"

The Doctor groaned. "Well, Ally is the only one who can see past the perception filter. But I'm not having her going in there alone."

"I'll go with her," Amy volunteered. "One of us will keep an eye on the other and vice-versa."

Rory sighed. "I can't say anything to change your mind, can I?" he asked, already knowing the answer. He had known and dated Amy long enough to know that once Amy got something into her head, it was hard to sway her in a different direction.

"Nope," Amy affirmed, her gaze never wavering from the Doctor.

"Then it's settled," Alex declared. She spun on her heels and waltzed back over to Guido. "Now, we need proper clothing. I don't think this jumpsuit or Amy's skirt will cut it."

A/N: Lots of flirting going on in this chapter huh? It was so much fun to write, especially the Doctor's reactions to Alex's revealing outfit. :D

Notes on reviews...

**Guest **- Sadly, that didn't happen in this chapter...but you never know about future stories! Lol, can you imagine the Doctor's reaction if Alex did pop out of the cake in that outfit and all the guys were goggling her? That would definitely be an Oncoming Storm moment! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yeah, that was a little unexpected? I figured it just fit the scene, especially since they're discussing why the Doctor kissed her in the first place. And jealous Alex is very fun to write. We'll be seeing more of her in the future. :)

**jesterlover - **Thank you! I try to write in some funny moments, particularly with Alex's one-liners. I'm glad you think I wrote Amy perfectly. It's a little hard trying to keep the original characters in character when dropping an OC into the mix. :)

Thank you to **Gwilwillith**, **Guest**, **rycbar15**, **AimeeLiz726**, **Kawaii-Attack**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, and **jesterlover** for reviewing! I'm in awe that this has reached **78 **reviews in only 18 chapters. Thank you! And thanks to those who followed/favored this story!

Please review and see you tomorrow!


	20. The Vampires in Venice Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Do I really need to keep putting this up? I don't own Doctor Who. I only own Alex.

A few hours later, Alex found herself standing in a throne room in the Calvierri House. The walls were made of stone and the lighting was dim, just a few candles along the walls. In front of her sat a very regal looking woman on a throne. The woman, Signora Rosanna Calvierri, had brown hair and wore a long purple and gold dress. But Alex's mind immediately bypassed it and she bit her lip to keep from screaming as she stared at the fish-looking alien in front of her.

Standing a little ways away from the throne was a man with short black hair whom Alex recognized from the plaza, wearing a traditional Italian nobleman outfit. Next to him was the steward, a black-robed man named Carlo, who had led her, Amy, and Rory into the throne room. Alex watched as the Italian nobleman disappeared, revealing the same horrifying aquatic creature that was sitting on the throne.

Next to her, Rory was nervously blabbering about why the Calvierri's should admit his two 'sisters'. All three of them were dressed in peasant clothing borrowed from Guido's house, Rory actually in the attire that Guido had been wearing. It had amused Alex to no end to see Guido wearing Rory's stag party shirt. "So, basically, both of our parents are dead from getting the plague. I'm a gondola…._driver_, so money's a bit tight, so having my sisters go to your school for special people would be brilliant." Rory tugged at his collar nervously. "Cheers."

Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Brilliant job big brother,_ she thought sarcastically. It'd be a miracle if they got accepted after that.

It was then that she noticed the 'nobleman' staring at Amy carefully. "Have we met?" he asked her.

Rory, knowing that this was the guy that Amy had chased through the alleyway, spoke up. "I've just got one of those faces."

"I wasn't talking to you!" the man snapped.

"She's got the same face," Rory continued, hoping to distract him. "Because she's my sister!"

"Carlo, explain yourself!" Rosanna demanded the steward as the man began to approach Amy and Alex. "Why have you brought me this imbecile?"

"Signora, they have references from His Majesty the King of Sweden," Carlo replied as the man began circling Amy. Alex kept a steady eye on him. She didn't like the way he was looking at her friend. It was almost as though he was deciding whether or not to devour her.

"What?" Rosanna cried, clearly startled. She stared wide-eyed at the three and held out her hand. "Let me see!" she demanded.

Rory fumbled for a moment with the psychic paper before stepping forward and handing it to her. Alex knew that he was concentrating his hardest on thinking of what he wanted Rosanna to see. The Doctor had spent twenty minutes beforehand drilling him on it so that he wouldn't mess up. Meanwhile, the man finished circling Amy and moved onto Alex. Alex raised her chin high, trying to give off vibes that she didn't appreciate being examined like she was the last steak on Earth.

Rosanna looked up from the psychic paper. "Well, now I see what got my steward so excited," she smiled, but Alex didn't like the way it looked on her, not because that she was seeing it on a fish creature, but because it appeared malevolent and evil. She was sure Rosanna hadn't been fooled by the psychic paper. Her thoughts were derailed however as she heard Rosanna ask "What say you, Francesco? Do you like them?"

The man now identified as Francesco circled Alex carefully. "Oh, I do, Mother," he breathed. Alex watched him stumble back slightly before creeping closer and looking right into her eyes. She knew then that her eyes had changed color again, attracting unwelcome attention. He flicked a piece of her hair. "I do."

Alex could only imagine the Doctor's reaction to this. And she knew Rory didn't like the way Francesco was looking at her or how he had looked at Amy just a few minutes ago.

"Then we'd be delighted to accept them," Rosanna smiled smoothly. "Say good-bye to your sisters."

Alex squeezed Rory's hand in reassurance and smiled. She knew that for as much as Rory worried about Amy, he worried about her as well. On his other side, Amy was about to hug him when he was quickly maneuvered towards the door by Carlo, left next to two guards.

Alex felt her stomach twist in a knot and she told herself to calm down. She had twisted the Doctor's arm so that she could get here, after all. Backing out now was not an option. She looked over and saw that Amy looked nervous as well. At that moment, Amy called out "Tell Uncle…Doctor we'll see you both really soon, okay?"

"We'll be fine," Alex added, smiling slightly while her stomach twirled in knots on the inside.

The two were led through the house, both of their heads bowed in submission like Guido had told them to do before they left. It angered Alex quite a bit that she was supposed to act subservient towards the males in this society, even though some of them could be utter idiots. As she and Amy were led up a stone staircase, they passed several of the girls she'd seen earlier. All of them had high Jersey-style hair, sunken eyes and pale, translucent skin, each of them wearing only white nightdresses that served to accentuate their pale skin even more. As they passed them, Alex bent her head even lower and made sure that her hair covered the sides of her face. Even though she was sure the girls from before hadn't noticed her, she wasn't about to take any chances.

She also didn't want to see their fish-forms again.

A minute later, they stepped into a large rotunda styled room filled with beds. Alex gawked at the high ceiling and silk-covered walls. She could feel her shoes sinking into the rich carpet. Beside her, Amy also gaped. "There are clothes on the bed," Carlo told them, interrupting their staring. "Get changed and wait here."

He and several of the girls walked out of the room, leaving Amy and Alex alone in the room along with a young African girl sitting on one of the beds. Amy looked around the room again. "Blimey. This is private education, then?"

"Tell me about it," Alex sighed as she went over to the girl. "I wish my high school had looked this good." She smiled and bent down next to the girl. "Hi. I'm Alexandria, but everyone calls me Alex. What's your name?"

"Isabella," the girl replied, staring off into the distance. Alex's heart jumped as she recognized the name of Guido's daughter. She quickly examined her. Despite the fact that Isabella was a little dazed at the moment, she wasn't as far gone as the other girls. There was still hope for her.

Alex heard a door bang in the distance and the next thing she knew, Amy was seated on the other side of Isabella. "Listen, we're going to get you out of here," Amy told her, her voice low in case anyone was listening through the door. "But we need you to tell us what's going on."

"What is this place?" Alex jumped in, keeping her voice calm and reassuring. She rubbed Isabella's arm as she continued. "What are they doing?"

Isabella looked at her in shock and her breath rate rapidly increased. She looked at Alex's eyes and watched as they changed from copper to dark green. In them, she could tell that Alex was a kind person, one who was determined to help others. These realizations quickly helped her calm down. She hesitated a moment, gathering her thoughts, before revealing "They…they come at night. They gather around my bed and they…they take me to a room with this green light and a chair with…with straps, as if for a surgeon."

Alex saw the terror and fear on Isabella's face and mentally cursed the monsters for causing this young girl such horror. She took one of Isabella's hands into her lap as Amy whispered "What happens in there?"

Isabella shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. "I wake up here and the sunlight burns my skin like candlewax."

"Isabella, we're going to get out of here," Alex assured her. Above them, a gong sounded. "I promise you, we will. A friend of ours is helping and he's brilliant. I've seen him do things I'd never thought possible before." She was relieved to see Isabella nod and smile slightly. This girl needed some hope and good news after all she'd been through.

Amy glanced around. "Alex, the others will be traveling through the tunnels right now. We have to go."

Alex nodded and told Isabella they'd be back soon. After changing into the white dresses, the girls hurried out of the room, armed with only a single lit candle. It was a good thing Alex had memorized the map's route in her head, otherwise they'd have gotten lost very quickly in the huge palace. The two eventually came out to a courtyard, the trapdoor in the center. Without speaking, the girls hastily undid the bolts before turning to head back into the house. Alex's heart leapt into her throat when she saw Carlo standing behind them. Amy was shocked too, for she dropped the candle with a crash, plunging the girls into blackness.

* * *

As all of this was occurring, in the waterway below, Guido was driving the gondola while the Doctor and Rory sat in it, both of them nervous for the two headstrong, stubborn girls who had walked right into danger, their opinions be damned.

"They'll be fine," the Doctor said, more to himself than to Rory.

"You can promise me that, can you?" Rory asked coldly. It was bad enough that Alex was in there, but so was his fiancée Amy. If anything happened to them, he wouldn't be hesitant in striking the Doctor.

"We're here," Guido announced as they pulled up to the beginning of the tunnel, the little light around them growing darker. The Doctor lit a torch and climbed out of the boat, Rory right behind him. As they started to go up the stairs to the door, the Doctor stopped and turned to Rory. "Right. Okay, I'll go first. If anything happens to me, go back."

_Like hell,_ Rory thought, but he knew arguing against the Doctor wouldn't lead to anything productive. "What happened?" he asked, the two pausing halfway up the stairs. "Between you and Amy? You said she kissed you?"

_Does he seriously want to go into this NOW?_ "Now?" the Doctor whispered harshly, vocalizing his thoughts. "You wanna do this _now_?!"

"I have a right to know!" Rory protested as they continued up the stairs, reaching the door. "I'm getting married in four hundred and thirty years!"

The Doctor opened the door and headed down the hall. "Look, Rory, she was frightened. _I _was frightened. Hell, even Alex was frightened, but she won't admit it. But we _survived_, you know, and the relief of it and so…she kissed me."

"And you kissed her back?" Rory guessed, a twinge of jealousy creeping into his voice.

"No, I kissed her mouth," the Doctor argued. _And if one of those girls had to kiss me, Amy wouldn't have been the one I'd have preferred_. The Doctor shook his head, shoving these thoughts to the back of his mind. "And, if it helps, Alex gave her one hell of a scolding. Amy was terrified."

Rory snickered in spite of himself. He could easily picture Alex screeching at Amy for kissing the Doctor. Alex had one heck of a temper. "Good to know she's on my side," he remarked.

The Doctor chuckled a little as well and stopped to look at Rory. "Rory, she kissed me because I was there. It would have been you. It _should _have been you."

"Yeah, it should've been me," Rory agreed as they continued down the tunnel.

"Exactly. That's why I brought you here." At that moment, a gust of wind blew the Doctor's torch out, leaving them in darkness. "Can we go and see the vampires now, please?" he whispered, causing Rory to roll his eyes, just like Alex would've done had she been there.

* * *

At the moment though, Alex was not in a good situation.

"Control yourself, child!" Carlo snapped at Alex and then at Amy. Carlo was holding each in an arm and neither girl was happy about it. Both were kicking and screaming, and in Alex's case, cursing every creative word that flew into her head.

"Take your hands off me!" Amy growled, kicking and thrashing.

"Let us go you god-damned bastard!" Alex screeched, her Southern accent flaring up a bit more.

"Psychic paper," a voice rang out as the girls were pulled into a room, several of the girls from before around them. In the front of the room were Rosanna and Francesco. The light in the room suddenly went bright green, a color that only served to accentuate the green skin on Rosanna's natural form. The girls looked over to see Rosanna glaring at them. "Did you really think that would work on me?"

_Well, we were hoping,_ Alex thought, but she knew better than to say that out loud. After all the times she had berated the Doctor for baiting monsters, she didn't want to start doing that as well.

"Where are you from?" Rosanna questioned, stalking around them in a circle as Alex was passed off to another guard and Carlo continued to hold Amy. "Did you fall through the chasm?"

"Mother, this is pointless," Francesco protested irritably, stepping up beside Amy and Carlo. "Let's just start the process."

"Hold your tongue, Francesco!" Rosanna snapped at him. "I need to know what these girls are doing in the world of savages with psychic paper!" Satisfied that Francesco was not going to challenge her anymore, Rosanna turned back to the girls. "Who are you with?" she demanded. "Because I scarcely believe your idiot brother sent you."

As she spoke, Alex watched as two of the girls from before brought the chair Isabella had described into the center of the room. It was only when Amy spoke that Alex realized Rosanna had asked them another question. "Okay, I'll tell you." Amy spoke as a drip bag was hung from the chair. "I'm from Ofsted."

Everyone looked over at Alex expectantly. Knowing that they wouldn't have heard of Kentucky in this time period, Alex smirked, cocked her head, and said "London."

Rosanna laughed heartily in a very evil way before turning back to Amy. "Put her in the chair," she ordered Carlo.

"No!" Amy screamed. "Take your hands off me!"

"Amy!" Alex screamed, struggling against her guard. She turned and spat in his face. "Let go of me!" she screeched in an almost bloodcurdling shriek. The guard glowered at her and suddenly struck her. Alex staggered backwards from the force, her ears ringing. Her cheek felt like it was on fire and she knew it would be red for days.

Amy looked over from where she was struggling not to be placed in the chair just in time to see the slap. "Alex!" she cried fearfully. She was relieved a moment later though when Alex rose back up, her face absolutely furious, though Amy knew it'd be nothing compared to the reaction the Doctor would have when he saw the red mark on Alex's face.

Alex glared darkly at the guard before turning back to Amy. She watched as Amy was finally forced into the chair, the others strapping her arms down to the armrests. "You'll be very sorry you tried to hurt us," she warned Rosanna.

Rosanna ignored her though. All of her attention was currently focused on Amy. "Oh, make sport of me, will you?" she called as Amy continued to struggle. "_Tease _me as if I were your dog? Well, _this _dog has a _bite_, girl!" With that, Francesco yanked Amy's head back so that her neck was on display. And right before Rosanna sunk her fangs into her neck, Amy screamed "DOCTOR!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rory were ignorant of the girls' plight, as they were still working on actually getting into the fortress.

The Doctor sighed as he looked up at the grate, moonlight streaming down on him and Rory. He cracked his neck and turned to Rory. "Well go on then, give me a boost." Rory groaned and reluctantly hoisted the Doctor onto his shoulders. The Doctor struggled for a moment to push the heavy metal grate back while Rory struggled with keeping his balance.

"Hold still!" he called down.

Rory glowered at him, even though he knew he couldn't see him. "I'm trying!"

"Well, try harder!"

Finally, a few moments later, the grate fell back with a CLANK! The Doctor quickly set to work on climbing out, with Rory's assistance. "Push!"

"I'm pushing!"

The Doctor was finally able to climb out and reached into the hole to help Rory out. "Push. Come on. There we are." Once Rory was out enough to pull himself out, the Doctor left him and began looking around the dark, open courtyard. "Amy? Where are they? Amy! Alex!"

"I can't see a thing," Rory said as he climbed out onto the stone wall surrounding the grate. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small penlight. "Just as well I brought this then," he panted. Cocking an eyebrow, the Doctor reached into his bigger-on-the-inside pockets and pulled out a longer, brighter light.

"Ultraviolet," he explained to an astonished Rory. "Portable sunlight."

"Yours is bigger than mine," Rory complained.

"Let's not go there."

While the Doctor searched the courtyard for any sign of Amy and/or Alex, Rory began to get nervous and started fidgeting. "If we cancel now, we'll lose the deposit on the village hall!" he bemoaned. "The salsa band!" The Doctor turned to give him a questioning look. Rory shrugged. "Alex's idea. She loves dancing."

Satisfied with this answer, the Doctor went over to one of the trunks lining the wall of the courtyard. As Rory approached him, he opened it. The contents were enough to make the Doctor yelp in fright and take a step back. Inside the trunk was a corpse, its skin blackened and its open mouth revealing a set of fangs.

"What happened to them?" Rory shakily asked.

The Doctor glanced back at him briefly before returning his attention to the corpse. "They've had all the moisture taken out of them," he answered gravely.

"That's what vampires do, right?" Rory reasoned. "They drink your blood and replace it with their own."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, kneeling down and gingerly picking up a hand that had been tossed over the lid of the trunk. "Except these people haven't just had their blood taken, but all the water in their entire bodies."

Rory stared at him, confused. "Why did they die? Why aren't they like the girls in the school?"

The Doctor thought for a moment, lost in thought, before he looked back up and answered "Maybe not everyone survives the process."

Rory stormed off a little ways, not at all pleased with this hypothesis. Suddenly, he spun around and pointed at the Doctor. "You know what's dangerous about you? It's not that you make people take risks. It's that you make them want to _impress _you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around!"

The Doctor marched towards him, glaring at him all the while. "You think I WANT them to be in danger all the time?!" he snapped. "Because I don't! I don't want _anything _happening to Amy or Alex! And if anything ever did happen to them, I'd never forgive myself for it!" _Alex, you mean, _the mean part of his psyche argued, but the Doctor only shoved that comment into the furthest recesses of his mind.

Rory was about to reply when a chorus of voices rang out. "Who are you?"

The two turned to see the group of girls coming towards them, fangs bared and hissing. The Doctor waved the UV torch in front of them, forcing the girls to back up from the light and shield their faces. As he did this, he and Rory carefully wound a path heading towards a door, the girls running after them once they had recovered from the UV light.

"We should run!" the Doctor observed. "Run!"

* * *

Back in the cellar, Alex watched, horrified, as Rosanna sucked Amy's blood. What felt like hours, but was probably minutes, passed before Rosanna pulled away from Amy's neck, her mouth covered in a thin layer of blood. Amy appeared dazed but coherent enough to follow Rosanna's movements around the room.

"Mother," Francesco called as he kneeled beside Amy. As he caressed the punctures on Amy's neck, he asked "When you drink from her, may we share? I'm so thirsty."

"Of course, darling," Rosanna replied breathlessly. _Damned if she doesn't sound a little dazed and high herself_, Alex observed. She watched as Rosanna smiled down at Amy. "This is how it works. First, we drink you till you're dry. Then, we fill you with our blood. It rages through you like a fire, changing you, until one morning you awake and your humanity is a dream…now faded."

"Or you die," Francesco chuckled darkly. "That can happen."

"And if I survive?" Amy asked, somehow finding the strength to ask this simple question.

"Then there are ten thousand husbands waiting for you in the water," Rosanna crowed triumphantly.

Amy snorted. "Yeah, sorry," she said, her voice trailing off as she noticed a bulge on Rosanna's right hip. Catching Alex's eye, who had noticed it at the same time as well, Amy watched as Alex nodded and subtly moved her foot up in a kicking position. Amy looked back at Rosanna. "I'm kind of engaged," she finished. Then, summoning up all the strength she had left in her body, Amy raised a leg and kicked as hard as she could at Rosanna.

Her foot hit something hard and an electronic fizzing sound filled the air. Amy gasped as Francesco wrapped an arm around her neck, preventing her from moving. Alex watched as Rosanna fiddled with something that would've been on her right hip had her perception filter been visible to Alex before her whole image flickered. Alex knew that the perception filter around Rosanna had dropped and she looked over to see Amy's pupils were the size of dinner plates. Rosanna's image flickered again, indicating her perception filter was back up. Rosanna turned to glare at Amy in absolute anger and probably would've sucked more of her blood in retaliation if they all hadn't heard noises above them.

"Rory, come on!" the Doctor's voice rang out. As the others fled the room, Alex wrenched herself free and dove over to Amy's side. Outside, she heard the Doctor say "Cab for Amy Pond and Alex Locke?" which caused her to roll her eyes. She fiddled with the straps for a moment before concluding that she had no idea how to get them off of Amy. Therefore, she was relieved and grateful beyond belief when Isabella showed up a second later and began to remove the straps on Amy's wrist.

"She bit me!" Amy cried to no one in particular. Alex patted her shoulder real quickly before copying Isabella's movements in releasing Amy's other wrist.

A few seconds later, Amy was free. She hurled herself out of the chair and grabbed Alex's wrist. Alex only had enough time to grab Isabella's hand before Amy was hurling them out the door just as Rosanna said "This rescue plan, not exactly watertight, is it?"

_Watertight,_ Alex thought wryly. _An amphibian humanoid made a water joke! Oh, concentrate Alexandria!_

"Doctor!" Amy and Alex called as they rushed into the hallway. In the hallway, the Doctor and Rory were trapped by the freaky vampire girls on one side and Rosanna, Francisco, and Carlo on the other. The Doctor waved his UV torch at the girls before turning to Amy and Alex. "Amy! Alex!" His face seemed delighted until he caught sight of the large red handprint gracing Alex's face. Alex saw his eyes darken and she actually felt a little scared of him at that moment.

"Rory!" Amy cried delightedly, seeing her fiancé.

"Amy!" Rory cried in relief.

"Quickly, through here!" Isabella called, leading them through the house to a different exit.

As they ran their way back through where the Doctor and Rory had come in, Alex reported "They're not vampires!"

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"I saw them! I saw her!" Amy revealed. "They're not vampires! They're _aliens_!"

The Doctor laughed, though why Alex couldn't understand. "Classic!" he chuckled.

"That's _good _news?!" Rory stared at them incredulously. "What is wrong with you people?!"

Alex giggled. "Oh so very much Rory!"

They could all hear the group behind them gaining speed, coming after them. They eventually reached the door that led out to the river. Isabella threw it open, sunlight streaming in. Once everyone was past her, Isabella made a move to follow but as the sunlight touched her skin, she cringed and backed away.

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled, seeing her plight. "Run!"

"I can't!" Isabella cried.

"Isabella!" Alex screamed, rushing towards the door, the Doctor right alongside her. Alex watched helplessly as Francesco and the other girls pulled Isabella back through the door, back to their world of blood-sucking and amphibious creatures.

Alex pounded at the door, desperately trying to get in as the Doctor tried to get it open. She stepped back in defeat when she heard the resounding thud, but the Doctor was still touching the door when an electric current suddenly ran through it. The current shocked him and caused him to seize up until he released his grip on the door. Alex screamed as she dove down the steps, watching him fall against the railing, before sliding down the last few remaining steps and falling onto his back, unconscious.

"Doctor, wake up!" Alex cried as she knelt down beside him. Rory knelt down on his other side while Amy stood against the wall, leaning against it for support.

She shut her eyes, praying for a different outcome instead of the one that had probably just happened. "Is he dead?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, he's breathing," Rory assured her.

Alex rested her head on each side of the Doctor's chest, listening to his pulse. "His pulses are steady," she reported, straightening back up. Amy and Rory gaped at her for a moment but immediately pulled themselves together once Alex said "Come on, let's get him into the boat."

Alex and Rory carefully hoisted the Doctor down the stairs and into the bottom of the gondola. As Alex situated him, she happened to look up at Guido. Her heart sank as she saw the distraught and disappointed look on his face.

"Amy, can you take his head for a second?" Alex asked. Amy, noticing Guido's expression, nodded and quietly fussed with the Doctor while Alex stepped forward.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't save her," she said quietly. "You should be proud of her though. She helped us escape and put us before herself. She was very, very brave."

Guido silently nodded and began to push the gondola away from the Calvierri fortress. Alex sank onto a bench next to the Doctor's still body. She knew that her words wouldn't work long-term for the father's painful grief, but she hoped that they had given him a brief moment of closure and comfort.

* * *

Alex hissed sharply at the Doctor's contact with her reddened cheek. As everyone had expected, he was _furious _when he woke up and remembered Alex's red cheek. The first place he had gone to, in fact, had been right over to her. Now, he was currently assessing it.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologized roughly. Alex knew he was genuinely sorry, but his anger at someone hurting her was bleeding through his words. He leaned back to look her right in the eye, innocent light green eyes meeting angry, bitter dark ones. "Who did this to you?"

"Some guard," Alex attempted to dismiss. The memories of the Doctor's reactions to the Star Whale and the Daleks were still fresh in her mind. She did _not _want to be the cause in unleashing that raw, suppressed anger again.

She knew that her answer hadn't satisfied the Doctor but luckily, he didn't press her. Instead, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a small round blue jar of what appeared to be face cream. The only thing off about it was the weird language on it that Alex knew wasn't Earth-bound. Sure enough, the TARDIS translation systems kicked in a second later to reveal that the jar was _Chimeria Healing Salve Version 10.7_

"Hold still," the Doctor told her as he opened the jar. An intoxicating scent of gardenias and grapefruit filled the air, burrowing into every nook and cranny so that it would stay around long after they had all left. He gathered some into his fingers and lightly touched Alex's cheek. Alex jumped as the cold mixture touched her skin. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's a little cold."

Alex involuntarily closed her eyes and breathed in the beautiful smell of the cream. She and the Doctor were currently in a back room while Amy, Rory and Guido changed. Alex was seated on a barrel - she had a suspicion it, like the others, was also filled with gunpowder - while the Doctor leaned over her. The room was dark, with nothing but the fire from the next room providing illumination. It was very intimate and Alex's breath hitched as the Doctor's fingertips danced around her cheek.

"There," he said a moment later, leaning back. Damned if he didn't sound a little breathless himself. "The Chimerian's are amazing; universally renowned for their healing products. That mark will be completely gone in a few minutes."

Alex opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Thanks," she said.

The Doctor shrugged, wiping the remaining cream off on a nearby towel. "Anything for you," he dismissed, but he was secretly pleased.

Alex hopped off the barrel and went over to where she had stored her clothes. She was about to remove the dress when she noticed the Doctor still standing there, watching her. "Um, you mind?" she asked, cocking her head towards the door.

"Oh! Sorry!" the Doctor cried. He nervously backed up towards the door. "Um, I'll just…" In his haste, he accidentally hit a broom, sending it toppling to the floor. As Alex laughed silently, the Doctor hastily picked it up and set it against the wall. "Um, yeah," he murmured, before dashing out of the room.

Alex giggled to herself before pulling the nightdress off and stepping back into her jumpsuit and heels. She bounced slightly, making sure she could still walk in them before slipping her earrings and necklace back on. She raked a hand through her hair, making it tousled and messy again. She had seen the look on the Doctor's face when she did that previously. He liked it, though he'd never admit it.

She reached over and picked up the rose she had discarded when she had changed into Isabella's clothes several hours ago. Surprisingly, it hadn't wilted in the slightest. Alex carefully tucked it behind her ear, liking the way it shined against her hair and pale skin. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she stepped back out into the main room.

Out in the main room, the Doctor was sitting in one of the chairs by the table, waiting on her. Alex skipped over and bounced slightly as the Doctor examined her cheek. "Nothing there," he reported. "I told you that cream does miracles."

Alex giggled and glanced over at the other doorway. "So, it seems the others are still changing." She looked at him expectantly. "What do we do now?"

"Well, _I'm _going back to the Calvierri house to speak with Signora Rosanna." The Doctor tapped her nose. "_You _on the other hand, are going to stay here."

Alex's face fell. "What? Why?" she demanded. _Okay, I got slapped but that doesn't mean I'm going to get killed if I go back there!_

"It's too dangerous," the Doctor said. Rory's words still echoed in his ears. _It's not that you make people take risks, you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around._ Though he had argued back, the Doctor could easily see the logic in Rory's words. It was true. He had lost many friends this way. They always took risks. And here was Alex, a bright and bubbly girl, who wanted to walk back into the evil Calvierri house just hours after she had nearly been killed.

"I don't care," Alex retorted. She narrowed her eyes and so did he, both of them trying to make the other see their way. "If you're worried I'm going to get hurt again, don't. I can take care of myself."

"That's not it," the Doctor argued, though that was part of it. "I don't want you taking unnecessary risks to try and help me."

"Unnecessary risks?" Alex scathingly repeated. Frowning, she said "Define unnecessary risks."

"For starters, willingly putting yourself in a school where you knew there were aliens that wouldn't hesitate to kill you!"

"You AGREED to let me go!" Alex yelled.

"And I should never have done that," the Doctor said, getting to his feet. He stalked towards the door, his back tense. Just as he reached for the knob, he turned back to her. "You're staying here. That's final Alexandria."

"Do not call me that," Alex said evenly. The Doctor turned back to the doorway and turned the knob. Just as he swung the door open, Alex called out "What did Rory say to you in the tunnel?"

The Doctor slammed the door shut. He looked at her, surprised that she had guessed this so easily and angry that she had managed to figure out why he was refusing to let her tag along after him. "What makes you think he said anything to me?" he asked evasively.

Alex balanced on her heels, swinging back and forth on them. "Rory is very protective of Amy and me," she reasoned. "And I know you think he's just a bumbling country nurse, but every now and then, he can explode. Especially when it involves those he loves."

The Doctor sighed and went over to her. He laid a hand on her hair, smoothing it out and then twirling a lock around one of his fingers. "Alex, I make people take risks so that they can impress me. They act without thinking, all so that they can get an approving look from me." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on top of her head. "I don't want you doing that either."

"Doctor," Alex murmured. "That is the most _ridiculous _rubbish I've ever heard!"

The Doctor jumped back and stared at her. "Excuse me?"

Alex glared defiantly at him. "Doc, in case you haven't noticed, I kind of figure things out for myself. I don't do impulsive. Okay, there were times in high-school when I was young and stupid and when I decided to move to England, but other than that, I don't jump into things lightly."

She stepped towards him. "So, having said that, if you don't let me come with you, I swear, I will do _everything _you don't want me to do. I will follow you, I will sneak into the Calvierri house, whatever it takes." She raised an eyebrow at him. "So, what's it gonna be?"

* * *

Alex had her way, of course.

As she stood next to the throne, Alex couldn't help but allow a smug look to show on her lips. The Doctor had been convinced that Alex would follow through on her threats and figured it would save them all a lot of trouble if he just allowed her to come along with him.

The Doctor looked over at her and, noticing her triumphant look, shook his head and muttered "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Alex sat down on the armrest next to him and smirked. "But you're glad I'm here anyways, right?"

The Doctor nodded slightly, conceding this. Truthfully, he was happy Alex was with him. He liked having her around him. He just felt more complete when she was around. He knew such a thing should probably scare him but it didn't. It just felt wonderful and exhilarating and so many other words that would take far too long to list.

In front of them, the door opened and Rosanna stepped in. The Doctor felt Alex tense up beside him, knowing that she could see past the perception filter while he was seeing a beautiful woman. He let out a low wolf whistle and Alex felt jealously burn through her veins, ashamedly wishing that _he _would do that to her.

"Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you…Sister of the Water?" he asked. On the way over, Alex had given him a more detailed description and he was able to name the alien based off it.

Rosanna stopped in the dead center of the room, staring at the two people lounging on her throne. "No, let me guess," she said, giving a passing look to Alex. "The owner of the psychic paper. Then I take it you're a refugee, like me."

The Doctor smirked at her and Alex bit her lip. He almost seemed to be _flirting _with Rosanna! _Why did I come here again?_ She wondered. Her pondering on this was interrupted when she heard the Doctor say "I'll make you a deal; an answer for an answer." Rosanna nodded, smirking as well, and began to pace as the Doctor continued.

"You're using a perception filter. It doesn't change your features, but manipulates the brainwaves of the person looking at you. But seeing one of you for the first time in, say a mirror, the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with, so it leaves it blank, hence no reflection."

"Your question?" Rosanna requested.

"Why can we see your big teeth?" the Doctor blurted, grinning. Alex shook her head.

Rosanna was hardly bothered. Instead, she laughed heartily as she answered "Self-preservation overrides the mirage. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain."

"For some maybe," Alex murmured quietly.

Apparently not quietly enough, for Rosanna looked up sharply and stared at her in wonder. "You can see past the perception filter?" she asked breathlessly. She walked closer to Alex, who was tugged closer to the Doctor. "I've never heard of anything like it before. How is that possible?"

"Your deal is with him, not me," Alex replied coolly. Besides, she couldn't explain it even if she tried.

Rosanna shrugged and reluctantly paced back to the center of the room. "Where's Isabella?" the Doctor demanded.

"My turn," she reminded him. "Where are you from?"

"Gallifrey," the Doctor replied. Alex's eyes widened. She'd never heard of his home planet before. Based on its name, it certainly sounded lovely.

Rosanna stared at him, surprised. "You two should be in a museum," she commented. "Or in a mausoleum."

"Him perhaps, but I'm human," Alex corrected her. As she spoke, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the Doctor's planet to make Rosanna respond like that. _Did something happen leaving the Doctor's race dead?_ It certainly seemed like it, based on those words and the Doctor's own comments back on Starship U.K.

"One with astonishing mental abilities beyond many races," Rosanna pointed out.

"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked.

Almost instantly, Rosanna's playful demeanor towards him disappeared, revealing a scared and mournful person. It almost made Alex pity her…almost. "We ran from the Silence," she replied. Alex's eyebrows rose up. The Silence was something Prisoner Zero had mentioned. "Why are you here?"

"Wedding present," the Doctor answered quickly, his interest peaked by Rosanna's response to his question. "The Silence?"

Rosanna slowly paced towards them, silent as she tried to gather her thoughts. "There were cracks," she recalled. "Some were tiny…some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people and through others we saw Silence…and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean like ours and the cracks snapped shut behind us…and Saturnyne was lost."

"So Earth is to become Saturnyne Mark Two?" the Doctor guessed.

Rosanna was now standing before them and she gave the Doctor a desperate, pleading look. "And you can help me," she offered. "We can build a new society here, as others have. What do you say?"

The Doctor hummed a little before standing. He pulled Alex up and placed himself in front of her. "Where's Isabella?" he demanded.

Rosanna frowned, gazing at him in confusion. "Isabella?" she wondered.

Alex's eyes narrowed. _She didn't know Isabella's NAME?!_ Alex clenched her fingers together in an effort to restrain herself from running over and strangling Rosanna. "The girl who saved us!" she snapped.

"Oh deserters must be executed. Any general will tell you that," she replied matter-of-factly, not even noticing the identical dark glares on the Doctor and Alex's faces. "I need an answer, Doctor." She took a step closer to him, ignoring Alex altogether. "A partnership. Any which way you choose." She smiled knowingly at him.

Alex's blood boiled. Was she seriously flirting with him? Again?! Her eyes narrowed even further and she reminded herself that she had no claim to the Doctor. Still, the jealousy and spite refused to leave her system.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," the Doctor replied calmly, not even noticing Alex's overwhelming jealousy. "I'm a Time Lord…you're a big fish. Think of the children." Alex swallowed hardly, resisting the urge to vomit as she considered that mental picture.

Rosanna glared at him and stormed off across the room. "Carlo!" she called. As the steward entered, Rosanna turned back to them and conceded "You're right. We're nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race, while you…PHILOSOPHIZE!"

"This ends today," the Doctor warned, looking Rosanna right in the eye as Carlo and the guard that slapped Alex approached them. "I will tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone."

Carlo moved to push him away from Rosanna but the Doctor roughly shoved him away, his eyes never wavering from Rosanna. "Take your hands off me…_Carlo_," he warned, his voice low and threatening.

He glanced over at Alex who was staring at the other guard coming towards her. The Doctor quickly worked out that this was the guard that had slapped Alex. His blood burned with an angry fire. Seeing that red handprint on Alex's lovely face had angered him to no end. To think that someone had _hit _her when he wasn't there to protect her was enough to make him snap.

He marched over to the guard, his mind barely registering what he was about to do. Then, before any of them could react, the Doctor had swung at the guard, knocking him to the ground, his nose oozing blood. Alex and Rosanna screamed as the Doctor easily dodged Carlo's attempt to restrain him and went back over to Alex. Her eyes were incredibly wide and her face was pale, mouth in a perfect little o-shape, completely flabbergasted by his actions.

The Doctor shook the small amount of blood off his hand and wrapped his arm around Alex's waist protectively. The two walked towards the side door that led out of the house, Carlo, having recovered from the shock of the Doctor breaking the other guard's nose, now escorting them. The Doctor and Alex stopped once they reached the door, turning to Rosanna.

"And you know why?" the Doctor asked her.

"You didn't know Isabella's name," Alex replied scathingly. "You didn't know her _name_." With that, the door opened and the two stormed off.

A/N: Well, the Doctor is certainly protective of Alex, isn't he? I think his reaction is pretty realistic, because if someone he loves, like Alex in this case, is hurt, he just goes off. And wasn't that moment where he was fixing the mark on her face cute? :D

Also, just to let you all know, on Monday, we start an original adventure. I don't want to give too much away, but the adventure will reveal a lot more about Alex and what her life was like pre-Leadworth. There's a couple new OCs, a jealous Doctor, aliens (naturally), and a ton of other stuff. *smiles nervously*

Some notes on reviews...

**rycbar15** - Oh, thanks for pointing that out! In that section, the Doctor grabs a different wallet, one that houses his library card. He doesn't grab the psychic paper. In the episode, Rory still had the psychic paper, but for this story, the Doctor still has it, but grabbed the wrong wallet. Thanks again for pointing that out! I may go back and re-edit that chapter just to clear things up. :) And thanks for the compliment about the flirting. For someone who doesn't date, I'm surprised I can write stuff like that, lol! :D

**TheUltimateGuest** - The flirting IS pretty cute, isn't it? :)

**ElysiumPhoenix** - I know, they both constantly do that! Kind of annoying, isn't it? I can say this; Amy and Rory will notice this and they are going to do something about it. *smiles deviously* :)

**Guest -** Oh yes, let's just say that Alex is going to be in for a pretty tough time in those episodes. Actually, the whole season really. }:) But that's all I'm saying.

Thank you to **rycbar15**, **TheUltimateGuest**, **Gwilwillith**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, and **Guest **for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	21. The Vampires in Venice Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Doctor Who.

A little while later, they were back at Guido's house. Alex sat perched on the table. Next to her was Amy, who had just been assured that the bite on her neck wouldn't do her any harm. Across from them were Rory and Guido. All of them watched as the Doctor rapidly paced around the room.

"Argh! I need to think!" he ground out to himself. "Come on brain, think, think, think!" He sat down at the head of the table.

"If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun," Amy suggested, her speech a little hard to understand due to the candy in her mouth that the Doctor had given her.

The Doctor swiftly put his hand over her mouth. "Stop talking, brain thinking, hush," he ordered.

"It's the school thing that I don't understand," Rory confessed.

The Doctor covered his mouth as well. "Stop talking, brain thinking, hush," he ordered again.

"I say we take the fight to them!" Guido jumped in. Alex rolled her eyes. _Yeah, that'll work!_ She thought.

"Ah, ah, ah!" the Doctor interrupted him, giving him a warning look.

"What?"

"Ah!" This time, the Doctor gave Rory a pointed look. Rory, rolling his eyes, placed his own hand over Guido's mouth.

"Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in time and space and end up here, then she closes off the city, and one by one, starts changing the people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool," the Doctor summarized. "Got it, but then what?"

Alex was deep in thought too. "Well, they're from the sea so they can't survive on land forever. Not without adapting at least, but I doubt they'll do that."

Rory wrenched the Doctor's hand away from his mouth. "Why aren't you telling her to shut up?" he demanded.

"Because she's actually making a very good point," the Doctor smiled at her, placing his hand back over Rory's mouth.

Alex beamed. "Thank you Doc!" she chirped.

"Don't call me Doc. Anyway, if she's not going to adapt to our conditions, what is she going to do?"

"She'd want to make the city habitable," Alex said, thinking out loud. She caught the Doctor's eye. "Don't you remember that she said _I shall bend the heavens to save my race_?"

"Bend the heavens…" the Doctor recalled. He placed his hands on top of Rory and Amy's heads and moved them down, then right back up again. "Bend the heavens."

The Doctor and Alex came to the same conclusion at the exact same time. "She's going to sink Venice!" they both breathed, eyes wide.

"She…she's going to sink Venice?" Guido repeated in disbelief as the Doctor lowered his hands from Amy and Rory's heads.

"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed," the Doctor confirmed.

"You can't repopulate somewhere with just women," Rory objected. "You need…blokes."

Alex and Amy turned to look at each-other, remembering what Rosanna had said to them. "She's got blokes!" Alex cried, causing all eyes to shoot to her.

"Where?" the Doctor questioned.

"In the canal," Amy replied. "She said to us there are ten thousand husbands waiting in the water."

"Only the male offspring survived the journey here," Alex theorized.

The Doctor nodded, agreeing with her. "She's got ten thousand children swimming around the canals, waiting for mum to make them some compatible girlfriends!" He and the others grimaced. "Ugh. I mean, I've been around a bit, but really that's…that's…ugh."

Alex felt a little bile rise up in her throat. "One hell of an arranged marriage," she joked, jumping off the table and going over to the Doctor's side.

Above them came the sounds of clattering and thumping. Alex scooted closer to the Doctor, knowing from her viewing of horror movies what was about to happen. "The people upstairs are very noisy," he chuckled, trying to relieve the tension as everyone looked up at the ceiling.

"There aren't any people upstairs," Guido slowly corrected.

"I knew you were going to say that," Alex groaned.

"Me too," the Doctor nodded. "Did anyone else know he was gonna say that?"

"Is it the vampires?" Rory whispered.

"Like I said," the Doctor said as he stood and pulled out his UV torch, "they're not vampires. Fish from space."

"Or Sisters of the Water if you want to be more technical," Alex quipped. At least her wit wasn't frightened by fish vampires.

Right at that moment, the window closest to the table shattered. Everyone jumped up to see several of the girls from the school at the window, hissing at them as they bared their fangs. "Aren't we on the second floor?!" Rory cried just as another window shattered. The Doctor ran over to it, baring his UV light to keep the girls back. He then grabbed the sonic screwdriver and waved it across the girls. Just as Alex's mind bypassed the perception filter, the sonic revealed the true forms of the girls.

"What's happened to them?" Guido questioned.

"There's nothing left of them. They've been fully converted," the Doctor explained. He stared at the girls in shock, as this was the first time he had actually seen their true form. "Blimey, fish from space have never been so…buxom."

_BUXOM?! _Alex mentally shrieked, her jealousy activating almost automatically. _Dear God, why am I feeling jealous over a bloody fish?!_

"Okay, move!" the Doctor shouted. He looked over at Rory. "Rory, make Alex go before me!"

"What-," Alex began but she quickly found herself being pushed down the stairs, nearly plunging down them in the process. Amy was in front of her, Rory just a step behind. Behind Rory was the Doctor, with Guido behind him. As they ran, Alex vaguely heard Guido demand the Doctor give him the lamp, which he did. Alex looked back briefly to see Guido keeping the converted girls chasing them at bay.

Once reaching the bottom of the stairs, everyone practically threw themselves out the door…except for one person. "Stay away from the door, Doctor, Alex!" Guido shouted once they were out before slamming the door shut.

Alex and the Doctor immediately ran back over to it. "No!" the Doctor objected, pounding on the door. "Guido! What are you doing?"

"We're not leaving you!" Alex screamed, furiously trying to kick the door open. "What are you doing?" She whirled over to the Doctor. "Use the sonic!"

The Doctor did just as she asked. "Argh, bolted!" he complained, forced to pounding on the door again. "Guido!" Suddenly, the possibility of what Guido was about to do occurred to them. "Gunpowder," they breathed, looking at each-other.

Instantly, the Doctor grabbed Alex's arm and the two ran as fast as they could away from the house. They reached an archway just as the house exploded with a loud KABOOM, sending ash, smoke, and debris everywhere. Just as the house exploded, the Doctor threw Alex to the ground, planting himself on top of her, shielding her from the debris.

"Doctor! Alex!" Amy cried frightfully as she and Rory darted over to them. The Doctor rolled off of Alex while she grunted in pain from hitting the concrete so hard. "Are you okay?"

"I think I broke a few ribs," Alex said sarcastically.

Rory shook his head at her. "Don't even joke about that," he said, helping her to her feet as the Doctor got up beside her.

As she was helped to her feet, Alex happened to look up at the sky. She watched as the sky turned from bright blue to dark gray, thunder clouds rumbling out of nowhere. "Look!" she cried, pointing upwards. The others followed her gaze and the Doctor grimly remarked "Rosanna's initiating the final phase."

"We need to stop her," Amy said, looking over at the ruined house sadly. "Come on!"

"No, no, no," the Doctor shot back. "Get back to the TARDIS." He turned and gave Alex a pointed look. "_All _of you."

"You can't stop her on your own!" Amy argued.

"You _need _us there!" Alex pointed out.

The Doctor glowered at them. "We don't discuss this!" he shouted, approaching them. "I tell you to do something, Amy, Alex, and you do it!"

Both Amy and Alex glared venomously at him. Amy stomped away a moment later and Alex stayed a moment afterwards, her eyes narrowed at the Doctor before quickly marching off, making sure that the last thing he saw of her were her stormy, angry eyes.

Amy and Alex headed towards the TARDIS, Rory coming up behind them a moment later. Suddenly, Alex stopped. Ducking behind a pillar, she watched as the Doctor strode back in the direction of the Calvierri fortress.

Amy stared at her. "You're going to follow him," she realized, shaking her head. "I don't know whether I should hug you or not."

"Don't," Rory advised, wondering what the Doctor's reaction would be when he saw Alex in a place he had specifically ordered her not to go to.

"I'll be fine," Alex assured them, though even she knew that the Doctor's reaction would not be pretty. She stepped out from behind the pillar and ran out into the street. "I saw on Guido's map another shortcut to the Calvierri School. If I go by it now, I can get there before the Doctor."

"Good luck!" Amy wished, knowing that Alex's mind could never be changed. The two watched as Alex raced off down a side-street.

Once she had disappeared from view, they looked up at the sky. "Oh my God, what's it doing?" Amy wondered. Above them, the sky seemed to be pulsing and vibrating with clouds.

"The sky, it's like it's boiling," Rory observed.

As they stared at the sky, both hoped that the Doctor and Alex could somehow fix it.

* * *

Alex darted into the throne room and immediately dove behind the throne. She wasn't sure what drew her towards the throne; it was just a hunch. She searched around a little before finally pulling the back part off, revealing a complex system of machinery that even she couldn't figure out. As she studied the machinery, she heard footsteps coming into the room. She cautiously peaked out and saw the Doctor standing there. And he didn't look very happy. Alex mentally groaned. Of course. Because of their body chemistry, he'd easily be able to detect her.

But just as he was about to speak, Rosanna came in. "You're too late," she said, strolling towards him. "Such determination; just to save _one _city. Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to cinders and ash." _Is she talking about the Time Lords?_ Alex wondered.

"Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom," Rosanna finished, her voice smug and boastful.

"The girls have gone, Rosanna," the Doctor revealed.

Alex ducked back to the machinery but she could still hear Rosanna's footsteps backing away in shock. "You're lying," she accused, voice breathless.

"Shouldn't I be dead, hmm?" the Doctor asked. There was silence and then a furious clicking towards the door. "Rosanna, please, help me!" the Doctor begged. "There are two hundred thousand people in this city!"

"So save them," Rosanna shot back coldly before marching out the door.

The Doctor sighed and the next thing Alex knew, he was right next to her. "Didn't I tell you to wait in the TARDIS?" he cried, glaring at her.

Alex refused to move her eyes away from the machinery. "Yes, but as I said before, I figure things out for myself, and that includes making decisions for myself." She pulled herself away from the machinery just long enough to slap the Doctor across the face.

"Ow!" the Doctor cried, rubbing the spot where she had slapped him. "What was that for?"

"For yelling at me and Amy earlier," Alex responded. She turned back to the machinery and gently tugged on a wire. "Now, what do we do with this thing?"

"I suppose I deserved that," the Doctor muttered, referring to the slap. He looked over the machinery with interest. "Now, we have to figure out what this thing is and stop it."

"Well, it's obviously controlling the storm," Alex said, sending a fleeting look outside at the thunder and lightning.

"Correct," the Doctor affirmed. He took his own look out of the high windows surrounding the perimeter of the throne room. "But where are the clouds coming from? This technology needs a source to make the clouds appear."

As the Doctor examined the machinery, Alex jumped up and ran to the windows. Flinching back from the rain, Alex looked at the skyline. She could feel a hunch burning in her stomach and when that happened, she was usually correct. "Doctor!" she cried once she caught sight of something. Upon her outburst, the Doctor jumped up and hurried over beside her.

Alex pointed to a high bell tower, which towered over the rest of the city. "It's coming from the bell tower! It's the only thing high enough!"

She watched the Doctor's face as he processed this information. First there was excitement, then nervousness, followed by a serious expression of pondering that could only mean he was thinking up a plan. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back over to the throne. As they came upon the throne, none other than Amy and Rory came racing in. The Doctor released Alex so that he could duck behind the chair.

"Get out!" he ordered Amy and Rory. "I need to stabilize the storm!"

"We're not leaving you!" Rory defied. Alex smiled. It seemed she wasn't the only girl here who could get her way.

"Right," the Doctor droned. He marched around the chair over to Rory and fixed him with a steely glare. "So one minute it's all 'You make people a danger to themselves' and the next it's 'We're not leaving you'. But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets the-,"

But he was interrupted as the room spontaneously began to shake, bits of ceiling tumbling down. Everyone toppled to the floor trying to retain their balance and Alex yelped a little in spite of herself as a ceiling chunk fell two feet away from her.

Once the shaking stopped a few seconds later, Rory asked "What was that?"

"Nothing," the Doctor answered, obviously lying. As he helped Alex up, he added "Bit of an earthquake."

"An earthquake?!" Amy cried.

"Manipulate the elements, it can trigger earthquakes," the Doctor explained. "But don't worry about them."

"No?" Rory wondered, expecting something bad if the Doctor had told them not to worry about something as horrific as earthquakes.

"No. Worry about the tidal waves _caused _by the earthquake," the Doctor replied casually before running back to the throne, Alex hot on his heels. "Right! Rosanna's throne is the control hub, but she's locked the program, so tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne."

"Go crazy. Hit with a stick!" Alex finished.

"We need to shut it down and re-route control to the secondary hub," the Doctor added.

"Which I'm guessing will also be the generator, correct?" Alex jumped in. The Doctor nodded and Alex beamed, pleased with herself. As she did this, Amy and Rory stared at each-other in bafflement at the weird habit the Doctor and Alex had of finishing each-other's sentences.

The Doctor ran out of the room as Amy and Rory set to begin their work. Alex followed him and nearly banged into him when he suddenly stopped. He whirled around and looked at her curiously. "Let me guess," he said dryly. "If I tell you to stay and help them, you probably won't?"

"Lovely to see that you're finally figuring out how my brain works," Alex chirped.

He smirked down at her. "I doubt I'm touching more than the surface," he quipped. He nodded and grabbed her hand. "Here's something I'd never thought I'd say again; _allons-y _Alex!"

The two sprinted up the stairs, pumped on adrenaline and a sense of saving others. Upon reaching the bottom of the bell-tower, the two spotted a strange alien machine that had two tubes running up the columns of the tower. The two staggered upon hearing the deafening bell above them, Alex even clutching her ears in pain as the Doctor ran the sonic screwdriver over the weird contraption.

"Please get that bell to stop ringing!" Alex begged, her eyes tightly shut as if to block out the noise.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing her hand before whisking her up another flight of stairs.

The bell was even louder up here, which made sense as it was directly above them, its cord long since gone. Alex could feel her ears ringing in pain. "Lift me up there!" she commanded.

The Doctor knelt down, entwining his fingers with the palms facing upwards, creating a step for Alex. Placing her hands on his shoulders for balance, Alex squeaked slightly as she felt the Doctor hoist her up by the waist before going down to her legs. She felt a rush in heartbeat when she felt his contact with her skin, but tried to ignore it. She grabbed the pendulum and nearly swung out sideways before the Doctor's grip on her tightened.

Alex clenched the pendulum tightly, keeping it still. "Shut the hell up!" she screeched at it, and it listened. Alex laughed as the Doctor helped her down. "That's better!" she chirped as she hit the floor.

"Much," he agreed, grinning at her. "Now," he looked over to one of the tubes that led up to the bell, "let's see what damage this is doing." Without another word, he climbed up onto the edge of a window and shimmied around a column, gripping it all the while. Alex gaped at him.

"Doctor!" she shrieked. She dove over to the window but didn't try to pull him back in. She _really_ didn't want to cause him to fall to the ground below. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The Doctor didn't answer her, instead focusing on climbing up to the roof. Alex leaned out the window as far as she could get without the rain hitting her, and watched him until he vanished out of sight. She sighed and hurried back down the stairs. She knew that the only way to get any answers was to watch him herself.

Alex cringed as the rain pelted against her skin and she quickly ducked under the awning of a flower shop. Around her, people were screaming and running and she caught a bit of somebody saying that it was the Almighty. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A little distance ahead, she could see Amy and Rory staring up at something high above. Alex followed their gaze and her heart jumped into her throat.

The Doctor was right on the roof, in the very heart of the storm. Alex tensely watched as he fiddled with a giant gold ball on the roof. Squinting, she saw that the ball had opened up, revealing something she couldn't see from her distance. Whatever it was had to be key in stopping the storm though, as she could see the Doctor hesitantly studying it. Then, a second later, the Doctor did something, for the rain suddenly ceased, the clouds vanished, and birds began chirping. Alex grinned as the people around her began cheering and clapping, Amy and Rory included.

Once the Doctor got back in the bell-tower again, Alex raced out of her little haven and back over to the Calvierri school. Carefully side-stepping puddles and hoards of celebrating people, she raced over to the bell-tower steps and launched herself at the Doctor when he came down.

"You did it!" she cried, fiercely hugging him. He responded by lifting her off the ground a little.

"Did you really think I wouldn't?" he asked playfully, pulling back a little to look at her.

Alex shook her head and the Doctor saw the truth in her eyes. "No, I know you," she said. "You'd do anything to save others, regardless of whether or not you endanger yourself in the process."

He stared at her for a full minute before putting her back down. _How could she know me so well already?_ He wondered. Knowing that pondering this would take a very long while which would waste precious time, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a nearby door.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked as he pulled her along.

He didn't answer for they soon came to another door that led outside. He let go of her hand and raced over to an open archway. Alex followed him and stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a thin walkway going over the canal. At the end of it was Rosanna, now only dressed in a thin white nightdress, the rest of her perception-filtered clothes tossed beside her. Alex looked at her, surprised to see that her mind wasn't pushing past the perception filter, until she noticed the non-working device lying on the ground. Rosanna was permanently stuck in human form.

"Rosanna!" the Doctor called out.

Rosanna didn't turn around, instead staring vacantly into the water. "One city to save an entire species," she said, sounding defeated. "Was that so much to ask?"

The Doctor stepped towards her. "I told you, you can't go back and change time. You mourn…but you live. I know, Rosanna, I did it."

Alex stared at him. _Are all his people dead? Everyone? Is he the very last?_ She thought about the night after the Starship U.K. adventure, when they had been talking and when she had looked so deeply into his eyes. She remembered thinking they looked old and haunted and that they exposed his many years. She also remembered seeing regret in them. _Does that regret have something to do with the Time Lords?_

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she saw Rosanna look over her shoulder at the Doctor, her eyes filled with tears and unimaginable sadness. "Tell me Doctor," she called. "Can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race?" He said nothing and Rosanna turned back to the water, spreading her arms and staring straight ahead.

"Remember us," she said, the weight of her words hanging in the air like stones. "_Dream _of us."

"No!" the Doctor shouted as Rosanna threw herself into the canal. Alex gasped as the water began churning, caused by Rosanna's doomed children devouring her. The Doctor threw himself onto the edge of the walkway to help Rosanna, but he was too late. "No!"

"Doctor!" Alex cried. Ignoring her own fears, she ran across the walkway and fell down beside him. He looked over at her in anguish and Alex longed to ease the guilt and misery that was surely eating him alive. She swallowed roughly before saying "What she said….none of that's your fault. She was the selfish one." She closed her eyes and leaned against his forehead, trying to get this truth to settle in his mind. "It wasn't your fault."

The Doctor was perfectly silent as she said this. Her words rang in his ears and repeated themselves over and over. _It wasn't your fault._ He wondered how she could be so sure of this so soon after meeting him. If this had happened a long time ago without her here, the blame and fault would've settled into him automatically, plunging him into a dark period for less than a second before he pushed it aside, shoving fake happiness and cheer over it. Before, he would've masked his pain. Now, he had nothing to hide. _It wasn't your fault._

He stood and pulled her to her feet, pulling her close as he kept in mind that they were on a narrow walkway overlooking water and carnivorous aliens. "I know," he said slowly, allowing the magnitude of his words to settle in around them. "Thank you."

Alex smiled at him, her eyes shimmering. "I'm just saying the truth," she replied. She then looked down and was reminded of where she was standing. As she dragged him off the walkway, she called over her shoulder "Let's go find the lovebirds!"

* * *

Less than five minutes later, they found Amy and Rory and were currently strolling back over to the TARDIS. As they walked, the inspector from earlier appeared and gave the duo a deep, respectful bow. Alex giggled. She still thought it funny that the Doctor had pretended to be the Pope and passed her off as a princess. His comment from before about her possibly playing his wife if he hadn't disguised himself as the Pope rang in her mind. She blushed and focused back on the conversation surrounding her.

"Now then!" the Doctor cheered, linking arms with Alex. "What about you two, eh? Next stop Leadworth Registry Office? Maybe I can give you away!"

Rory looked over at Amy and sighed deeply. "No, it's fine," he said sadly. "Drop me back where you found me. I'll just say you've…."

"Stay," Amy requested when Rory trailed off. The Doctor and Alex's eyes shot over to her while Rory looked at her in surprise. "With us. Please. Just for a bit. I _want _you to stay."

"Fine with me!" the Doctor grinned. "Ally?"

"Yes!" Alex cheered, jumping up and down. She bounded over to Rory like a deranged puppy. "Say you'll stay!" she begged.

Amy shook her head at her. "How are you twenty?" she asked sarcastically, chuckling when Alex stuck her tongue out at her.

"Yeah?" Rory said, smiling between all of them. "Yes, I would like that!"

"Nice one!" Amy chirped before swiftly kissing him on the lips. "I will pop the kettle on!" She skipped over to the TARDIS and as she opened the door, called out "Hey, look at this Alex! Got our spaceship, got our boys! Our work here is done!" As she dramatically entered the TARDIS, Alex laughed hysterically, mainly at the identical looks on the Doctor and Rory's faces.

"Uh, _we _are _not _your boys," Rory told Alex, which only served to make her laugh harder.

"Yeah, we are," the Doctor admitted.

"Yeah, we are," Rory agreed, defeat in his voice before he went to the door.

Rory stepped into the doorway, Alex right behind him, but the Doctor stopped them from heading in. "Rory, Alex, listen to that!" he commanded.

Rory frowned in confusion. "Er, what? All I can hear is…silence."

As Rory stepped into the TARDIS, the Doctor and Alex exchanged nervous and partially terrified looks. Rosanna's words echoed in their heads. _There were cracks. Through some we saw Silence and the end of all things._

A/N: And there's 'The Vampires of Venice'! Such a fun episode with all the cute and fluffy bits with the Doctor and Alex, and even a few surprises. Several of the reviews I read showed that you all were shocked when the Doctor punched that guard. I'm glad I shocked you all a little. There will be more of those sudden shocks to come. ;)

Just as a reminder, tomorrow we start an original adventure. This adventure will be titled 'Bristol, KY Stop' and is roughly nine chapters long. This adventure has A LOT of stuff in it and I'm both excited and nervous to start it. :)

Also, in the reviews, some of you have expressed excitement for 'The Impossible Astronaut.' BIG plans for those episodes but I can't say anything! :)

Some notes on reviews...

**grapejuice101 **- I know, I love them too! :) And you're right; 'Amy's Choice' is going to be very different from the original episode. In what ways though, I won't say. :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yep, he punched the guard. Alex just brings the protectiveness out in him, doesn't she? :)

**AshlynTheGuest** - Thank you! That means a lot! Trust me, I'm not stopping anytime soon. :)

**rycbar15 **- The cream part was cute, wasn't it? That scene just popped into my head as I was writing this and I knew it had to go in here. And poor Doctor, getting all flustered. He's so cute when he does that! And thanks for the compliment. It means a lot! :)

**jesterlover - **I love those moments too. And I can promise there will be a bunch more jealous Doctor moments to come. :)

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **jesterlover**, **Great job of the**, **grapjuice101**, **TheGirlWhoWaited**, **TheUltimateGuest**, **AshlynTheGuest**, **rycbar15**, **Gwilwillith**, and **Guest **for reviewing and thank you to those who favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	22. Bristol, KY Stop Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I do, however, own Alex, all OCs in this adventure, and anything else you don't recognize from the Whoniverse.

Things were a lot better in the TARDIS now that Rory was traveling with them. For starters, Amy had gotten over her little school-girl crush on the Doctor, which had opened her eyes to the love she had for her fiancé…and the fact that the Doctor and Alex's connection with each-other was far too extraordinary to try and ruin.

She was especially alerted to it after their adventure on Barcelona, where the Doctor had to rescue Alex from a bomb she was tied to that had been set to explode the whole planet in less than three minutes so that an evil megalomaniac could sell the remains as fuel to other races. When they got back, the Doctor had barely let Alex out of his sight. Amy watched them as Alex attempted to try and make brownies, a skill that she would never achieve, no matter how hard she tried.

"Doctor, move!" Alex laughed, shoving him to the side with her hip as she measured out the mix. Amy noted that it was about two inches more than the recipe called for.

"That's too much," the Doctor crowed from beside her. He peered into the bowl. "Two point five inches over actually."

"Is that the superior Time Lord side coming out?" Alex questioned, challengingly arching an eyebrow.

The Doctor pretended to look insulted. "Yes!" he indignantly cried. He picked her up by the waist and placed her to the side, Alex squealing and giggling. "Let _me _show you how it's done."

"Oh, so you cook?" Alex said doubtfully. She leaned back against the kitchen counter, showing off her slim physique in a tight white t-shirt and black mini-skirt with patterned tights.

The Doctor poured some of the brownie mix back into the box. "Yes. I ever take you to Paris, I'll show you. I'm quite known there for my ratatouille." He pronounced this final word incorrectly, which Alex immediately pounced on.

"_Ratatouille_," Alex corrected, pronouncing it in the correct French way. "You're saying it wrong. My French teacher drilled it into our brains after that ridiculous Disney movie came out."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Fine. _Ratatouille_. Now go fetch me that measuring cup. Second cabinet, left side."

Alex looked indignant but marched over to the cabinet anyways. "Why do I have to fetch it?" she grumbled as she walked back over to him. "You're the one who took over, remember?"

"My kitchen, my rules," the Doctor smirked at her.

As the two continued bantering and playfully bickering, Rory came up behind Amy. "Okay, seriously, how are those two not together?" he asked in a low voice so that the Doctor and Alex wouldn't hear him.

Amy sighed. "I have no idea," she confessed. "I mean, they are so protective of each-other. Remember how the Doctor nearly hit the guard that was blocking him from where Alex was being held?"

"Yes," Rory said. "Or how Alex kicked a guy in the shin when he said something negative about the Doctor's bow-tie?"

"Yes," Amy said, "even though she also pokes fun at it." She pulled Rory over to the soda fountain counter that lined the outside of the kitchen. "Thing is," she began as she settled on a stool, "those two are very attracted to each-other. They just won't admit it."

"Tell me about it," Rory agreed. "Did you see how the Doctor was ogling her in Venice when you made her dress in that jumpsuit?"

"And Alex hasn't thrown out the rose he gave her either," Amy revealed. "Even though it's completely wilted now, it's still sitting in a vase on her desk." She suddenly jumped as she remembered something. "Oh! I almost forgot! Alex told me about something that happened in Venice." She quickly told Rory about the Doctor breaking the nose of the guard that had slapped Alex.

Rory gaped at her. "The Doctor did that?!" he cried, turning in his stool to look at the doorway leading to the kitchen, the Doctor and Alex's voices echoing out.

Amy nodded. "Alex said she had never seen him so enraged. She had no idea he would do that, even though we all saw his reaction to the mark on her face."

"It's just as you said. They are protective of each-other."

"Precisely. And have you ever noticed how they finish each-other's sentences?"

"And say things at the exact same time?"

Amy twirled around in her stool. "They're in love," she sang softly. All of a sudden, she stopped twirling and leaned forward so that she was almost touching Rory's forehead. "We need to get those two together."

"You want to play matchmaker?" Rory asked skeptically. He seriously didn't think either the Doctor or Alex would go for Amy shoving them into a closet together with nothing but a bottle of champagne.

"I'm not saying we lock them up in a closet," Amy said, reading Rory's thoughts. "We just need to push them together a little." She hopped off her stool and strode over to the doorway. She gestured for Rory to follow her and once he did, pointed into the kitchen. "I mean, look at them! Don't they _look_ like a couple?"

Rory followed her gaze into the kitchen where the Doctor had jokingly tossed a bit of flour into Alex's face. Alex was currently threatening him with a bottle of whipped cream but the effect was ruined by her giggling every five seconds. After a minute, she placed the bottle down on the counter and flounced over to the radio that the TARDIS, for whatever reason, kept in there. She switched it on, allowing the opening strains of _L-O-V-E_ to fill the room. Smirking, she went back over to the Doctor. He held out his hand and once she took it, pulled her towards him. He placed his hand delicately on her waist and began to twirl her around, both of them completely oblivious to the fact that their actions were being observed.

Rory leaned over to whisper to Amy. "Yes, they _definitely _look like a couple in love."

Amy looked very smug. "My point exactly!" she chirped. "So, are you going to help me?"

Rory sighed. He could easily tell that the Doctor and Alex cared for each-other and he had to admit, he would like for them to get together. "Okay," he agreed. "I'm in."

* * *

But it was harder than it seemed to actually get two people together.

For starters, both the Doctor and Alex were stubborn, incredibly stubborn. Neither would ever admit they were attracted to the other and both would adamantly tell Amy and Rory to keep their nose out of their relationship with the other. Subtle hints didn't work and Amy and Rory were beginning to despair and worry that their plan wouldn't work.

Two weeks had passed since they first drafted the scheme and they were beginning to work on Plan B. Only problem was that they didn't know what Plan B was. Amy and Rory sat in a corner of the control room, discussing ideas while the Doctor ran around the console, blabbering about flamingos or something. Alex was perched right across from him, seemingly engrossed in a thick non-fiction book titled _The Complete History of Paris, France - Vol. 4_. In actuality, she was also listening to the Doctor. Amy and Rory had discovered that she multi-tasked whenever the Doctor began going on his rants.

This was a seemingly normal day in the TARDIS…until Alex's phone rang.

Everyone jumped as Alex's phone started belting out the chorus to a Rascal Flatts song. Alex hastily put her book down and grabbed her phone. Without even glancing at the Caller ID, she pressed the talk button and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

A bunch of excited screaming came from the other end, causing the others to jump again and Alex to jerk the phone back in shock. She glanced at the ID, rolled her eyes, and lifted it back to her ear. "Hello?" she said impatiently, but the only response she got was continued screaming.

Alex held the phone out far away from her, the screaming still very audible. She sighed and slapped a hand over it. "Okay!" she said brightly. "From what I can tell, the world is coming to an end and my best friend decided to call and tell me!" She got up and smiled apologetically. "I'll be back in a second." Alex swiftly hurried up the stairs, the last thing out of her before she got out of earshot being "Jesus Christ, Lacey! Stop screaming! I'm not deaf!"

Rory chuckled. "It must be her friend from home, Lacey Abernathy," he told the confused looking Doctor.

"Home where?" the Doctor asked. Alex had never mentioned her hometown to him, aside from a few vague references.

"Bristol, Kentucky," Amy clarified. "She didn't speak about it much, but when she did she sounded like she liked it."

"Hmm," the Doctor mused before turning back to the console. As he pulled down a lever, he asked "How long has she been living in Leadworth?"

"Two years," Amy answered.

"And in that time, just out of curiosity, did she ever go back home?"

"Never," Rory said adamantly.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at him. "Never?" he repeated. "Not for holidays or a birthday, even a funeral? _Never?_"

"Never," Amy confirmed.

"But she did speak to her friend Lacey a lot," Rory added. "They've been friends all their lives."

As the group discussed Alex's life pre-Leadworth, Alex walked into her bedroom and shut the door. She held the phone patiently to her ear as she flopped down sideways on the bed. Being patient was something she had acquired after knowing Lacey for so long.

"_OHMYGOSH ALEX!_" Lacey squealed on the other end. "_WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU FOR DAYS BUT I CAN NEVER GET THROUGH!_"

Alex blushed slightly, thankful that Lacey couldn't see her. The Doctor had upgraded her phone to Universal Roaming just yesterday. "Oh, my phone's been broke," she lied. "I only got it fixed just this morning."

"_Okay,_" Lacey said, a bit more subdued. Alex mentally sighed. It was too easy to lie to Lacey on the phone but in person, it was way harder. Despite her bubbly and clueless exterior, Lacey could be pretty sharp-witted when she wanted to be. "_So, what have you been up to?_"

Alex thought for a moment. Where to begin? What could she say that wouldn't sound like she needed to be placed in a mental hospital stat? Deciding to go for a grain of truth, she replied "Well, traveling a little. It's a lot of fun."

"_Don't you have a wedding to obsess over in the next few days?_"

Alex mentally calculated Lacey's current time. The Doctor had warned her that calls could come from anywhere in her timeline. "Uh yeah, but I'm only maid of honor. Amy and Rory are doing all the worrying."

"_I really wish I could meet them,_" Lacey revealed. "_They sound really great._" Another good thing about Lacey was that she wasn't jealous. She had been relieved to hear that Alex had made friends in Leadworth.

"Yeah," Alex said. "So, how's Marigold?"

Lacey groaned. "_Ugh! She's still badgering me about when I'm going to go to college. I wish you were here! She wouldn't hound me about it in front of you!_"

Alex laughed. "I doubt that."

"_It's true!_" Lacey insisted. "_I mean, don't get me wrong, I know she loves me, but you've always been her favorite out of the two of us. You got good grades, were little Miss Perfect, got into a great college-,_"

"Which I was kicked out of," Alex reminded her.

"_Details, details,_" Lacey said impatiently. Alex could almost envision her waving her hand while saying this, brushing aside Alex's statement. "_Point is, I wish you would visit. You haven't been home in two years!_"

"God, I can't go back there," Alex argued, sitting back up. As she jumped off the bed and headed over to the door, she said "You know how Carla and I get along."

"_Everybody in town knows,_" Lacey remarked dryly. "_But you don't need to worry about Carla. She's off on a drinking binge. She's been gone for two weeks._"

"Maybe she'll choke herself on moonshine," Alex said bitterly as she headed down the hallway back towards the control room.

"_Or finally cause her liver to explode on her next bottle of Budweiser,_" Lacey joked. Though they knew it was cruel, both girls liked to envision Carla spontaneously exploding from one too many cans of beer. If anyone deserved it, it was Carla.

Alex sighed as she entered the control room. "Well, as much as that news relieves me…" She trailed off as she saw the Doctor looking very, very smug, more so than usual, and Amy and Rory looking like the cats that ate the canary.

"Uh, Lacey? Hold on a second." There was a squawk of protest from Lacey but Alex had already covered the phone with one hand. She raised an eyebrow at the group skeptically. "Okay, out with it," she commanded. "What're you all looking so giddy about?"

She looked over at the Doctor, who she assumed was the mastermind by whatever they had planned. "Doctor?" she said, fixing a critical gaze on him. It was one of her best looks, a look that used to put annoying boys into silence and get teachers to get off her back whenever she swore in the hallway or smoked in the parking lot.

The Doctor smiled at her and Alex relaxed almost instantaneously. For some reason, whenever he looked at her like that, she felt like the safest girl in the universe. "Ally," he said slowly, exciting her more, "how would you like to go and visit Bristol for a little while?"

Alex gaped at him. _Is he serious?_ "Bristol…you mean as in my home-town Bristol?"

The Doctor nodded. "The very same."

Alex felt like jumping up and down but managed to restrain herself. She had a feeling that the others were tiring of her bouncing up and down like a kangaroo on crack. Even she had to admit that it was a bit exhausting. "Sounds great!" she cried, allowing the excitement to come through her voice. She dashed over and, keeping one hand planted on the phone, gave him a quick, fleeting hug before whirling around to continue her phone conversation.

"Lacey, what's today's date?" she asked.

She could practically feel her friend's surprise at the question on the other end. "_Uh, the sixteenth,_" she answered. "_June 16__th__, 2010. Don't you know that?_"

"England's five hours ahead and I haven't had a chance to look at a calendar lately," Alex replied quickly, satisfied that a glimmer of truth was in her answer. She looked over at the Doctor, who was racing around the console rapidly, flicking switches and pressing buttons. "Okay Lace, do me an incredible favor; I need you to go outside of town tomorrow, by Lover's Lane, at ten thirty."

"_What?_" Lacey cried, totally confused. "_Alex, what are you on about?_"

"Just do it," Alex insisted. "Promise me, okay?"

Lacey huffed and Alex could imagine her rolling her eyes, staring up at the constellation painted ceiling in her bedroom. "_Kay. Ten thirty, Lover's Lane, important favor, got it. But can you tell me what I'm going to be doing there?_"

Alex grinned even though she knew Lacey couldn't see her. "Trust me Lacey," she said cryptically. It seemed even more of the Doctor was rubbing off on her than she realized. "You'll know." And before Lacey could ask any more questions, Alex hung up the phone and turned to the Doctor.

"You catch all that?" she asked, going around the console to him. Once he had nodded, she added "And you better get us there on time. No twelve year thing like you did with Amy."

"Oi!" the Doctor cried, looking at her, his face put-out. "That was one time!"

Alex stared him down. "Funny, because I recall you telling me that you once got Rose Tyler home a year late."

"What?" Amy cried from her seat. She turned to give the Doctor a sharp look. "I'm not the first you've been late with then?"

The Doctor muttered something indecisive under his breath though Alex caught _last time I tell her anything _and _bloody girls ganging up on me_. She snickered a little into her hand. She loved messing with the Doctor. It was one of the many benefits she got traveling with him.

As the Doctor piloted the TARDIS, Amy and Rory clutched the bottom of their seat for balance while Alex hung onto the railing. She glanced down at her outfit; ripped jeans with a short white sundress over it, along with white sneakers. Her only jewelry was a pair of flower stud earrings with blue jewels in them and her parents' wedding bands. In other words, it was a good outfit for the hot weather that was currently hitting Kentucky at this time of year.

Right at that moment, the TARDIS let out its familiar vworp-vworp noise and landed with a solid thump. Alex squealed and tucked her Blackberry into her back pocket. She raced down the stairs to the doors but once she got there, stopped and turned to look at the others. She frowned slightly. They were all dressed in layers, being unused to extreme heat - at least, Amy and Rory were, the Doctor possibly not.

"Um," Alex began, casting a look at the Doctor's tweed jacket, "I should warn you. Kentucky is pretty hot at this time of year. You all might want to change."

"Alex, we'll be fine!" Amy argued. Alex cocked an eyebrow at her. Amy was currently dressed in black tights, a red mini-skirt, a long-sleeved black top, black leather boots, and a jean jacket. She'd burn up in ten seconds flat. Rory was just as bad in a blue long-sleeved collared shirt, jeans, and boots. And the Doctor…well, it'd be a miracle if he didn't break a sweat.

Alex sighed and shook her head, resigned. It was their decision. If they all wanted to sweat five pounds off, that was their business. At least now she could say that she had warned them. She turned back around and reached out to open the doors.

Alex grinned as she stepped out into the Kentucky sunshine. The TARDIS had parked right inside an old tunnel created by a huge hoard of oak trees, which was primarily called Lover's Lane due to its popularity with the high-school crowd. Alex had been a visitor to it as well and had indulged in many kisses and more in that old tunnel.

Behind her, she heard the TARDIS door swing open and then an irate Scottish voice curse as the heat settled on her. Rory followed Amy out and settled for a somewhat surprised "Blimey, it's hot!" Alex expected a comment from the Doctor but none came.

Alex marched across the dirt road next to Lover's Lane to perch up on the old blue wooden fence that surrounded a large horse pasture. The pasture belonged to Joe McHale, a farmer in his sixties who was more known for making moonshine than breeding Kentucky Derby winners. She swung her legs and giggled slightly at the sight of Amy gathering her long red hair up in one hand and fanning the back of her neck with the other.

A sudden burst in dust caught Alex's attention. Coming down the road was a familiar white Volkswagen Rabbit convertible, going faster than it probably should. The car came to an abrupt stop just a few feet down from Alex, the giant foam four-leaf clover that hung from the rear-view mirror swinging wildly. The car door was thrust open and slammed with the same amount of force. Out came a young woman Alex's age. She had curly blonde hair that came down to her collarbone and sapphire blue eyes currently hidden by a pair of white sunglasses. The girl wore a lace mint green sundress tucked into a pair of white short-shorts with a pair of matching green rhinestoned sandals. Alex watched as the girl came to a stop in front of her and pushed her sunglasses up to the top of her head.

"Alexandria Locke!" Lacey Abernathy screamed.

"Lacey!" Alex matched her voice. She jumped off the fence and raced over to hug her friend enthusiastically.

"Oh my God, how are you here?!" Lacey squealed, clutching Alex close. "I only called you yesterday!" She pulled back and swatted Alex's arm. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. So…surprise!" Alex grinned. She was immediately pulled into another hug by Lacey.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Lacey cried. "You haven't changed a bit." She pulled back again and grinned. "Well, aside from giving up head-to-toe black of course."

"Are you ever going to let that go?" Alex groaned. "It was a phase! I grew out of it!"

Lacey smirked at her and led Alex back across the road. "Well Alex, I don't know. Mind telling me who your friends are?"

Alex laughed and dragged Lacey over to the others. "Lacey Abernathy, meet Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Guys, the infamous Lacey Abernathy."

"It's great to finally meet you," Amy said as she fanned her face. A thin sheen of sweat had already gathered on her brow and would soon wreak havoc on her mascara.

"Alex has told us a lot about you," Rory added.

"All horrid knowing her," Lacey laughed.

Alex snorted. "And all true!" She had plenty of stories that detailed the many insane things Lacey had done over the years including stealing a duck on her sixteenth birthday, getting flat out drunk on a bottle of Bacardi right before taking the ACT, and the various excuses she came up with to get out of doing term papers and math problems.

"Well, it's good to meet the couple Alex has spent two years shoving together," Lacey remarked. She appraised the two as though she were a farmer in the area checking out a horse to buy. Amy and Rory blushed slightly - though Alex suspected it also had something to do with the heat - and Lacey moved her gaze from them right to the Doctor.

Alex watched as Lacey's eyebrows shot upwards and she placed one hand on her hip, her mouth curving into a smile. That was Lacey's classic flirting pose and it had never failed to charm the guys in high-school. Lacey had clearly noticed that the Doctor was extremely hot despite his Oxford professor-style attire and was ready to show him just how fun Southern girls could be.

"Hello there," Lacey greeted, drawing up her accent. "Lacey Abernathy, best friend of Alex. Who might you be?"

The Doctor eyed her, a slight smile on his face. Alex's blood turned cold. If he started flirting with her best friend, she'd go throw herself off Red River Gorge. Or claw Lacey's and his eyes out. Whichever suited her fancy. "So I've heard," he said. "Doctor John Smith, but everyone calls me the Doctor."

Alex could practically see Lacey mentally swoon at his British accent. "A doctor? Of what?"

"Oh, many things," the Doctor replied casually. His tone was playful and mysterious, making Alex want to shake him. _Why is he flirting with her when he could be flirting with me?_ She thought pettily.

Lacey giggled and Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay!" she exclaimed quickly before the Doctor and Lacey could get engaged. "Lace, how about we stop and see Marigold? You said yourself she'd be glad to see me."

Lacey turned to give her friend a withering look but the Doctor pounced on this suggestion. "Sounds fun!" he said enthusiastically. "You two go ahead. We'll catch up with you later."

"Great!" Alex agreed quickly before anybody could try to alter this plan. "Don't go getting into trouble, okay? People around here own guns, sometimes more than one."

"We'll keep an eye on him," Amy promised.

Once she had said good-bye, Alex dragged Lacey over to the Rabbit and hopped inside the passenger seat. Lacey turned the key and put the car in reverse, then drive. As the two drove out of sight on the road, Alex dug around in the glove compartment for some music. "Jason Aldean, Jason Aldean, Jason Aldean - God Lacey, are you married to the guy? - Lady Antebellum, ooh what's this?" Alex pulled out a Grateful Dead CD. "Going punk on me Lacey?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Lacey replied monotonously. "For your information, that's Brett's. His car is broken and I've been driving him to work every day while it's being fixed."

Alex whistled. "Ooh, somebody's been busy," she teased. Brett Parker had been Lacey's steady boyfriend during senior year until they famously broke up at prom right after Brett had been crowned Prom King with his ex-girlfriend.

"We're just friends Alex!" Lacey argued. "Don't read so much into it!"

"Well, I'm glad you're not dating a punk again," Alex said. "Freshman year was good enough for me."

"Johnny wasn't a punk!" Lacey protested, slapping the steering wheel for emphasis. "He was sweet!"

Alex couldn't help but snort. "So, you call a guy who wore a black leather jacket and black jeans 24/7 with two face piercings and rambled on about how punk music was prophetic sweet?"

Lacey ignored her and simply switched the radio on to a Garth Brooks song. The two softly sang along to the song as they passed dozens of fields of farmland and wild blackberry bushes before finally reaching a large blue metal road sign. _Welcome to Bristol, Kentucky_, it read. _Population 2,200_. Alex noticed that the population number had been crossed out and a new number written underneath it; 2,195.

Lacey noticed Alex staring at it and explained "The Mahoney's moved three months ago. Mr. Mahoney got a job in Tennessee. Something to do with tourism or some such thing. Debbie and Carl acted like little vagrants when they heard the news. They're probably torturing their parents, trying to get them to move back here as we speak."

Lacey took a left turn past the sign, plunging them into a wooded area containing rose bushes with wild briars on them, several gnarled oak trees, and a few rabbits that scattered as the convertible sped down the road. The road abruptly switched from dirt to gravel and the woods cleared out to reveal a lush golf-course green lawn, a small series of immaculately trimmed hedges lining a gravel drive. Lacey pulled up into a round concrete driveway, right next to a freshly painted blue fountain with a fat cherub in its center. As Lacey got out, Alex looked up at the beautiful Southern mansion that she truly considered home.

The house was painted butterscotch yellow and had three floors. A balcony hung from the second floor and the porch was flanked by a series of white columns. Every window was covered with white silk drapes, a few of them open to allow air into the house. Bundles of pink hollyhocks had been planted around the porch and Alex quickly spotted the large sleek black Lexus that Marigold was well-known for driving just around the house, outside the garage.

Lacey leaned against the back of the Rabbit and drew out her cell-phone. Pressing a few buttons, she placed the phone to her ear and began talking. "Hey Auntie!" she chirped. Alex snickered into her palm as Lacey continued. "Listen, can you come outside for a sec? It's very important." Lacey was silent for a moment before abruptly hanging up the phone. "She's coming!" she sang.

Alex watched the large red door to the house open and beamed as a person came through it. Marigold Abernathy was truly a beautiful woman. As far as Alex knew, she was in her mid-forties but looking at her, you'd swear she wasn't a day over thirty. Marigold had long layered blonde hair, Lacey's sapphire blue eyes, and a figure that had been obtained through countless hours of Pilates and liposuction. Today, in mind of the weather, Marigold wore a white skirt suit with a white blouse, tall white designer heels, and simple hoop earrings.

"Lacey Rose!" Marigold said in a thick Southern accent as she came out to the porch. "Why on earth do you want me…?" Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of the passenger in Lacey's car.

"Alexandria Locke!" Marigold cried, her eyes shining. Alex smiled and jumped out of the car, racing over to her. As Marigold grasped her into a tight embrace, she beamed "Look at you! You are so pretty! I swear, you haven't aged a day!"

"Thanks," Alex laughed. "It's so great to see you! I've missed you."

"I've been the same darling," Marigold laughed. She looked over at Lacey, who was looking rather pleased with herself. "Lacey Rose, why didn't you tell me she was coming in? I could've had a whole room made up!"

Lacey rolled her eyes. "_I_ didn't even know she was coming Auntie!" she cried. "Alex called me last night and told me to go out by Lover's Lane at ten thirty this morning. I saw her there with a few friends of hers and we sped over here."

Marigold sighed. "Well, regardless, I'm delighted you've come in." She eyed Alex critically. "How long are you here for? You'll be staying here of course. I don't care if that dratted woman is gone off on a drinking binge; you aren't breaking into that house and staying by yourself." By 'dratted woman', she meant Carla of course. Marigold had never liked Carla and wouldn't hesitate to say so.

"Probably a day," Alex said apologetically. She was grateful that the Doctor had offered to let her visit her home for a while, but she doubted he'd stay here longer than a day. Sooner or later, he'd get bored.

Marigold's eyebrows shot up, although not by much. Alex suspected she'd gotten Botox recently. "A _day_?!" she cried. "Oh lord no, I won't hear of it. You'll suffer from extreme jet lag."

"Some friends of mine from England came here with me," Alex explained. "And they are not used to this heat. They'll want to leave pretty soon."

Lacey snorted. "No kidding Auntie! You should've seen them. That girl Amy I told you about? She was wearing a jean jacket, tights, and a long sleeved shirt in ninety degree weather! Her fiancé was wearing a long sleeved collared shirt and jeans! They'll drop dead of sunstroke before noon."

"Well, I'm sure they can get proper clothes in one of the stores in town," Marigold dismissed. Marigold was always willing to order others around and take control of situations. This was one of the reasons Alex loved her. She had helped her during some pretty tough times in her life. She looked over at Alex appraisingly. "And lord, do you need some sun! I know England is famous for being absolutely wet all the time, but that's no excuse for you to be so pale like that!"

"I'll be fine," Alex assured her.

"Well, get some sunscreen at the gas station when you go to town," Marigold told her. "I know you girls won't stay here much longer. Tell Wanda to put it on my tab. And don't protest Alex; I insist and won't take no for an answer."

Alex laughed. Trying to say no to Marigold was next to impossible. It was like trying to tell a group of charging cattle to stop stampeding. "Okay, I will," she promised. She balanced on tip-toe and kissed Marigold's cheek. "I'll see you later!"

"I expect you back here for dinner," Marigold informed her. "I'm telling the cook to make all your favorites. You need some meat on your bones. You're positively skinny!"

Alex was actually at a healthy weight but agreed nevertheless. "Alright," she swore. "I'll be back." She could probably talk the Doctor into allowing her to stay the night. He, Amy, and Rory could go off in the TARDIS for a little while if they got really bored.

Alex hopped into the car, Lacey right behind her. As they sped off down the driveway, Alex waving a quick good-bye to Marigold, Lacey piped up. "See?!" she cried excitedly. "I TOLD you that you were her favorite! And she didn't jump on me about college at all! I swear, every five minutes it's been _Lacey, when are you going to stop waitressing at that god-forsaken diner and get an education?_"

"I thought you quit waitressing," Alex remarked. She rummaged around in the glove compartment and pulled out the spare pair of aviator Ray-Bans Lacey kept there.

Lacey tugged her sunglasses back down. "The Polka-Dot Shop closed," she revealed. For the last couple of months, Lacey had worked at the little kid's clothing store, citing it better than waitressing. "Kate turned sixty-five and said she didn't think she could run around like that anymore. The girls and I offered to work longer hours but she ended up closing shop anyway."

"Damn," Alex muttered. "Let's see, that only leaves the Dollar Tree, the diner, Scooter's, and the auto garage."

"Tell me about it," Lacey muttered. "I swear, none of the shops will hire any of us anymore! Remember the number there used to be back in high school?"

"Eight," Alex said wistfully. "And that decreased when Ben Riley and his cousin set off a smoke bomb in Blockbuster. And then one in the library."

"Right," Lacey mused. "Hey, who was Ben's cousin? I can't remember. Wasn't he a freshman when we were juniors?"

"I think so." Alex thought for a moment. "Max Richmond, I think. I remember thinking he looked like a mini Channing Tatum, only with black hair."

The girls continued talking as they approached Bristol proper. Right outside the main part of town was a Circle K gas station. Alex fondly remembered driving up every morning before school, either in her car or with one of her friends who drove her when Carla was home, and getting a large Polar Pop with Diet Coke that she would suck on until third period. That gas station had also supplied her with various things whenever emergency struck, from feminine hygiene, to snack cravings, to the many supplies she needed whenever she ditched school.

Alex vaulted over the car door, just like she had done a thousand times before. Dashing into the gas station, she paused to deeply breathe in the familiar scent of Clorox and cheap air freshener that smelled a lot like pinecones. Right by the counter were several bottles of sunscreen. Alex grabbed a bottle and slapped it on the counter. "Hi Wanda," she greeted the older heavyset woman behind the counter. "Marigold told me to tell you to put this on her tab."

Wanda smiled at her and wrote the price down on a small pad of paper. "Alex, it's been too long," she said. "Gosh, it's like it was only yesterday you came zipping in here, grabbing a drink before zipping back out again!"

Alex laughed. "That's me all right." Alex said good-bye to Wanda, grabbed the sunscreen, and headed back outside. Once she was inside and Lacey had begun to drive again, Alex rubbed some of the coconut scented mixture on her shoulders and arms. Tossing the bottle in the backseat, Alex leaned back in the leather seat and breathed in the fresh country air.

"God, I missed this place," she sighed.

"England does not have our southern charm, does it?" Lacey joked.

"Pretty much," Alex admitted. "I've missed it."

Lacey laughed and cranked the radio up to where the music was making the seats vibrate. As Brad Paisley sang, she assured Alex "We'll soon fix that."

The two drove into town and Alex grinned as she spotted the many stores she had frequented during her youth. On Lacey's side, there was the large Kroger, built when she was twelve and where she had gotten many of her groceries; next to it was The Wine Cellar, where she had to heavily flirt with a clerk one time before she could be allowed to purchase a huge bottle of Maker's Mark whiskey. On Alex's side, she spotted a local barbeque place, a used car dealership, and Bristol Drugs, where she used to purchase Red Hot's candy and where she had shoplifted a dolphin statue on a dare when she was fifteen. She had returned the statue during the night though; her conscience had forced her.

Once reaching a crossroads past all this, Lacey took a right turn which led them past the car dealership and over to a small strip mall. She parked in front of a tanning salon and tooted the horn. "Bailey's working here now," she explained.

Alex smiled as a young blonde woman came running out the door, dressed in a blue, red, and white plaid sundress and brown mid-calf leather boots. "Ally!" Bailey Adkins cried as she raced over to the car and jumped up on the running board. Bailey had been one of Alex's friends all throughout school.

Alex fixed her with an icy glare. "Yeah, still don't like being called Ally," she retorted before lightening her gaze. _Except by one person,_ she thought, relishing in that secret.

Bailey rolled her eyes and threw her arms around Alex's shoulders. "It's so good to see you! Lacey told us that you moved to England and I couldn't imagine it. It must be awful over there because look how pale you are!"

Alex chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll get some sun yet." She gazed up at the sky, feeling the sun warm her face. "I can feel it working already."

"Well, if it doesn't, come by here," Bailey offered. "I'll fix you up with a fantastic spray-tan. On the house, of course."

Lacey snorted. "Like your mother would ever let you do that."

"She wouldn't mind," Bailey protested, swinging back and forth from the door. "She loves Alex."

"She didn't love me so much when I accidentally broke a tanning machine when I was eight," Alex recalled.

"That was AGES ago!" Bailey reminded her. "And I think I was with you too then. At least, I remember a bunch of screaming aimed at me. She forgave you for that a long time ago."

"Wanna ride along with us?" Alex offered. "I haven't seen Bristol in forever. It's nice to see what's changed."

Bailey groaned. "God, I would love to, but I can't. Mama's at the mall today, shopping for Mickey's wedding."

Alex arched her eyebrows. "Mickey's getting married?" she cried. Back during her middle school days, she and Lacey had had huge crushes on Bailey's older brother. Alex still had old math notebooks with _Mrs. Mickey Adkins _scribbled on the inside covers.

Bailey nodded. "Mmm-hmm. To the oldest Vincent girl, Jessica. She's sweet and all but I think he could do better. They're set to get hitched next month."

"Well, tell him I said congratulations," Alex told her.

"Don't worry, I will. Hey, how long are you staying? I turned twenty-one two months ago and I can legally buy you a drink at Blair's."

Alex smiled apologetically. "Not long. Probably only a day. Some friends of mine from England are with me and they won't be able to stand the heat much longer. Not to mention that they're getting married in a few days."

After a few more minutes of chatting with Bailey, Alex and Lacey drove off. They passed the rest of the strip mall and a Dairy Queen before coming into a small suburb. Alex had always been envious of this district because it was filled with many beautiful Victorian era homes that had been built when coal mining was still big in the town. Lacey pulled up in front of a brown three story house, the window frames all painted dark blue. In the driveway was a peeling turquoise Jeep along with a young woman with long curly red hair, wearing a white halter top, jean shorts, and white sneakers. She was talking with someone on her phone as they pulled up.

"…are you sure she's back? Okay, just because you saw someone in Lacey's car with Lacey doesn't automatically mean that…" The girl's voice trailed off as she looked up and spotted the car and, more importantly, the person sitting in the passenger seat.

"OMG!" Emmy Rawlins gasped into the phone. "She IS back! Yes, she's right here in my driveway! Talk to you later!" Emmy hung up the phone and sprinted over to the car. "Alex Locke, what the hell is wrong with you, showing up without any warning?"

Alex laughed and got out to hug her friend. "Nice to see you too, Emmy."

"You too," Emmy said impatiently, "but REALLY! I've gotten three calls in the past five minutes with everyone saying you're back! Do you know how much my data plan is gonna go up because of this?"

Alex clutched her fist over her heart dramatically. "Oh, I am so sorry I didn't think about that!" she cried, turning up her accent. "Can you EVER forgive me?"

Emmy lightly hit her arm. "Oh stop," she laughed. "God, we've ALL missed you! Nothing fun's happened around here since you left!"

"I'm sure that's an exaggeration," Alex dismissed, jumping back into the passenger seat.

"No, it's the truth," Emmy insisted. She turned to look up at the house. "Oh hold on. I bet Lola isn't aware you're back." Emmy marched across the lawn and picked up a pebble from the rock garden surrounding the house. With the same incredible aim she'd had on girls' softball in high school, she threw the pebble at a window on the third floor. "HEY LOLA!" she screamed up to the window once the pebble fell to the ground.

The window immediately opened with a BANG and out popped the head of Emmy's cousin Lola. Lola had long bleached blonde hair with a cotton candy pink streak in her bangs and was corpse white due to the amount of time she spent indoors, reading murder mysteries and attempting to write the Great American Novel. "WHAT?!" she screamed down, glaring at her cousin. "I was reading!"

"Get your nose out of your book for five seconds and look whose back in town!" Lola lifted her head from her cousin to look at Lacey and Alex, still sitting in the car by the driveway.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried. "Alex!"

"Hi Lola!" Alex called up to the sixteen year old. Even though Lola had been significantly younger than the rest of the gang, she was still good friends with Emmy and Alex's friends and had always been invited to whatever party or scheme they cooked up.

"What are you doing back?" Lola cried, moving to sit on the window seat and sticking her head out further. She reached down and brought a cigarette up to her lips. Lola never liked smoking but did like carrying around cigarettes and sticking them in her mouth to try and appear glamorous. "I thought you moved to Vegas!"

"She moved from there to England!" Emmy corrected her.

Lola made a face at her. "I can't keep track!" she complained. She looked back over at Alex. "Anyway, what are you in town for?"

"Visiting," Alex explained. "And, according to Emmy, people already seem to know I'm back."

At that moment, there came a distant chirping of a cell-phone and Lola looked back into her room. "Hold on a sec. That's my phone!" She disappeared from the window but was back a second later, flipping through what Alex assumed were text messages.

"You're right!" she called down. "Brett and Ross just texted me to ask if the rumors that you were back were true!" There was another chirp and Lola examined it long enough to add "That was Bree. She said to tell you to get your ass down to the diner so she can see you."

Lacey laughed. "Tell them all to meet us at the diner in fifteen minutes!" she shouted.

"Make that twenty," Alex corrected. She leaned closer to Lacey and whispered "I need to check something out." By the tone of her voice and because she knew her so well, Lacey knew exactly what Alex was talking about. She didn't think it was a good idea, but she knew that Alex wouldn't change her mind.

The two said good-bye to Emmy and Lola, who promised to meet them and many others at the diner, before zipping off. Lacey's speedometer sped up as they zipped past the rest of the Victorian's before eventually driving into the country. As they passed a field of violets, Lacey hesitantly asked "Are you sure you want to go by the house? I haven't been out there since you left, but I imagine it's something awful."

Alex pursed her lips. "I have to see it," she said steadily. Lacey could tell that Alex was trying not to snap at her so she shut her mouth and continued driving.

The two eventually passed a weathered road sign that Alex could name without even looking at it; Antebellum Road. They passed a small bungalow that belonged to their eighth grade science teacher Mrs. Hardwick and a few large fields with horses grazing in them before reaching a very small suburb. Everyone in Bristol referred to this area as a suburb even though there were only three houses on one side of the road, each largely spread out and separated by tall hedges while the other side contained Sonny Siler's long neglected tobacco farm.

Lacey stopped and shut the car off at the end of the driveway to the second house. The house was a true mansion with three floors, topped off by an attic and gables. The house was made of brown brick on one side and white brick on the other, probably to compete with the neighbors at the time. Alex, however, always thought it tacky. The roof was gray slate and Alex could see a few missing pieces in some spots, which probably plagued Carla with leaks every time it rained. All the windows were lined with black shutters, some of them hanging precariously from their latches, threatening to topple to the ground at any moment. Alex bit her lip. It was exactly as she remembered.

Lining the house were several shrubs, beer cans littered among them. Alex sighed as she looked over at the once pretty white roses at one corner of the house, now wilted from too much beer and heat. She looked around at the several trees planted in the front yard, from the weeping willow just left of the driveway to the large oak tree on one side of the house that she taught herself to climb when she was nine and had used to sneak out of the house whenever she couldn't access her car.

Alex got out and cautiously approached the front porch. "You sure Carla is gone?" she called to Lacey.

Lacey nodded adamantly. "Positive. Wanda told Auntie that she pulled into the gas station two weeks ago cursing up a storm and forked out enough money to get her down to Nashville. Wanda asked how long she'd be gone and Carla spat a month."

Alex nodded and slowly went up the steps. While she knew Carla's word wasn't gold, she did know that her grandmother liked to be gone in the summer. Alex had spent many summers alone at the house, relishing in the freedom she had from late May to early September.

Alex approached the porch and shook her head at the many insect carcasses that decorated the wooden floor. Off a little ways was a rusted patio set with weather-beaten floral cushions. Alex turned to the door and hesitantly propped open the screen door with her hip. She tried the knob on the wooden door. "It's locked!" she announced.

"Do you still have your key?" Lacey asked.

"It's back in Leadworth," Alex explained. And Alex knew the exact spot it was in; in a shoebox at the bottom of her closet, where the light of day couldn't touch it.

Lacey sighed. "Well, there's not much use in trying to get in. Carla's probably trashed it anyways."

Alex nodded limply, her shoulders sinking. Though she knew it was the truth, she longed to get a look in the house and see just how much had changed since she left. There were a few things in there she had left behind when she moved to Vegas and she wanted them back. "Yeah," she agreed, walking down the porch and driveway over to the car.

Lacey pursed her lips, looking up at the house as Alex got back in. "You know, it's a damned shame," she suddenly announced as she put the car in reverse. "That house was always one of the prettiest ones here. It should be on the historical society list, if we even had a historical society. Marigold told me once that that house was built around the turn of the century."

"1902 to be exact," Alex revealed. She had done some digging one summer into the history of her house. "It was built by some Irishman named Artie McGregor. He was one of the first and few people to make big money mining here. He built it for his second wife who died in childbirth and shortly after his son turned one, he jumped out a third floor window to his death." She grinned. "People say that at night, you can see him plunging to his death…right out my old bedroom window."

Lacey shivered. "Stop that Alex!" she scolded. "That's creepy!"

Alex cackled. "Oh Lacey, that story's an old wives tail. I lived in that house for thirteen years and never saw a ghost. Now, would you like to hear about the maid that's supposed to haunt the basement?"

"No!" Lacey shrieked, putting the car in drive and speeding off. "We used to spend weekends getting drunk in that house and playing Clue! I will not have you ruin it for me!"

"Okay," Alex said slowly, still grinning. She had also done some digging into Lacey's house and discovered something that she knew Marigold would never tell her jittery niece; that five people had died in that house from Spanish flu after World War I and that their ghosts were rumored to be running around the house, getting ready for a big cocktail party that had been scheduled before their deaths.

The two sped back to town and once they reached the car dealership, Lacey drove straight ahead, taking the left turn had she been at the crossroads. On this side were Kroger and the Wine Cellar along with a few other buildings. Alex spotted a bar that hadn't been there the last time she was here, along with the used bookstore she used to spend many weekends in, and a shoe store that sold awful shoes but had been one of few stores that had air conditioning when Alex was a teenager.

Lacey took another left turn, going up a steady rise that held all these stores. Right along the rise, just a few meters away from the Wine Cellar parking lot was Blondie's Diner. However, to the teens and young adults of Bristol, it was commonly referred to as 'the diner' as Blondie had passed away seven years ago and the property was now controlled by her niece Elena. The parking lot was already packed with several cars in various states, from a brand new sedan to a paint chipped Toyota truck that had a taillight taped up.

Lacey pulled into a spot in the front, carefully left there by the occupants of the other cars. Once switching the ignition off, she turned to give Alex a wry look. "Ready to see the gang again?" she asked, already anticipating Alex's answer.

Alex smirked at her and flounced out of the car. "You know it!" she cackled. Fluffing up her hair, she waited until Lacey had gotten out before linking arms with her and heading inside.

A/N: So there's the first part of 'Bristol, KY Stop'! Not much happening yet other than some background information for Alex. Lol, she was quite the wild-child when she was younger, huh? :)

Some notes on reviews...

**ElysiumPhoenix **- You don't have to wait any longer! Here it is! :D

**Gwilwillith**- Here it is! :D

**jesterlover **- I love 'Amy's Choice' too! But you should be a bit nervous for Alex in that episode... *smiles mysteriously*

**rycbar124 **- Thank you! I know, the tension and chemistry between them is crazy! Don't worry, I promise that that moment will be epic...whenever it happens. :) And I agree. The Doctor does need someone to tell him its not his fault. I haven't seen a companion tell him that yet, so I made Alex the first. Alex is pretty rational and tries to make judgment after she's seen everything there is to see, so she felt that Rosanna really was to blame for her race ending. And here's the first of the original chapters! Hope it doesn't disappoint! :)

**TheUltimateGuest** - LOL, the Doctor IS Alex's boy, isn't he?! Jack Harkness will have a particular word for his kind of behavior around Alex. Yes, I am officially announcing that Jack and the Torchwood team will meet 11, Alex, and the Ponds! :D

Thank you to **ElysiumPhoenix**, **Gwilwillith**, **jesterlover**, **rycbar124**, and **TheUltimateGuest **for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	23. Bristol, KY Stop Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. I only own Alex, other OCs, and anything else in here you don't recognize.

Blondie's diner was a diner straight out of the fifties, complete with black and white tiled flooring, jukebox, and a huge soda fountain in the back. Booths lined the walls and windows and several small tables were clustered in the middle of the restaurant. On the far wall was a flat screen that was used by many afternoon regulars to watch their soap operas on. As Alex and Lacey walked in, several of their friends were clustered around a booth by one of the windows. Some had pulled up chairs from other tables and all were chatting excitedly as the girls approached.

Leaning against the booth was a tall brown haired girl. Her hair was in a high ponytail, her bangs hair-sprayed within an inch of their life. She wore the typical Blondie's uniform; a pink short-sleeved dress that reached to the top of the knees with black fabric peeking out, simulating a petticoat, and white sneakers. She was twirling a pencil around as she looked up to see Alex and Lacey. She immediately dropped it, capturing the whole attention of the group.

"Alex!" Bree Michaels cried, running over to her.

"Bree!" Alex greeted, hugging the girl. Bree had been a friend in school and also her co-worker when she worked at Blondie's. Bree had always been the best waitress Blondie's ever had and would probably still be there long after everyone else was gone.

After reuniting with Bree, Alex and Lacey hurried over to the table. Lacey perched on someone's knee while Alex slid into the booth. She looked around the empty diner. "Where is everyone?" she wondered.

"I closed when I heard you were back," Bree explained. She picked her pencil up and tucked it behind her ear.

"Do you have that power?" Mike Simmons wondered, completely astonished. Mike was a scruffy looking guy with shaggy dark brown hair who wore a black leather jacket and baseball cap with everything. Despite this, he was a close friend of Alex because he had once beaten up an ex-boyfriend of hers.

Bree winked at him. She had always had a crush on Mike but never did anything about it. "Of course I do! I'm head waitress. And since Julie's on vacation for two weeks, that puts me in charge."

"Well, can you please go and grab me something to drink?" Alex requested. "I'm parched."

Bree laughed. "One Diet Coke coming right up!"

As she walked off, Brett Parker, a light brown-haired guy wearing a denim jacket, called out "Hey, can I get a root beer?"

"Get it yourself!" Bree shot back, flouncing behind the counter to access the soda fountain. "We're closed!" A lot of snickers and hearty laughter followed this.

Lacey bounced on Brett's knee and twirled a lock of her hair. "So Alex, what've you been up to?"

Alex hesitated for a moment. She really wished she could tell them all about her adventures in the TARDIS. They would think it so cool! But she knew she couldn't. For one thing, they'd never believe her. They'd probably think she was suffering from jet lag or something. And also, the Doctor would probably never let her tell. He'd never said anything but Alex got the feeling it was implied.

"Oh, nothing," she replied in what she hoped was a casual voice. "I got a job at a library. It beats waitressing."

"Yeah, you were always reading," Lola piped up next to her as she twirled a straw around in her glass of Sprite.

Alex was about to ask what was new with them when there came the sound of tires skidding in the parking lot outside. Turning her head, Alex watched as a sleek white Mustang convertible pulled up. There were two passengers in the seat. One was Alex's best guy friend Ross Tyler, who she used to practice her kissing skills with. She was happy to see him, but the other person in the car made her heart temporarily stop.

It was Hillary Westcott, her old rival. It pained Alex to see that she was still drop-dead gorgeous with platinum blonde hair, a killer figure, and…whoa.

"Oh. My. God," Alex said, shocked. She gaped at a new asset on Hillary. "Did they get…bigger?"

Emmy nodded bitterly. "Mmm-hmm. It was a graduation present. You left before she came back from Lexington with them."

Nat Briar, a friend of Alex's since seventh grade, rolled her eyes. "And any amount of brains she had before the operation left her head and went straight to her chest."

"I don't think it's that bad," Brett spoke up. All the girls in the group turned to glare at him and Lacey swatted the back of his head for emphasis. "Ow! I was just expressing an opinion!"

"Anyway," Alex cut in, "what's she doing with Ross? I thought he was dating that Chloe girl."

"Cleo girl actually," Bree corrected, coming back to place Alex's drink on the table. "Cleo Bessel. She was that little Goth girl who always sat in the back of the cafeteria drawing. Anyway, she dropped the Goth look and every guy here discovered she was pretty hot and she and Ross started hooking up."

"But then Cleo's dad got a job offer in Louisville," Kenny McCall, Alex's only gay friend, picked up. "So they moved and Hillary _conveniently_ started having car trouble every time she reached Ross's house." Alex mentally groaned at this news. She had always suspected Hillary had a crush on Ross but she didn't think Ross would actually fall for her.

"Breathe Al," Mike instructed. "He's just stringing her along, making her think she has him. He thinks once she actually has him, the game will be over and she'll leave him alone."

Alex pursed her lips, nodded, and took a sip of her drink. "So was Hillary thrilled to hear I was back?"

There was a slight chuckle from Mike at this. "Well…I got a text from Abby at the dollar store a little while ago. She said that when she heard the news, Hillary was standing in the figurine aisle. Abby told Luke and she said Hillary threw a snow-globe at the wall and then stormed out without paying for it."

"Well, it's nothing Daddy's money won't fix!" Alex said lightly as the door opened and Ross came in.

Ross was a good-looking guy with perfectly messy light-brown hair, green eyes, and chiseled features. It was no wonder every girl in Bristol had a crush on him. Today, he wore mechanic garb; blue overalls, an old, faded Nirvana t-shirt, and scuffed up sneakers. His step-father ran the local auto garage and Ross was probably the biggest expert on cars in all of Kentucky.

Alex looked over and saw Emmy and Lola nearly swoon at the sight of him. Lacey also had her eyes widened and Bree was doodling on her note-pad, something she always did whenever she caught sight of a good-looking male. She glanced over at the other members of the group. Nat was ogling him through her purple cats-eye glasses while Kenny also eyed him, even though Kenny had long gotten over his crush on Ross.

She mentally rolled her eyes. Out of everyone in this town, she was the only one who failed to be influenced by the strange spell Ross casted over everyone. She had known Ross since her first day in Bristol, when she had moved in with Carla after her parents' deaths. He had been passing by with his older brother Harrison, who had a paper route. Alex used to dart outside every day and talk to them for minutes on end until they had to leave. When Harrison died of a drug overdose in sixth grade, Alex had been the one to stand next to Ross at the funeral, secretly holding his hand while he tried not to cry as his brother's casket was lowered into the ground. When they got in eighth grade, the two practiced kissing on each-other and other things that Alex would never admit to out loud. They had a sibling relationship instead of a romantic one and that was all Alex ever wanted with him.

"Hey Beauty," Ross teased, grabbing a chair and swinging it over to the booth. He sat in it backwards, the back of the chair pressed against the table. Beauty was Ross's personal nickname for Alex, saying that it was because she was so beautiful.

Alex shimmied over and threw her arms around him. "Hi!" she cried, squeezing him tightly. She pulled back and examined him. "Have you been working out?" she teased.

Ross rolled his eyes at her. "Shut up."

Alex laughed and released him. "How's everything been going?"

"Been great," Ross replied. "Dad's letting me make some new choices for inventory at the garage. I think he might promote me to manager if I keep the work up."

"Lucky son of a gun," Mike grumbled good-naturedly. Mike also worked at the auto garage but he was always forced to admit that Ross was more than capable for a job as manager than he was.

"What about your classes at EKU?" Alex asked. She had been thrilled when Lacey told her that Ross was taking night classes at the nearby university. Lacey hadn't known what he was majoring in, but Alex was pretty sure it had something to do with mechanics.

Ross grinned at her. "Top of my class!" he crowed.

Nat whistled. "Not bad for someone who flunked Ms. Perry's algebra final three years in a row."

"Like you didn't!" Ross shot back.

"I got an 87 on that senior year," Nat smirked.

"What about the years before that?" Lacey asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Nat rolled her eyes and picked up a small menu resting in the condiments basket on the table. "Isn't senior year the year that really counts?" she questioned as she pretended to examine the description for the diner's legendary Boston cream pie.

"She's got a point," Kenny agreed. Kenny leaned back in the booth, squished between Emmy and Nat. "Senior year was the best year of my life."

"Oh yeah, how is Trenton anyway?" Alex asked. Trenton had been the only other openly gay guy at Bristol High and he and Kenny had finally gotten together at the homecoming game after years of sexual tension.

"He's up in Boston now, studying at some undergraduate school," Kenny explained. He reached up and pulled down a piece of his blond hair to examine it. "His great-aunt's paying so he couldn't refuse. Long story short, we decided to call it quits."

"Aw, I'm so sorry," Alex apologized, mentally kicking herself for opening that can of worms.

"Don't look like that!" Kenny objected. "We're still friends! We just don't wanna try a long-distance relationship. I called him when I heard you were back and he said to tell you all his love and to get rid of that black leather jacket."

Alex threw up her hands in exasperation. "Really?! It was a PHASE! Is no one here ever going to get over that?!"

"You did try to change our uniform to black," Bree reminded her.

"And you wore black lipstick for a week," Brett recalled.

Alex rolled her eyes. "And I gave it up, because my teeth kept getting stained black. I looked like I had been drinking motor oil."

"Not to mention, but it was a phase that lasted two years," Emmy smiled.

Alex shook her head and took a sip of her drink. It was extremely rare that her friends got a chance to tease her like this and now that she was back in town, they had a bunch of years to make up for.

As the conversation picked back up again, the door swung open and Amy and Rory came in. Alex took one look at them and nearly started laughing. Amy's hair was completely plastered to her head, some of it even on her face. She was carrying her jean jacket and tights and the sleeves of her shirt had been rolled up to the elbow. Rory looked much the same, his shirt sleeves rolled up and hair completely flat from sweat.

Amy marched over to her. "It's hot!" she moaned.

Alex snickered and leaned back, crossing her arms. "I did warn you!" she sang.

Amy glowered at her and pulled up a chair, settling in next to Alex. "Can you skip with the _I told you so_ part and move on?"

"Fair enough," Alex easily replied. "Where's the Doctor?"

"Right here," the Doctor replied, coming in just in time to hear Alex's question. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to be affected by the heat at all. His jacket and bow-tie were on, at least. He held up a rolled-up copy of nearby town Richmond's _The Richmond Register_. Bristol was too cheap to have a newspaper. He gave Amy and Rory an amused glance as he added "Somebody wanted to know how hot it was and if it was going to rain any time soon."

"And is it?" Rory asked hopefully.

The Doctor flipped to the back of the paper while Mike and Bree snorted. "Not likely," Mike snickered. "The whole county's been under a drought since the end of May."

Amy whimpered and flung her head down on the table. "This table is really cool," she announced. "Maybe I'll stay here forever and just be cool here."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her antics while Alex snickered and patted Amy on the back. "Poor, miserable English girl unused to this weather," she cooed. Had Amy really wanted to, she probably would've throttled Alex but for now, she was enjoying basking in the cold air coming from the ceiling fans overhead. Instead, she replied, her voice muffled as she was still resting her head on the table "Poor, miserable _Scottish _girl unused to this weather."

"Whatever." Alex looked up at Bree. "Hey Bree, mind getting them some water or something? Don't worry, I'll pay."

"Don't worry about it," Bree dismissed, silently laughing at Amy and Rory. "Anything for friends of yours." On this, Bree turned to give the Doctor a very appreciative look. "And I do mean _anything_." Before Alex could try and slap Bree, she had twirled on her heel and was over at the soda fountain.

Alex looked over at the other girls in her party and mentally stabbed each and every one of them. Based on the way they were all acting, they had all noticed that the Doctor was a fine specimen of a male and believed that gawking at him would make him want to kiss one of them. Emmy was fluffing up her hair, Lola was hastily putting on lip gloss while trying to act seductive about it, Nat was simply staring at him, probably unaware that most people find that kind of thing creepy and repelling, and Lacey was ignoring poor Brett altogether and simply checking out the Doctor one anatomical part at a time. Even Kenny - Kenny! - was looking him up and down. They were all worse than Amy had been.

Alex expected the Doctor to do one of many things; strike up a conversation with one of the girls while simultaneously flirting with them, swiftly kiss one of them on the lips and tell the lucky party that that was how things were done in England, or even begin to romance Kenny, because for all Alex knew, he was interested in guys instead of girls. _Or maybe even both…_ Alex thought. What she did _not _expect was for him to easily slide in next to her, sling an arm over the back of the booth, right above her shoulders, and casually say "Alex, aren't you going to introduce everyone?"

It took a moment for this to register in Alex's brain. "Oh! Right!" she exclaimed. Her eyes wide from shock, she swiftly turned and began to identify everyone. "Doctor, Amy, Rory, that's Mike Simmons; that's Natalie Briar, but everyone calls her Nat; the guy sitting next to her is Kenny McCall; that's Emmy Rawlins, the American version of you Amy for she never shuts her mouth; you've already met Lacey and the guy she's sitting on is Brett Parker; next to him is Ross Tyler; the blonde sitting next to me is Lola Rawlins, Emmy's cousin, and the girl getting drinks is Bree Michaels, my old co-worker. Mike, Nat, Kenny, Emmy, Brett, Ross, Lola, and Bree, meet Amy Pond and her fiancé Rory Williams and…" Alex trailed off, still a little surprised by the Doctor's choice of name for their visit. "…Doctor John Smith, but he just goes by the Doctor."

"Oh yeah, Lacey told me about you two," Nat revealed, looking at Amy and Rory. "When's the big day?"

"June 26th," Rory replied.

Emmy raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit soon to be traveling out here," she observed.

Amy had lifted her head up by this point and gave Emmy a wry grin. "And miss seeing where Alex is from? Never!"

Ross chuckled. "Well, it's not that exciting. I'm still a little surprised Beauty over here actually came back for a visit. She always has been the life of the party."

Alex blushed and pretended to examine the table-top. But out of the corner of her eye, she was watching the Doctor's face. She had felt him tense up against her upon hearing Ross's nickname for her and she could now see that his jaw was clenched. She could just imagine how dark his eyes had gotten. But why would he be reacting like that? He wasn't interested in her.

Bree came back over bearing a tray carrying three glasses. "Hope ice water's alright," she said, placing glasses in front of Amy, Rory, and the Doctor. "You need to stay hydrated during our summers."

Rory took a long gulp from his drink. "I think that definitely helps."

Amy sipped at hers. "Or tea," she joked. "Tea's good as well."

Alex wrinkled her nose. "No one here drinks tea Amy, or at least, not the hot kind you Brits seem to prefer. We prefer it iced and sweetened." She was displeased to see Amy, Rory, and the Doctor looking disgusted at this.

"I actually resent that Alex," Lola piped up. "I drink hot tea all the time."

Ross snorted. "And you also read Jane Andrews," he retorted.

"It's Jane _Austen_, smart-ass." Lola rolled her eyes. "Head of his class my eye."

"It's in mechanics, not literature!" Ross protested. "You can't possibly make a comparison between mechanics and books!"

"I'm sure I can come up with something," Lola replied sweetly, taking a sip of her drink.

Alex rolled her eyes and looked at the Doctor exasperatedly. "They did this a few years ago as well," she dryly remarked. "Nice to know some things never change."

When she later looked back on this, Alex would always remember that last remark. It always seemed ironic and almost fate-like, as if something completely out of the ordinary were destined to happen after those words left her lips. It was like saying you couldn't wait to get somewhere while you were riding along in a car that you knew was notorious for breaking down at the most inopportune times. You shouldn't say things like that, a lesson Alex would tell herself every time she looked back on those events.

For right at that moment the lights went off.

Alex looked up in surprise. As far as she knew, Blondie's didn't have electrical problems. She glanced back at her friends to see if they were just as surprised as she was, only to be taken aback to see that with the exception of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory, the rest hadn't even flinched. In fact, except for a quick glance up at the ceiling, Lola and Ross were still arguing.

"…you know, mechanics was an interesting hobby in Jane Austen's time. Ever heard of steampunk?"

"That's science fiction!"

"But people were beginning to experiment with it-,"

"Guys, cool it!" Alex cried. She looked over at Bree, who was as calm as a cucumber. "Bree, is something wrong with the breaker switch? We didn't have problems before but it must be something to do with the electrics-,"

"Relax, Alex!" Nat interrupted her. Nat took a sip of her drink, taking in Alex's baffled expression. "It's just the electric. It'll come back on in a minute."

Alex stared at her. _What the hell does that mean?_ "What are you talking about-" she began but just as the words left her lips, there was a loud _hum_ and the lights instantly switched back on. Amy sighed in relief as the ceiling fan began turning again but Alex couldn't relax. This was too weird. Sudden power cuts weren't the norm in Bristol. At least, not the Bristol she was familiar with. So why were these happening?

"What's going on?" she questioned. She eyed each of her friends critically. "The power just switched off and then back on and you're all acting like it's nothing out of the ordinary."

Brett looked at Lacey. "You didn't tell her?" he asked, incredulous.

Lacey bit her lip and Alex narrowed her eyes slightly, knowing that Lacey was hiding something. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning," she explained weakly.

Emmy turned to gape at her. "Seriously?" she cried. "How could you not think to mention it?"

"You know how she'll react," Lacey warned.

"It involves her Lace," Ross reminded her, probably not for the first time based on the way he said it. "You need to tell her."

"Tell me what?" Alex ground out. Everyone turned to look at her and immediately wished they hadn't. Alex's eyes were narrowed down to little slits, holding back the hurricanes of wrath in her pupils. Her hands were laid out in front of her, neatly crossed and she was sitting stiff straight but everyone could see her shoulders were slightly relaxed, ready to lunge in a nanosecond. She fixed her gaze on Lacey, evidently the person the Bristol group wanted to break the news.

Lacey gulped and got off Brett's lap. Stepping behind Ross, she prepared to launch in her tale. "Well…back in December, they began building this plant outside of town."

Alex raised her eyebrows, thankfully decreasing her death stare. "Plant?"

Lacey looked down at Ross desperately and nudged his shoulder. Ross stared at her, but finally seemed to decide that an argument wasn't worth having. "Yes, a plant, an electric power plant. They rewired the whole town, free of charge."

"But an electric power plant doesn't just come out of nowhere," Alex argued, trying to piece the facts together in her head. "There'd have to be a dozen permits and such filed and ordered before building could even begin, let alone rewire anything."

"Well this plant bypassed everything. Sanctions, orders, you name it. And the plant was invested in by a very wealthy person in town." Ross paused, judging Alex's mood before continuing "Carla Locke, to be more precise."

There was a very short silence as Alex processed this before she suddenly let out an explosive "THAT BITCH!" The Doctor, Amy, and Rory jumped, not used to this sort of violent outburst by their friend, but the Bristol group didn't seem to be all that shocked. They did, however, tense up slightly.

"I told you she'd react this way!" Lacey hissed at Emmy.

Alex's death glare was back in full force and it looked like she was ready to spit nails. "How the hell did she get the money to invest in that?!" she screamed. Then it occurred to her. "No, wait, I know. She used MY inheritance, money that's supposed to help and support _me_, not the whole bloody town for electricity that they didn't need!"

"Alex, calm down," the Doctor gently tried, placing a hand on her shoulder, but it was quickly shoved off.

Alex looked like she wanted to get up and pace. Unfortunately, she was sandwiched between Lola and the Doctor. Instead, she settled for drumming her fingers on the table angrily. "There's got to be some kind of loophole in this," she muttered to herself. "Let's see, who's the estate lawyer? There has to be specific terms and conditions in the trust fund documents about what the money can be used for…"

As Alex continued to talk to herself, Lacey shook her head and leaned over Ross's shoulder to whisper to the TARDIS group "Don't worry. She's done this before. She'll calm herself down in a second."

Rory stared at her. "You mean, Carla's abused the trust money before?"

"Alex told us a little about how Carla would spend money from it, but she never really elaborated," Amy added.

"Not in such a big way before but yes," Lacey answered. She glanced over at Alex, who was still talking to herself about possible legal personnel that she could contact, before lowering her voice and saying "Shopping sprees, new cars, anything expensive, you name it."

At that moment, Alex seemed to calm down. At least, she was no longer talking to herself. "Wait," she said, recalling an important detail that had patiently been waiting in her mind until it was needed. "What's with the power cuts? Ya'll are acting like its normal."

"It's because they are," Kenny replied. "For the past few months, ever since the power company went into operation, there've been all these power problems. Five or six a week, sometimes."

"And they're only increasing," Mike supplied. "Fifteen this week, counting that one."

The Doctor perked up at this information. _What kind of electric company causes electrical outages instead of solving them?_ "Hasn't anybody investigated?" he wondered.

Bree nodded. "Oh yeah. People from Lexington and Louisville have come down here because the company extends to areas there. But nothing's come of it. They always come out saying everything's in order and things are fine until someone complains again."

Alex caught his eye and they both nodded at each-other. They were both suspicious by this so-called power company and they wanted to know what was going on. "Who runs the plant?" Alex asked.

"I think it's in that paper you have there, Doctor." Lola nodded at the newspaper by the Doctor's elbow. The Doctor grabbed it and flipped to the front page where large bold print dominated the section above the fold: **LOUISVILLE REPS SAY CARSLILE-LOCKE POWER PLANT IS FINE DESPITE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS**. Underneath was a large photo of a gray-haired man with icy blue eyes and a sharp, pointy nose, standing in front of a large gray complex, presumably the plant.

Alex leaned next to the Doctor to read the tiny caption beneath the photo. She was so close to him that she could've caught a whiff of his cologne had she really been concentrating. "William Carslile, head of the Carslile-Locke Electrical Power Plant, stands before a crowd at the official opening of the plant, dated February 27th, 2010."

Amy got up and walked around the booth to examine the photo. "I don't like him," she announced. "He looks creepy."

"Looks aren't everything, Pond," the Doctor reminded her, even though he couldn't help but think that this William Carslile had a sinister quality in his appearance.

Alex ran a hand through her hair, taking in the man and all of the facts so far. A power plant that her evil grandmother had invested in was now mysteriously causing power outages in her hometown and offering no explanation for it? _Oh, I am SO checking this out!_ She thought eagerly.

She looked up and saw the Doctor looking at her mischievously. "I think we should check this William Carslile out," they decided aloud at the exact same time. The Bristol group gawked at them while Amy and Rory simply watched them. This was pretty much the norm for them.

"We seem to be doing that a lot," Alex observed, not for the first time.

"We do," the Doctor agreed, chuckling slightly. "So, care to take a look with me Ally?"

There was a collected sucking in of breath from the Bristol group along with a "He's dead," from Mike. If there was one thing they had learned very quickly by being friends with Alex Locke, it was that you did _not _call her Ally, unless you needed help digging your own grave.

But to their collective shock, Alex did something they had never seen her do before; she _giggled_. Alex's eyes lit up as she did this and she said nothing about the Ally part of the Doctor's question. "Absolutely Doctor!" she chirped. She nudged the Doctor out of the booth and as she got out behind him she said "But I need a change of clothes. I can't go in there looking like some hapless little Southern girl."

"I think you look gorgeous Ally," the Doctor said honestly, smiling down at her.

"Let's aim for professional and gorgeous," Alex teased. "Come on!" She grabbed the Doctor's hand and began dragging him out of the diner. Over her shoulder, she called "We'll meet you all back here in a little while!" And then, they were gone.

Ross was the first one to speak. "Okay, was it just my imagination, or did he just call her Ally?" There was a bunch of collective mutterings of confirmation on the latter.

"Was it my imagination or did she not strangle him on the spot when he called her that not once, but twice?" Bree jumped in. There was another muttering of confirmation.

Lacey looked over at Amy and Rory. "You two didn't seem so surprised by that," she commented. "Is that normal for those two?"

"Pretty much," Amy confirmed.

"I once called her Ally and she nearly killed me," Rory explained. "The Doctor's the only one she lets call her that. Anyone else tries it and she gives them a death glare."

"Oh, we're all familiar with that death glare," Kenny assured him.

Nat twirled the straw in her drink. "The Doctor must mean a lot to her if she lets him call her Ally," she said thoughtfully. "Alex never let anybody call her that, not even boyfriends."

Amy snorted. "You all need to see those two around each-other some more. They act like a total couple."

"I thought Alex was giving me a back-off or die look when I met him earlier," Lacey recalled.

"She does get pretty jealous whenever another girl talks to him," Amy reflected, thinking back to their adventure with River and the Weeping Angels. Alex had been close to seething the whole time.

"Amy's convinced that they belong with each-other," Rory added.

Ross leaned back in his chair. "Well, Beauty's usually been pretty good at choosing guys. We'll see what happens with these two."

A/N: Ah, now we're getting somewhere! What's going on at the power plant? We'll find out tomorrow! And did you like the Doctor's little jealous moment? Don't worry, there's more of those to come! Just a note: I kinda picture Ross to look like Zac Efron and Marigold to look like Faith Hill. Just for future reference. :D

Some notes on reviews...

**jesterlover** - Glad I'm making you excited for that episode! It was a lot of fun to write. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- I know! I couldn't wait to reveal more about where Alex is from. I have to admit that I based Bristol on the small town I live near, Richmond, KY. Its newspaper is even mentioned in this chapter. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I'm glad you like Lacey! Lacey is based on a close friend of mine who, while not nearly as wild as Lacey, does have her moments. But like Alex, I love her anyways. :D

**rycbar15 **- Thank you! That really means a lot! :) The aliens for this are also going to be original, but I think you'll like them. And Jack...oh Jack...I love him. We'll see some of him in this story in a circumstance I haven't seen a fanfiction writer tackle yet. :)

Thank you to **jesterlover**, **TheGirlWhoWaited**, **ElysiumPhoenix**, **Gwilwillith**, **Guest**, and **rycbar15** for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	24. Bristol, KY Stop Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex, other OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.

Half an hour later, after having made a quick trip to the TARDIS so that she could change, Alex and the Doctor were standing in front of the huge gray complex known as the Carslile-Locke Electrical Power Plant.

Alex tucked some hair behind her ears, exposing the simple gold studs she had switched out from the flower ones in the TARDIS. She didn't think that the head of this plant would take her seriously if she was wearing those. She had also changed into a sleek black skirt suit with a matching belt that wrapped around her waist and black stiletto heels. As far as she was concerned, she looked hot and professional enough to be taken seriously.

The Doctor eyed her out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't understood what Alex meant by professional but now he could see what effort Alex had put into her appearance. She looked dangerous, almost threatening, and ready to do business. He was glad she had ditched pantyhose and instead chose to leave her long legs bare. He took in the smaller details as they marched up to the reception door at the head of the plant. Her hair was shining in the bright sun, making it look more blonde than light brown; she had painted her lips a bright red, a color that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin, and despite her authoritative stance, he could still detect a glimmer of underlying excitement in her now topaz colored eyes.

Alex pushed the sleek glass door open and marched into reception, her heels click-clacking on the floor, the Doctor following behind like a dutiful servant. The reception area had plain white walls except for a large golden sign over the white reception desk that read _Carslile-Locke Electrical Power_. Across from the desk was a tiny seating area that contained a coffee table with outdated magazines lying on it and two uncomfortable looking leather chairs with sharp angles. The duo approached the desk, a petite raven-haired woman sitting behind it.

The woman looked up at them, her heavily plucked eyebrows inching up into a questionable arch. "May I help you?"

Alex flipped her hair and gave the receptionist her best critical look. "I'm here to speak with Mr. Carslile."

The receptionist gave the Doctor a questioning look. "And him?"

Alex waved her hand, dismissing the question in an impatient manner. "He's with me, an associate."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm afraid not," Alex replied coolly.

The receptionist gave her a withering smirk. "Well, I'm afraid that unless you have an appointment, you cannot see Mr. Carslile. He's a very busy man, after all."

Alex cocked her head, an almost sinister smile forming on her lips. She cast a look up at the sign overhead as she said "Perhaps that can be changed. Ring him up and tell him that Dr. John Smith and Alexandria _Locke_ are here and need to speak to him."

The receptionist's eyes widened at Alex's last name. She quickly picked up the telephone and pressed a button. "Mr. Carslile? There are two people down here who need to speak with you…no they don't have an appointment…one of them is Miss Alexandria Locke!"

There was another pause and the receptionist abruptly slammed the phone down. "Mr. Carslile will be down in just a moment," she informed them, staring at Alex like she was a ghost or something. She nodded over to the chairs on the other side of the room. "Please, have a seat."

The chairs were just as uncomfortable as they looked. Alex sat primly in hers, resisting the overwhelming urge to move while the Doctor shifted several times in his chair, making the leather squeak. After Alex gave him an annoyed look, he stood up and crossed over to stand behind her. A second after he did this, there was a _ding_ and an elevator on the far side of the room opened, revealing the man from the newspaper photo, William Carslile.

Alex stood up and carefully appraised him. He seemed to be of the type of wealthy she was familiar with; an Armani tux, monogrammed cuff links, a sharp platinum Rolex, and a dominating presence that guaranteed that others would listen to him. He was the type of person who spent enormous amounts of money to get himself this way and didn't really care about others as long as they listened to him and only him.

"Ms. Locke," Carslile greeted. His voice was smooth and slick with no traceable accent. He picked up her right hand and lightly brushed his lips against it, not noticing the slight discomfort on Alex's face and the outright jealousy on the Doctor's. "A pleasure to finally meet you. Your grandmother spoke of nothing but you."

"I'm sure," Alex murmured, yanking her hand back. "My associate, Dr. John Smith." She cocked her head at the Doctor, who merely nodded. "I must say, I was very surprised when my grandmother _impulsively _decided to invest in your power plant."

"Oh, I assure you, Mrs. Locke was very wise in her investment," Carslile attempted to assure her.

"Mmm-hmm." Alex gave him a doubtful look, expressing everything she felt about his statement. "Well, due to the fact that G-Locke and all of its earnings are my birthright, the minute I heard about the plant, I rushed down here, determined to see everything for myself."

"Are you afraid you'll find things unsatisfactory?"

Alex let out a slow crocodile smile and the Doctor felt himself shudder. Never mind facing down aliens; when dealing with her family money and business, Alex was downright vicious. "Oh, Mr. Carslile," she let out in a long breath. "You'll soon come to find that I don't trust anybody or anything."

Carslile gave her a smile, but it seemed rather forced. "What a…_pleasure _to see how invested in business you are." _I'm sure it is,_ Alex thought.

The Doctor had had enough of this dancing around the subject, even though he was pretty sure that was how most business was conducted. "How about you give us a tour of the plant?" he suggested. "Just to settle my colleague's fears about it."

Carslile looked over Alex's shoulder to look at him. His gaze drifted up and down, appraising the Doctor's professor-like attire before turning to look at Alex's professional suit. "Of course," he said, although both time-travelers could tell that he didn't seem thrilled about it. He turned back towards the elevator but took a quick right turn towards a hallway just off of the reception desk. "This way."

The hallway was a less formal affair than the reception room with gray walls and simple gray tiled floors. At the very end of the hallway was a large gray steel door where a distinct hum was coming from. As the group approached the door, Carslile explained "This leads to our main electrics room. Our technicians will be happy to answer any questions you may have." He stopped for a moment to lay his hand on the door. "I probably shouldn't need to tell you this, but this is very sensitive equipment in here, so please don't touch any of it."

As Carslile opened the door, Alex lowly chuckled and leaned over to whisper in the Doctor's ear "That was aimed at you Doc."

The Doctor gave her an offended look, masking the distinct pleasure he felt when her breath hit his skin. He started to give her a smarty reply when the door opened and they were ushered into the main part of the plant.

Strange equipment lined the walls and Alex gave up any hope of possibly understanding it. She knew the basics of electricity but only enough to get her by on a surprise science test, not the obviously advanced stuff the people in here knew. Around her, various people in hardhats and proper electrical gear scuttled about, checking things off on clipboards, working on the machines, amongst other stuff.

Carslile stepped in between them and beamed at the sight. "As you see Dr. Smith, Ms. Locke, the Carslile-Locke Plant is a smoothly operable station. Everyone here is fully qualified in their field."

"Background checks on everyone who works here?" Alex guessed.

"Yes."

"I'd like to see those," Alex said as she walked further into the room. The Doctor trailed along behind her, looking at the equipment with a mixture of fascination and confusion. Alex knew he could probably see something in all this that she couldn't and decided to leave him at it for the time being.

Carslile stepped up beside her, sensing that she was the one truly in charge out of her and the Doctor. His lips were pursed slightly as he considered her request to see the employee background checks. "Of course," he said slowly, as though it were being extracted out of him.

The trio continued along for a few minutes, Carslile explaining various things while also pausing to ask the Doctor what he was doing. The Doctor seemed to know something about the equipment that Carslile wasn't telling them and was occupied with examining every inch of it. Alex managed to smoothly direct the conversation back to something else but she knew that Carslile didn't like the Doctor sniffing around the place.

The group eventually ended up outside. In front of them was a large gray tower, pumping out steam. Alex frowned and whirled over at Carslile. "That can hardly be good for the environment here," she said sternly. "In this region, the only source of income for many is agriculture."

Carslile had the decency to look embarrassed. "I assure you Ms. Locke that this plant is doing no harm to the…local population."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really?" he said in a voice that clearly doubted this. "What about the numerous power outages occurring in town? According to reports, there used to be only five or six a week, but now it's increased to fifteen."

Carslile stared at him, his blue eyes cold and hardly bothered. "I can assure you Dr. Smith that there is a reasonable explanation for that."

The Doctor crossed his arms and stared at him challengingly. "I'd love to hear it."

Carslile eyed him for a full minute, his features not changing at all. "Of course," he said slowly. Alex noticed that he seemed to be fond of saying that, particularly when he didn't actually want to do something. He swiftly turned on his heel and began marching back towards the main building. "Follow me," he called over his shoulder.

A minute later, Alex found herself sandwiched between the Doctor and Carslile in a tiny wood-paneled elevator. Elevator music played around them, a vague Paula Abdul song, interrupting the tense silence between its passengers. Glancing at the elevator buttons, she noticed that Carslile had pressed the very last one; floor 7. _Lucky number 7, _she thought. Hopefully, it'd be lucky for them.

The elevator opened out into a large room, the whole wall in front of them all windows, exposing the woods surrounding the plant and the town beyond. In front of the windows was a cherry desk, a black swivel chair behind it. In front of the desk were two maroon colored chairs.

Along another wall was a small table with a vase of flowers on it, a large map of the solar system above it. As the Doctor approached it, he noticed that planets had been added to the map. There was a large green one, a small purple one, and right next to the frame, a tiny gray one. He knew what these planets were. The green one was Hazalia, the purple one was Drusilla 3, and the gray one was Lycardia. However, no one on Earth knew about these planets, at least not in this time period. They were billions of light years away. _So, question is, how does a simple CEO of a power plant get a map detailing these planets?_

"Interesting map you have here," he called over to Carslile, who was maneuvering Alex into a seat.

Carslile looked over at him and Alex saw a slight sign of alarm appear in his eyes before it was quickly replaced with the same cool, calm demeanor he had had during their whole tour. "Yes, it's quite rare."

The Doctor strolled back over to them slowly, taking his time. Alex had seen him do this before. She likened it to a cobra getting ready to strike the unsuspecting prey. The Doctor would slowly evaluate his opponent before launching at them. "Not quite sure about those three planets on there though," he admitted. Alex looked over and squinted so she could make out the three colored blobs past Pluto. "No one's discovered other planets past Pluto here."

Carslile smiled slightly. "The artist I got it from took…artistic liberty with the map. And the universe is a big place, Doctor. The possibility of other life out there exists. Surely you, a man of your profession, can see the likelihood in that?"

The Doctor grinned and leaned against the chair next to Alex. "Never said I did!" he replied cheerfully. "Just making an observation."

The chairs in Carslile's office were the same make as the ones down in reception and were extremely uncomfortable. Alex figured this had been done on purpose, to make sure that people didn't stay too long. She subtly kicked the Doctor in the shin when he looked like he was about to shift in his seat. The Doctor stiffened up, reluctantly accepting that Alex was going to play boss for this investigation.

Alex tilted her head to the side and eyed Carslile. "So, Mr. Carslile, according to what I've been told, your company just appeared. All of your permits and sanctions were processed within a blink of an eye. How on earth did you manage that?"

Carslile smiled at her, almost as though she were a pretty, but stupid, student. "I'm sure you are aware that your family name generates a lot of trust."

"I'm very aware of my family history, thank you," Alex said crisply. "What I want to know is why this power plant landed here all of a sudden."

"That's an interesting choice of words you use, Ms. Locke," Carslile commented. "_Landed_. You almost sound like you don't believe we chose this area specifically."

"As I said before, I don't trust anybody or anything," Alex replied steadily, crossing her legs.

"Well I hope you trust our facilities after viewing them today."

"That remains to be seen," Alex said in spite of herself.

"I'm sorry?"

The Doctor sensed that Alex was ready for him to pick up the conversation, so he did. "I mentioned the blackouts the town has been receiving ever since operation here at the plant began. You said you had a reasonable explanation, didn't you?"

"Yes." Carslile stood up and crossed over to the windows. He turned his back on the two as he gazed out at the view. "Starting up a company, especially a power company, isn't easy. We are having a little trouble with our equipment but it's nothing to be concerned about."

"Then why have all the experts from Lexington and Louisville said there isn't anything wrong with the equipment?" Alex demanded. Honestly! Couldn't this guy give them a straight answer?

Carslile turned back to him, an unreadable look in his eyes. "Forgive my manners," he apologized suddenly. "Would you like a drink?" Before the two could refuse, Carslile had already crossed over to his desk, grabbed a chilled bottle of sherry out from the fridge underneath it, and poured it into two glasses. Alex was a little curious on why he didn't take some himself. He pushed the glasses across the desk. "Please. Drink."

Alex hesitantly took a glass and sniffed the amber-colored liquid. She had never been fond of sherry. It was only whiskey, gin, and the occasional glass of wine for her. She glanced over at the Doctor, who didn't seem interested in the drink. Noticing out of the corner of her eye that Carslile was watching her expectantly, Alex lifted the drink to her lips and took a sip.

_Ew, _Alex thought, trying not to grimace. Yep, sherry was still as disgusting as she remembered. Only this one seemed even more so. She supposed it could have been kept frozen for too long but there was something else…it was some kind of extra taste in the drink that shouldn't be there. She hesitantly swallowed and looked up. "It's very…_different _from any other drink I've had."

Carslile smiled at her, but it wasn't a pleasant one. It seemed cold and calculating, almost as though he were winning some game that they were playing. "I'm glad to hear it." He looked over at the Doctor, who was watching Alex with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. "Aren't you going to drink, Dr. Smith?"

"I'm not much of a drinker," the Doctor admitted. Alex knew this to be true. She, Amy, and Rory had once shared a bottle of gin one night in the TARDIS and the Doctor declined every time they offered him a drink.

Carslile narrowed his eyes at him. "But I insist. That sherry is very special." He turned his back and headed to look out the windows. As he did so, the Doctor quickly reached into his jacket pocket, withdrawing his sonic screwdriver, and scanned his glass. Carslile didn't even hear the whirl of the screwdriver, as he was caught up in talking about the good reviews the plant had gotten from environmental agencies. Alex watched as the Doctor's eyes widened and he hastily grabbed their glasses, crept over to a potted lilac on Carslile's desk, and dumped the sherry in it. By the time Carslile turned back around, the Doctor was back in his seat, sonic screwdriver nowhere in sight, looking perfectly ordinary, or as ordinary as he could look.

"Is everything to your satisfaction Ms. Locke? Dr. Smith?" Carslile asked, the picture of pleasantry.

Alex frowned and was about to answer in the negative but the Doctor beat her to it. "Yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. He reached out and shook Carslile's hand enthusiastically. "Excellent plant you have here Mr. Carslile! Most excellent!" Carslile seemed a bit taken aback by this but nodded his acceptance anyway.

The Doctor turned to a shocked Alex and quickly pulled her up. "Let's go Ally!" he cheered. "Lots more appointments to make today! Good day Mr. Carslile!" Before Alex knew it, she was being dragged to the elevator before suddenly finding herself back down in reception. The Doctor pulled her across the room, out the door, and all the way down the steep driveway to Lacey's car, which they had borrowed for transportation as it was less conspicuous than the TARDIS.

"Doctor, what the hell was that all about?!" Alex screeched as the Doctor picked her up by the waist and put her in the passenger seat. She barely felt the tingle of heat his touch had made on her skin for she was still angry and confused with him. She watched, bewildered, as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. "And why are you driving? Can you even drive a car?!"

He shot her a look. "Of course I can drive a car!" he retorted as he expertly eased the Rabbit onto the road. "I used to drive one quite a bit a long time ago."

_The fact that it was a long time ago really makes me feel reassured,_ Alex thought but didn't say. More pressing matters were weighing on her mind. "What was all that hand-shaking and praising about? And why did you scan the sherry and then toss it into the plant?"

The Doctor tightened his grip on the steering wheel, swerving just a little too sharply on a curve. "Alex, that sherry was tainted with an amnesia pill. It would've made us forget the last hour."

Alex's jaw dropped. "That explains why all the experts are saying nothing's wrong with the plant, because there is something wrong with it, isn't there? When they drink the sherry, they forget everything they saw!" She paused for a moment as an alarming thought occurred to her. "Doctor, I had a sip of that sherry. Will I start forgetting things?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I shouldn't think so. An amnesia pill usually requires drinking a whole drink in order to work. And with your mind?" He smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised to find that an amnesia pill doesn't work on you."

Alex sighed, comforted by this thought, and leaned back against the headrest. "So, what did you find at the plant? I don't know what those machines were doing, but I could tell by the look on your face that it wasn't anything good."

"I'll tell you when we get back to the diner," the Doctor said, taking a turn before stopping the car alongside Lover's Lane, the TARDIS hidden in the shade of the trees. "You better go get changed out of that power suit."

Alex laughed at his term but as she got out of the car, she couldn't help but be a little worried. Whatever the Doctor had discovered at the plant was really bad and he obviously didn't want to worry her. She was a little scared to uncover what was so bad but she was also filled with determination. Whatever Creepy Carslile was up to, she was going to make sure he was stopped before his schemes ended up hurting anybody.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the two were back at the diner. Some of the original gang were still there. Lacey was sprawled out in a booth, Amy and Rory sitting across from her. Lola and Emmy were perched on bar stools they had dragged over, and Bree and Ross were leaning against the plate glass window, which currently exposed the fading afternoon light. As the Doctor and Alex came back in, a streetlight outside the diner turned on.

Alex was back in her regular clothes and waved at them as they walked in. "Hey Bree? Do we still have that whiteboard we used whenever the electronic menu boards broke?"

"Yeah, right in the back," Bree confirmed. She straightened up and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll go grab it."

"Thanks," Alex said, running a hand through her hair. She turned to the group waiting expectantly in front of her. "Hey Lola? Can you look up any and everything on William Carslile?"

"You got it," Lola said, getting out her phone.

"I'll look for anything about the power plant," Emmy volunteered.

"Ya'll are fantastic," Alex smiled.

"No sweat," Emmy assured her. "We want to figure out what this guy's up to."

Lola nodded. "Yeah, it's getting to be a real pain having _General Hospital _interrupted every ten minutes due to a blackout."

Alex laughed as Bree rounded the corner, pushing a huge whiteboard on wheels. "Here you go!" she chirped. She leaned back and examined it. "God, I can't believe we've still kept this thing. It's always such pain writing on it. Remember all those days cursing when our print was too big for the board and we only had a quarter of the menu up here?"

"Good times," Alex agreed, but her brain was already focusing back on the matter at hand. She went over and swiped a bar stool from the bar and set it up in front of the board. Hiking herself up on it, she twirled around and wrote CARSLILE-LOCKE PLANT at the very top. Underneath this, she wrote EQUIPMENT. "Okay, explain the equipment Doc," she requested, passing him the marker.

The Doctor began writing down a very complex explanation, filled with a bunch of scientific terms. Noticing the others looking bewildered, Alex frowned and clarified, "In _layman's _terms, Doctor. None of that techno-babble."

The Doctor frowned at her, but dutifully wiped away the so-called techno-babble with his jacket sleeve and began writing a more simple explanation. "Basically," he said as he wrote, "the machines in the power plant are conducting electricity but there's a hidden function behind them. They are also sucking in the power."

"Which is why there are blackouts?" Amy guessed.

"Correct Pond!" the Doctor cheered, turning around briefly to smile at her. "The blackouts are a result of the power being sucked into the plant. Right now, there's probably enough power here in Bristol to make it about a week longer. And that's just me being optimistic."

"But why would someone do that?" Bree cried, outraged. She crossed her arms and scowled. "Don't they realize that they're affecting themselves as well?"

The Doctor and Alex looked at each-other, both thinking the exact same thing but not daring to voice it out loud. Whoever was in charge of the Carslile-Locke Plant wasn't human in origin. They were _alien_. But they couldn't voice that. Doing so would require a long, complex explanation that would involve revealing the Doctor's alien status. Alex looked out of the corner of her eye and noticed Amy and Rory seemed thoughtful as well, most likely thinking the very same thing. Thankfully, they were also smart enough not to reveal their thoughts on this.

Alex turned back to Bree and shrugged. "Who knows?" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. She was hoping that her voice didn't portray what she knew, but one look at the doubtful look on Bree's face and she knew she had failed with that.

"This is interesting," Lola suddenly said. The Doctor and Alex turned to look at her as she added "According to this Google search, William Carslile didn't exist before 2008."

"What was he doing in 2008?" Rory asked.

Lola squinted at the tiny font on her screen. "Apparently, he suddenly emerged as the vice president of a big power company in Nashville, Tennessee."

The Doctor's brain was going a mile a second, a usual occurrence for him. "He probably wasn't the vice president," he mused.

"He had to be," Ross argued. "You don't just suddenly appear as the vice president of a power company without working your way up there."

"No, I'm serious," Lola argued. "There's nothing. In an interview he gave to a Nashville newspaper, it says that he attended Harvard and then did graduate work at Tuskegee University, but the universities don't have any record of him on their roster. They say in press releases he attended there but the actual records don't contain any mention of him."

"He's changing memories," Alex explained. She remembered this psychological method from a book she had once read. "You become that big, people do claim that they know you, just because you're so powerful now. Their memories are rewritten. They don't know they aren't true, because they believe them to be true."

Emmy snorted. "Well this guy's a master at manipulation. The Carslile Electric Company? Didn't appear until the plant was built and they say it was founded in 1999 and that it's a multi-billion dollar company."

"More fabrications," Amy realized.

Alex yanked the marker out of the Doctor's hand and copied down the information on the board. "So Carslile isn't who he says he is," she summarized. She looked around at the group. "Anything else?"

"There's not a lot on him or the plant," Lola said apologetically.

"For a multi-billion dollar company, they don't really like advertising themselves," Emmy commented as she slid her phone back into her pocket.

Alex ran a hand through her hair and twirled around in circles on her stool. "I guess that's that…for now."

"You better not give up," Bree warned her. "This guy's up to something fishy and you better figure it out."

"We will," Alex assured her. "I promise. I'm not having my family name or our money tainted by this weirdo." The Doctor snickered slightly at her wording but all the same, he had to admire how determined she was to protect her family name and also everyone else in Bristol.

Since that seemed to be the end of the brainstorming, Lola and Emmy returned their stools to the bar and Bree went to empty the cash register and take everything to the bank. "Do you mind locking up for me?" Bree asked as she pulled a Wal-Mart bag filled with her clothes out from under the counter. "I'd like to get to the bank before it closes." She shook her head. "Damn summer hours."

"No problem," Alex promised. Alex's keys to the diner were back in Leadworth but she was sure that the Doctor's sonic screwdriver would do the job as well.

Bree smiled as she ducked into the girls' bathroom in the corner of the diner. "You're amazing!" she called out in thanks as the door swung shut behind her.

"We've gotta go," Emmy sighed reluctantly. "Mom's gonna kill us if we're late for dinner again, even if you are back in town."

"Tell her I said hi," Alex requested.

"We will," Lola promised. She hugged Alex good-bye and then raced out the door calling "I GET TO DRIVE! YOU PROMISED!"

Emmy rolled her eyes. "She just got her permit and she thinks she's all _Driving Miss Daisy_." She hugged Alex tightly before hissing in her ear "Call me tomorrow. I'm so helping you out with all this." Emmy pulled back and gave one appreciative look at the Doctor before racing out after Lola, hollering "LOLA, YOU GOT YOUR PERMIT TWO WEEKS AGO! YOU CAN BARELY PARALLEL PARK, LET ALONE DRIVE PROPERLY!"

Ross shook his head. "It's true, she can't. But then again, Emmy's not much better."

Amy thought for a moment. "Alex, didn't you tell me that Emmy crashed into the high-school's sign when she got her permit?"

Ross chuckled while Alex giggled hysterically. "Oh yes," Ross confirmed. "The famed Sign Smashing of Sophomore Year."

Alex laughed. "I've never seen our principal so ticked off. He went on screaming and cursing up a storm in the parking lot for fifteen minutes."

"And our poor crossing guard, Ms. Trencher, about had a heart attack when Emmy climbed out of the car wearing ripped leggings, sneakers, and a white t-shirt. The woman advocated _Little House on the Prairie_ dresses."

"I thought she was blind in one eye," Alex mused. "It's why no one ever crossed the street she worked. They took the shortcut behind McDonald's and crossed the soccer field."

"She got that eyesight back when she saw Emmy's outfit." Ross looked over at the bathroom door, which had just opened to reveal Bree, now clad in a red tank-top, jeans, and sneakers, her brown hair long and loose. "Hey Bree, I'll walk with you to the bank. I left my car there anyways."

Bree gave him a sour look. "Isn't your girlfriend picking you up?" she asked, her words digging into the air like nails. Alex winced, one of only two others there who knew how significant the comment was.

Ross nervously tugged at his hair, then at his sleeve. "Um, she's at the lake house this weekend. It was a sudden decision."

_Probably made when she heard I was back,_ Alex thought. That was just as well though. She didn't want to see Hillary at all. The things that had occurred between them in school were still alive and kicking inside her and she was sure the same could be said for Hillary.

"How nice," Bree sneered. Alex knew she was thinking the same thing.

"Yeah," Ross drew out slowly. Then, in an attempt to end the tension that now filled the diner, he reached down and grabbed the bank bag from Bree. "Come on. The bank closes in ten minutes." He started for the door but paused for a moment upon reaching Alex. "Call me if you need any help," he said as he hugged her. Then, he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "See you Beauty."

Alex started to giggle, but a quick glance at the Doctor silenced her. He looked positively furious and possessive. Why that was, she didn't know, but she'd be lying if she said that she didn't feel a little thrill run through her at the possibility of him being jealous of Ross. She felt his arm snake around her waist and pull her over to his side. Alex's tense muscles relaxed at his touch and she let out a slight giggle. She loved being close to him. It was as though she didn't feel complete without him.

Meanwhile, Lacey was watching her best friend carefully. She had been silent during all of the brainstorming, instead electing to do some silent observing on her best friend. Ever since she had first gotten here, Alex had been acting differently. It wasn't a bad different - if anything, it was for the better - but it was still different, almost strange, and Lacey had determined that it all had to do with the mysterious Dr. John Smith aka the Doctor.

Lacey's eyebrows shot up as she saw the look of pure jealousy cross the Doctor's face when Ross kissed Alex and called her Beauty. She'd never seen Alex's past boyfriends act that way. Ross was Ross. Everyone in town knew she wasn't interested in him and vice-versa. But apparently, the Doctor hadn't gotten the memo. She watched as he pulled Alex closer to him, to the point where their hips were touching.

This was also surprising. Alex had never been the touchy-feely type. Sure, she showed affection through hugs and kissing but Lacey had seen that she didn't like being attached to a guy's hip in high-school. Back then, she had always pulled herself away, keeping herself a slight distance away, silently conveying that while she cared for the person, she didn't like them touching her. But now, Alex seemed perfectly content with the Doctor possessively keeping her close to him. Actually, now that she looked at it, it looked like she fit into his side perfectly, like he had been made for her specifically.

Lacey was deeply curious about this Doctor. She wasn't sure if he and Alex were involved or not. Surely Alex would've told her this juicy tidbit if it were true. But they hadn't been acting like a regular couple, not the kissing part at least. The flirting? That was spot on. And the Doctor was always finding excuses to touch her, or almost touch her. And Alex seemed to relish these moments. Plus, she _giggled _now, almost constantly, and it was only whenever he did something that attracted her attention.

Lacey looked the Doctor up and down. She had to admit, he was _very _attractive, despite the weird college professor style attire - really, a bow-tie? He also complimented Alex personality wise. Both were extremely intelligent, always a must with Alex. But whereas the Alex she was familiar with had a thin sense of humor and was constantly serious and prideful, around the Doctor, she was more playful and behaved less like a schoolmarm and more like a regular young adult whose life hadn't been screwed up.

She had attempted to glean information about them from Amy and Rory, but they both adamantly denied knowing anything about the two's relationship, except for what they had seen firsthand, which was really just a lot of flirting and being protective and possessive of one another. But Lacey was curious about this Doctor and her friend. And when Lacey Rose Abernathy became curious about something, she investigated. And when it involved her best friend, she usually roped her family into helping her.

Lacey yawned and got up from the booth. As she stretched, she casually said "Hey Alex? Better get going if we want to get to Auntie's in time for dinner. You know how mental she is about keeping on time." She looked over at the Doctor, then Amy and Rory. "Ya'll should come along. Auntie's cook always makes enough to feed an army."

Alex's eyebrows shot up and she silently tried to convey to Lacey that that was a bad idea. Amy and Rory wouldn't be bad but the Doctor? Marigold would detect that something was different about him ten seconds after he walked through the front door! "Um, are you sure about that Lace? I highly doubt Marigold would be prepared for a bunch of surprise guests…"

"Oh, she'll be fine!" Lacey dismissed.

"Maybe so, but um…" Alex trailed off, unable to think of a convincing argument.

The Doctor also didn't seem too enthused on the idea. "Um…I'm not really the domestic type-,"

"I'm not taking no for an answer!" Lacey interjected. She swiftly pulled Amy and Rory out of their booth and grabbed Alex and the Doctor by the hand. "Come on! Dinner awaits!"

A/N: Ooh...a dinner with Marigold. Wonder how that's gonna go. :) And some of you have commented on how Ross's name is similar to another Tyler in the Whoniverse... I'll admit that when I first started writing this, Ross's name was just a coincidence, but now, who knows? :)

Some notes on reviews...

**rycbar15** - I'm glad you like the original characters! Lol, Ross is a sweetheart, isn't he? I'm partial to Lacey and Emmy, but Ross has my heart too. :) Jack is very interesting and I think you'll like the circumstance we see him in. :)

** .1999 **- Happy birthday! Wow, your birthday is only two days away from mine! :) And I'm SO glad you like the original episode! I was so nervous about it, wondering if it would be well received, but so far, so good. And I'm glad you like the updating daily idea. I got the idea from LizzeXX's stories, the way she updates everyday, and how I like that idea a lot and wish others would do it. And thanks for the compliment on my writing! It means a lot. :D

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Oh God, can you imagine how the Doctor would react, given all the things we've learned about Carla so far? I think someone would probably end up very badly beaten in such a situation. Can't say it won't ever happen though! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yeah, wonder if he's related to a certain blonde in a parallel universe? :)

**Gwilwillith** - Thank you! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you like all the reactions! Alex is a little firecracker where her grandmother is concerned, isn't she? There's plenty of reasons for that, reasons we'll get to eventually...:)

**TheUltimateGuest **- I can't wait until we get to Jack too! He's a little far off, near the end of this story, but I think you'll like it. :)

**weirdiswonderfullneverforget** - Well, I don't want anyone to lose their sanity, so here's the new chapter! And I'm so glad you like the story! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister** - Yes, is Ross related to Rose?! I cannot say! And I'm SO glad you love the story! Not quite a never-ending book, but don't worry; we've still got a LONG way to go on this story! :D

**jesterlover** - Thank you! So glad you're enjoying the characters! I haven't read stories like that, but it's reassuring to know this isn't one of them. :)


	25. Bristol, KY Stop Part 4

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Doctor Who.

Alex stabbed her fork into the medium rare steak before slowly putting it to her lips. It was really good, one of her favorites, but she had lost her appetite a while back.

She glanced over in amusement at Amy and Rory, who seemed to be confused by the concept of fried chicken. Amy, at least, was picking at the food with an expression of unabashed disgust on her face. Alex felt like reminding her that the Scots were notorious for frying things, but she decided doing so would retract her from her true mission; listening in on Marigold's interrogation of the Doctor.

Marigold had been the epitome of southern elegance when she and Lacey arrived with the three Brits in tow. She had graciously welcomed them in, politely inquired on Amy and Rory's upcoming wedding, and chit-chatted with the group as she led them to the large dining room off the kitchen in the rear of the house. However, Alex had immediately noticed that the rest of her attention was focused on the Doctor.

Alex wasn't sure what had set her off. The Doctor's attire could be a possibility but people around here wore stranger things. A bow-tie and a tweed jacket wouldn't raise too many eyebrows, except in cases of extreme heat. Then again, it could've been how his arm had been wrapped around her shoulders as they came in, or any number of other small details. Whatever the case, Marigold was currently grilling the Doctor, asking him everything but his shoe size.

Alex watched the Doctor tug on his collar as Marigold peppered him with another question. "So…_Doctor_, what is it that you do exactly?"

The Doctor glanced over at Alex, who was sitting right across from him. Even though it looked like she was casually sipping on lemonade, he knew she was actually listening in on his and Marigold's conversation with great interest. "Well…I'm a doctor."

"Of what exactly?" Marigold asked as she easily cut her butter-thin steak.

"Many things," the Doctor answered quickly. _God, when will this bloody interrogation be over? This has never happened with the others!_

Marigold eyed him. The Doctor bristled slightly. Even though Marigold was acting like a true Southern lady on the outside, he could see the dangerous curiosity and apprehension in her sapphire blue eyes. She was truly not a woman to be crossed. "Any specifics?" she asked, her voice light but her tone saying something else entirely.

"Brain surgeon!" Alex suddenly piped up, causing all eyes to shoot to her. After noticing everyone staring at her, she cleared her throat nervously and babbled "Uh yeah…brain surgeon…consultant, at…Cambridge!" She nodded her head confidently and the Doctor was quick to nod also. "He's a medical consultant for the medical department at Cambridge."

The Doctor nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! What she said!" He swiftly took a sip of the huge gin and tonic Marigold had served him, Amy, and Rory. Maybe alcohol would help rush this whole evening along.

"That must be fascinating work," Marigold commented.

"Yeah, it really is," the Doctor muttered, taking another long sip of his drink.

At that moment, Alex was wishing for some alcohol as well, but Marigold didn't believe in underage drinking. Her liquor cabinet was locked tighter than the White House at night. Instead, she took a long sip of her lemonade and glanced over at the small clock on the Empire sideboard behind Marigold's chair. It was only six seventeen. They still had a long time to go.

Next to Alex, Lacey had been watching the Doctor's interrogation with fascination. But she wanted to know a few things as well. "So Alex? How'd you and the Doctor meet?"

Alex coughed slightly and held her finger up in the international sign to wait a moment as she swallowed and tried to come up with an answer. _Oh, the same way everyone meets Lacey! _She thought wryly. _He saved the world from an alien that looked like a giant worm that was living in Amy's house ever since she was seven years old and then after a two-year absence invited me and Amy to travel in his bigger-on-the-inside time machine. Oh, did I mention that he's an alien? Could you pass the green beans?_ Yeah, that would go over well.

Luckily, Amy sensed her friend's plight and decided to step in. "Alex was looking into attending Cambridge. The Doctor gave her a tour and was so enchanted with her that he tried to put in a good word with the board-,"

"But they still didn't accept my application," Alex jumped back in, seizing onto the lie like it was a lifeline.

Lacey looked over at the Doctor. "And you've just been hanging around her since then?"

The Doctor laughed slightly, more at the absurdity of the lie than anything else. "Pretty much," he agreed, taking another sip of alcohol.

Marigold eyed him and then turned back to her food. "I still can't imagine why no college in the world will accept you Alex," she said, stabbing her fork into a chunk of steak. "Honestly! Your ACT scores were phenomenal."

Lacey nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "I know! I know that no other person in our class got a 31 in English and a 30 in Reading."

Alex blushed slightly and the Doctor looked over at her in astonishment. He had known she was brilliant but to score _that _high on the ACT…you had to be especially brilliant. "Very impressive Ally," he complimented. Marigold's eyes widened when Alex only giggled at the nickname instead of snapping at him. "What about math and science?"

Alex looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Um…math was a 22. It took me forever to get it up there. Science was a 24. I'm better in reading and writing than math and science."

"What were you thinking of studying at college?"

Alex thought for a moment. She loved reading and writing but she was also intrigued by the medical profession. "I'm not really sure," she confessed. "Maybe creative writing? Or even a little bit of medicine? I've got too many interests."

"I always told you that you should go into foreign languages," Marigold revealed.

"It's true," Lacey confirmed. "I'd have barely passed French without her help."

Marigold eyed her niece critically. "Perhaps it would've helped for you to study more than attending bonfire parties at the lake," she commented dryly. Lacey, hardly bothered, simply made a noise of acknowledgement and dug back into her food.

Alex ran a hand through her hair. "Well, it hardly matters now," she said, pushing some peas around her plate. "I'm not going to get in anywhere so there's really no use in discussing this further."

Seeing that the current topic of conversation bothered Alex, Marigold quickly resumed her interrogation on the Doctor. During the rest of the dinner course, the Doctor and Alex fabricated an elaborate lie about the Doctor being raised in Gallifrey, Ireland (the Doctor had mistakenly told Marigold the name of his planet when she had asked him where he was from and Alex hurriedly supplied that it was in Ireland). Soon, the dessert course arrived, vanilla ice cream with chocolate shavings on top and strawberries on the side.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Marigold asked the Doctor once they had settled into their food. "Alex told me that it would probably only be a day, seeing as how you all are unused to this heat."

"Actually, it'll be a bit longer than that," the Doctor replied. "Alex and I are looking into the new Carslile-Locke Plant."

Marigold looked relieved at this. "You are? Well good! I swear, I knew there was something fishy behind that plant! All those experts swearing up and down there's not? It's complete ridiculousness!"

Alex couldn't help from asking "Marigold? Did you know Carla invested in the plant?"

"Not until the announcement was made in the papers." A frown line appeared on Marigold's forehead, something that would probably be erased at her next Botox appointment. "And I assure you Alex, if I had known prior that that horrid woman was investing in such a thing with your money, I would have called my lawyer and demand on your behalf that he take legal action!"

Alex smiled weakly. "It wouldn't have done any good."

Marigold shook her head and stabbed at her ice cream. "Honestly! That woman is a menace to society! She shouldn't have been given custody of you all those years ago. The only thing she was good for was taking you to the doctor's office and feeding you regularly."

"She had to," Lacey said snidely. She hated Carla with as much passion as Alex and Marigold combined. "She'd have been charged with child abuse if she hadn't and wouldn't see a cent of that money afterwards."

Alex remained silent and focused on twirling her ice cream around her bowl until it resembled soup.

Soon, dinner was finally over. The Doctor practically sprinted out of the room, Amy and Rory just behind him. As Marigold went off to speak to the housekeeper about arranging a room for Alex, Lacey drew her friend aside. "Hey Alex?"

"Yeah?"

Lacey was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to say what she wanted to. "It's just…you're a bit different now, you know?"

Alex stared blankly at her. "Sorry?"

"Not in a bad way!" Lacey replied quickly. "Just…different. It's a good different. It suits you."

"Lacey, what are you talking about?"

Lacey looked at her as though it should be obvious. "The Doctor, of course! You're so different around him! You're more relaxed, giggly, and fun, not all uptight and serious like you were all throughout high school."

"Lacey, I've always been fun," Alex argued.

"In varying degrees," Lacey agreed. "But it's even more so now. He brings out this more playful side of you I've never seen before." She paused, took a breath, and smiled. "It's really good Alex. You've always acted older than the rest of us…older than you should be. Now it's like you're on the same wavelength as everyone else. And I don't care if Auntie is suspicious of him; I like him because he's changed you for the better."

Alex was silent, absorbing this information. She knew she had always been more mature and serious than other kids her age. It never stopped her from doing outrageous things, like stealing a dolphin statue on a dare or ditching school, but she had always weighed the consequences of these actions. She was always careful with what she did. She had always been careful to act carefully, knowing that if she did something truly stupid, it would have effects on her future. But with the Doctor? It was never really about the future. It was about that moment, right then and there. It was the total opposite from everything she had ever experienced. And strangely, she was okay with that.

* * *

Later that night, Alex was lying in the bedroom she had used whenever she spent the night at Lacey's years ago. The room was about the size of a regular hotel room with a red and white patterned wall behind the bed and brown hardwood floors. The bed was a large queen one, with a tan colored cloth headboard and bedding that matched the patterned wall. In one corner of the room was a white desk, a few books Alex had left behind when she left Bristol on it. A closet sat right across from the bed, the doors currently shut. Marble topped nightstands sat on either side of the bed, each containing a lamp and some flowers. Alex had always liked this room and she was glad Marigold had put her in it again.

Alex rolled over and gazed at the small amount of light emitting from under the door. She had a feeling Marigold and the Doctor were having a chat, probably concerning where he would be sleeping. She wasn't sure if the Doctor actually slept or not but if he did, it probably wasn't much.

Right at that moment, the light switched off and a second later, there was a small knock at the door. "Alex?" the Doctor's voice rang out. The knob jiggled a little and Alex presumed that the Doctor had grasped it. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Alex called out and a second later, the door opened. The Doctor didn't look any different, but his facial expression showed the signs of enduring a little bit of suffering, probably from Marigold. He shut the door behind him and crossed over to sit in the desk chair.

"God, that woman," he muttered, leaning back. He suddenly looked up, his face sheepish. "Sorry. You probably don't want to hear me complaining about her."

"It's fine." Alex scooted up slightly and leaned back against the pillows. "She is kind of commanding, I'll admit."

"More like an Army General," the Doctor said wryly.

Alex giggled a little. "Yeah, I suppose that's one comparison. Truth is, I've always liked that about her. Marigold's commanding attitude helped me a lot during my life."

The Doctor nodded, deciding that words weren't important right now. Though he wanted to learn more about Alex's life pre-Leadworth, he knew that despite how good it was, it was still bad in some parts and that Alex couldn't be rushed into it.

Alex sighed and rolled over so that she was facing him. The Doctor was surprised that she hadn't changed her attire, other than taking off her shoes and removing her earrings. Her hair was tousled again from lying down and he felt a slight thrum run through his veins at the sight. _Everything that girl does makes me even more attracted to her,_ he thought.

"So do you have a room?" Alex asked. She then smiled. "Not that I don't mind having you in here with me, of course." _Oh God, why did I just say that?! It sounded like I was giving him an invitation to sleep with me!_

The Doctor laughed. "Yes, four doors down. I think Marigold thought if she placed me across the hall, I'd sneak in here."

"Which doesn't make any sense as we are not a couple," Alex said, mostly to herself instead of the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. Sensing that the conversation would get awkward if they remained on the topic of their relationship with each-other, the Doctor turned to examine the books on the desk. "_The Secret History of the World_," he read, holding up a thick paperback book with a picture of the all-seeing eye on it.

Alex perked up. "Oh, that was a good book," she mused. "It's mostly about secrets like Freemasons, the Illuminati, stuff like that."

"Never pegged you for a conspiracy believer," the Doctor admitted as he flipped through the book.

Alex blushed. "I'm not, but a lot of that stuff is interesting to read about."

"Hmm," the Doctor mused, setting the book down. He reached over and grabbed another one. "_The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Vietnam War_," he recited, raising an eyebrow.

"Scoff all you want, but that book was a lifesaver in A.P. World History."

The Doctor set the book down on top of the other one and grabbed another one. "_East of Eden_," he read. He looked over at Alex, waiting for her to supply her reason for reading the book. She was lying on her side, her hands clasped under her head, and her eyes glittering in the moonlight coming through the window.

"We read it in English. I was the only one who actually liked it. It was the same story with _To Kill a Mockingbird_, _Of Mice and Men_, and _The Great Gatsby_."

The Doctor smiled at her, glad that she was so well-read. He set the book down and grabbed the final book on the desk. It was a thick brown paperback one and had a picture of Pablo Picasso's _Guernica _on it. "_The Life of Pablo Picasso_," he recited before flipping through it.

"We studied him in A.P. Art History," Alex revealed. "I thought he was rather interesting. All those different periods of his life fascinated me."

The Doctor set the book down on top of the others. "Did all that admiration inspire you to draw any?"

Alex laughed. "God, no!" she cackled. "I can't draw to save my life. My freshman art teacher hated me. It's only stick figures for me."

"Me too," the Doctor admitted, laughing slightly.

Alex glanced over at the small old-fashioned alarm clock on the nightstand closest to her. It was eleven thirty-five. She was a little tired but the Doctor didn't seem like it at all. "Do you sleep?" she asked suddenly.

The Doctor seemed surprised by her question but decided to answer her anyways. "Not really," he admitted. "Time Lords don't need a lot of sleep. I could probably only sleep five hours a week, maybe even less than that."

Alex gawked at him. She would've loved to have that kind of biology during high-school. Half the time, she would stay up late, almost until two thirty or three in the morning studying and reading ahead so she could try and excel in all her classes. It hadn't been too exhausting then but it hadn't been easy either. "I'm so jealous," she remarked, causing the Doctor to laugh.

"You should be. You humans sleep so much! It gets boring having no one to talk to eight or nine hours every day."

"I don't sleep nine hours a day!" Alex argued.

"You and Amy both sleep something close to it," the Doctor retorted. "_Rory _is up before the both of you."

Alex stuck her tongue out at him and shifted so that she was lying in the middle of the bed. "If you're going to continue insulting me, I might just go to sleep and ignore you."

"And I might just annoy you, waking you up every five minutes," the Doctor shot back. Alex looked over and noticed him eyeing the large vacant space beside her. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled and patted the spot beside her, almost as though she were encouraging a dog or cat to join her. "Care to join me Doc?" she asked sweetly.

Even though the Doctor's reasonable side was arguing against it, he got up, crossed over, and joined Alex on the bed. He carefully arranged himself so that he was leaning back against the headboard and the pillows while Alex was lying flat on her back, head on a pillow, looking up at him. He watched as she rolled over, facing him. Her head was level with his hip and he watched as she tilted her head up so she could look at him.

She giggled slightly, not sure what to say. "Hello," she smiled.

The Doctor felt much the same way. "Hello," he repeated, causing Alex to giggle more.

"Think you'll be able to sleep tonight?"

"Probably not," the Doctor admitted. "You?"

"Not for a little while," Alex replied.

"And until that time comes, are you just going to lie there staring at me?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Alex retorted. She looked thoughtful for a moment before asking "Ever heard of Twenty Questions?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied hesitantly.

"We could play that," Alex suggested. "I'll start. Favorite…movie?"

"That's not really Twenty Questions," the Doctor pointed out.

Alex made a face. "I don't care. This is my version and the question still stands. Favorite movie?"

The Doctor thought about that for a moment. "_Harry Potter_," he said after a minute. "You?"

Alex gave it some thought. There were a lot of movies she liked. When she was a little girl, she used to watch the classic movie's channel on TV and quickly became enchanted with Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, and more. "_Singing in the Rain,_" she decided.

"That's surprising. I figured you would go for something more modern."

"Well, I did like the recent remake of _Fame_."

"Okay, my turn." The Doctor thought for a moment. "Um…favorite song?"

"I see you like the tough questions," Alex quipped. "Okay…" She thought for a long moment before finally saying "_I Run to You_ by Lady Antebellum. You?"

The Doctor gave it some thought. "_Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick_ by Ian Dury and The Blockheads."

Alex stared at him blankly. "Who?"

The Doctor gaped at her. "You've never heard of Ian Dury?"

Alex shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint."

The Doctor let out a long breath of air. "Remind me to take you to one of their concerts as soon as we leave here. They're phenomenal."

"What kind of band are they?" Alex questioned, unconsciously curling into his side.

The Doctor rested a hand on her head and began raking his fingers through her hair. "Rock and roll mostly but you could probably classify them as punk as well."

Alex groaned. "God, I hate punk music! I've never quite gotten it."

"Don't knock it until you try it Ally," the Doctor said quite seriously but Alex caught a twinkle in his eye that meant that he was also joking.

"Okay, I know there are a bunch of good punk bands; Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, and such, but I still don't really like the genre."

"Aerosmith isn't so bad," the Doctor admitted.

Alex wracked her brain for other well-known rock/punk bands she had heard of. "What about KISS?" she suggested.

"Hate KISS," the Doctor revealed.

Alex stared at him. "Aren't they like the fathers of rock and roll or something?"

"That would be Elvis Presley," the Doctor corrected her. "And I'm taking you to see one of his concerts as well. And KISS? A bit much, don't you think?"

"True," Alex contested. "All that makeup and tight leather is a bit ridiculous."

"I think we've strayed off-topic, don't you?"

"Sorry," Alex giggled. "My turn, then? Okay. Oh! Here's one that'll stump you. What's your favorite time period?"

The Doctor laughed. "That's too easy! Early 21st century. You?"

"Wait! Why is the early 21st century your favorite?"

"You do realize this is only _Twenty _Questions, right?"

"As I said before, I don't care!" Alex bounced a little on the bed. "Come on! Tell me! I won't stop pestering you until you do."

The Doctor sighed, knowing that this was very true. "It's because you humans are finally beginning to discover that you aren't really alone in the universe. You're finally breaking free of a shell and joining the rest of the universe. It's truly amazing."

Alex smiled. "Wow. I had no idea you were so amazed by us."

"It's this incarnation," the Doctor explained. "One of my previous ones constantly referred to humans as apes."

Alex frowned in thought. "Well, scientifically, you were correct. But metaphorically? That's insulting."

"Yes, I know. Luckily, it was only that incarnation. Now, your favorite time period?"

"Well, it's not in the future, considering I don't know much about it." Alex pulled back slightly and smiled up at him. "I've always liked the Prohibition era. Mobsters, illegal drinking, partying like it's the end of the world? It sounds exciting."

The Doctor shuddered. "Not when you're being chased by Al Capone's men in Chicago after you were trying to peacefully get a dangerous alien artifact back." Clearly, he was reliving some memory.

Alex studied him. "Personal experience?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yep."

"Is it something I'm going to have to pry out of you later?"

"Most likely," the Doctor confirmed.

Alex hummed and scooted closer to his side. "I'm looking forward to it," she murmured, her voice slightly muffled by the Doctor's jacket.

The Doctor, noticing this, shuffled a bit until he had managed to remove the jacket and toss it on the desk chair. "Better?" he asked, scooting down some until he was almost eye level with Alex.

"Yes," Alex answered. She reached out and fiddled with his bow-tie a little. "Not sure about this though," she snickered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Bow-ties are cool."

Alex waved this argument off though. "Whatever. Your turn now."

"Alright. Favorite…book?"

Alex groaned. "Another difficult one! Hmm…there's so many but if I had to go with just one, I'd say _To Kill a Mockingbird_. You?"

"_Great Expectations_ by Charles Dickens," the Doctor quickly rattled off.

"Oh, Dickens is good," Alex said. "I'd have pegged you for the Shakespeare type though."

The Doctor laughed. "No, I've always admired Dickens. Actually, I met him once. Shakespeare too."

Alex stared at him wide-eyed. "You did?!" she cried. "Was it under ordinary circumstances or not?"

"Depends on your definition of _ordinary_," the Doctor quipped.

"So…there was trouble going on?"

"Oh yes!" the Doctor confirmed. "With Dickens, Rose and I had landed in Cardiff by accident on Christmas Eve 1869. There were these aliens that kept possessing dead people from a funeral parlor and walking out on the streets. One of them ended up at a reading Dickens was doing."

"Let me guess. It was a reading of _A Christmas Carol_?" Alex guessed. "I'm right, aren't I?"

The Doctor chuckled a little. "Yes, you are. How'd you guess?"

Alex giggled, her eyes changing from light green to topaz. "Dickens surrounded by ghosts on Christmas Eve? That just screams _A Christmas Carol_. Okay, what happened?"

"The aliens were trying to get through a rift in Cardiff. They wanted this young clairvoyant girl from the funeral parlor, Gwyneth her name was, to act as a bridge to get them across."

Alex frowned a little. "What's a rift exactly? I mean, based on what you're saying, it's like a bridge, correct?"

The Doctor scrunched up his face, trying to figure out how to explain it to her in terms she'd understand. "Sort of," he finally admitted. "Think of it like the San Andreas fault in California. But instead of being a crack between two tectonic plates, it's a crack between two different dimensions. All sorts of things can fall through it and end up in Cardiff."

"That doesn't sound good though," Alex remarked, studying the Doctor carefully. "How come you aren't there twenty-four seven monitoring it?"

"I don't need to be. A friend of mine runs an organization there dedicated to monitoring the rift and making sure that anything that comes through it doesn't harm anyone in Cardiff. It's called Torchwood."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "But isn't that the same organization that caused Rose to end up in a parallel universe?"

"It's of the same organization but it's completely separate from the others. Torchwood One in London was destroyed during the Battle of Canary Wharf but Torchwood Three is dedicated in my name, supposedly."

"Could we go there sometime? I've never been to Cardiff before and I really want to see it, even though Amy and Rory argue that it's boring."

The Doctor inwardly groaned. He already knew he was attracted to Alex and just imagining all the flirting Jack would do with her was nauseating. He'd probably end up punching Jack in the nose and that would _not _end well. "We'll see," he said vaguely.

Alex shrugged, accepting this. She'd find out more about this Torchwood later. "Okay, getting back on track, what happened with Shakespeare?"

"Martha, a friend of mine and I went to the Globe Theater in London in 1599. I originally planned to make a quick trip and then take Martha back home but at the theater, Shakespeare announced that the next night would be the unveiling of his play, _Love's Labor's Won_."

"I've never heard of that play," Alex argued. "And I should know. I had to write a ten page biography about Shakespeare and his plays for A.P. English senior year."

"Exactly. The Carrionites, a witch-like alien race, took temporary control of Shakespeare to write a series of directions and controls in the play's closing monologue that would allow the Carrionites back through the universe, breaking out of their eternal imprisonment."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer.

The Doctor nodded. "If the Carrionites got back into our universe, they would bring back times of blood and chaos and the human race would die out. Luckily, we managed to send them back through a portal…along with all the copies of _Love's Labor's Won_."

Alex laughed. "That's insane! And genius."

The Doctor laughed a little as well. "Yeah, you're right. Three of the Carrionite witches, the ones who were trying to get the rest of their race out, got trapped in their crystal ball." He paused, evidently thinking something over. "I need to go and find that sometime. When the TARDIS redesigned herself, everything ended up completely out of place."

Alex hummed and softly said "I think it's my turn now." She thought for a long moment and before she even knew what she was doing, she had asked "Is there one thing that you really regret?"

The Doctor stiffened and Alex bit her lip. _Damn! What the hell was I thinking?!_ Alex cringed and started to move away a little. "Never mind, forget it. I don't know what caused me to blurt that out."

"It's fine," the Doctor dismissed. Truthfully, he was giving Alex's question a lot of thought. He remembered what he thought about how it was easy to open up to Alex and that he hoped that maybe she could shed some cheerful light on the vile darkness within him. _But will she be willing after she hears what I did?_ If Alex were smart, she'd run away from him screaming.

Alex scooted back over to him. "Whatever it is," she began hesitantly, "you can tell me. I mean, I won't be all judgmental or anything."

"You should be," the Doctor argued, "after hearing this." He sighed and closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts as he tried his best to figure out how to reveal to Alex what his biggest regret was. "Do you remember how Rosanna said I should be in a mausoleum after I told her I was a Time Lord?"

Alex nodded and she was glad that she was learning the truth behind the Doctor's race. She had been trying to figure out a way to casually broach the subject but she hadn't been able to come up with anything. "Yes. Go on," she prodded.

The Doctor gritted his teeth and Alex noticed his whole body tense up. It was as though he had to go through physical pain just to get the words out. "There was a war," he began slowly. "The last great Time War. It was a war between Time Lords and Daleks." Alex felt her heart clench. She had seen those Daleks and what they were capable of. Imagining the devastation they would cause during a war wasn't that hard.

"It was terrible. So many species were affected, not just the Time Lords and Daleks. Thousands on both sides were dying, day after day. Both sides were using time travel to try and change the battles, causing it to worsen." The Doctor paused for a moment, allowing for his words to sink into Alex's skin. She only nodded, silently urging him to continue.

"Eventually, Rassilon, the founder of the Time Lord society, resurrected himself to lead the Time Lords against the Daleks."

Alex frowned. "Wait a minute," she interrupted. "He was dead before?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. He had discovered the secret to immortality and regained control as High President." He bit his lip and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to go on.

His hard muscles relaxed when he felt Alex's slender hand rest on his shoulder. "If this is too much for you…" she began but the Doctor quickly cut her off.

"No," he said thickly, as though he were on the verge of tears. He swallowed and managed to cough out "I need to tell this to someone. It'll eat me alive if I don't." Alex nodded and lightly rubbed his shoulder, an innocent action that comforted him more than he would ever admit.

"Rassilon didn't want to see the Time Lords end so he came up with an alternative. He called it the Ultimate Sanction. It would destroy the Daleks but also all of time as well."

Alex gaped at him. "Why would he do something like that?! He'd end up destroying the Time Lords as well!"

The Doctor sighed. Like her, he had questioned this plan many times in the past. "You have to understand," he said gently, "by this point, the Time Lords had become so war-harden and desperate, there was no going back. No hope of it really. The idea was that when they did this, the Time Lords would become a non-corporeal collective consciousness and become the only sentient life in the universe.

"I ended up learning about the plan and naturally, heartily disapproved of it. By this point, I had discovered another way to end the war, called the Moment. I originally wasn't going to use it but after learning of the High Council voting Rassilon's plan into action…I was forced to." Alex remained silent, hanging onto his every word. She could tell that this wasn't easy for him and that the amount of guilt in him from doing those actions was close to consuming him.

The Doctor braced himself for this next part. It was always horrible admitting what he had done, even more so now that he was telling the specifics to someone else. "The Moment was designed to destroy both Daleks and Time Lords. I couldn't alter it in any way. At that point in the war, I wasn't sure I wanted to. With no other option, I used it." The Doctor closed his eyes, not wanting to see the look of pure horror and disgust that would surely cross Alex's face.

"I got in the TARDIS and watched Gallifrey burn. So many died screaming…there are nights when I can hear their voices inside my head, just screaming and screaming with agony as everything around them burns. It's gone Ally. Gallifrey and all its people are gone, murdered by my own hands."

The Doctor fell silent, just waiting for Alex to scream, leap away from him and run as far as she possibly could. He expected this and probably would've recommended it even. Too many people he encountered ended up dying or having terrible things happen to them. Rose and Donna were prime examples. He'd be better off traveling alone in the TARDIS, slowly going mad every day. At least then, innocent people wouldn't be hurt by him.

At that moment, he felt the bed shift slightly. Well, this was this it. Alex was going to leave or run or do whatever, making it clear she wanted nothing more to do with a murderer. The bed shifted again and the Doctor frowned as he sensed the direction Alex was shifting towards. She wasn't shifting away from him; she was shifting _towards _him.

He felt a slender hand snake its way up his arm, across his shoulder, and over to his neck. Goosebumps broke out at the skin-to-skin contact but neither party moved away. Ever so hesitantly, he opened his eyes and was surprised when the first thing he saw was Alex's pretty face, eyes glittering with sadness, pity, and was that…love?_ No, it's not!_ He snapped mentally to himself. _Get over yourself!_

Alex was unsure what to say. What the Doctor had just told her was pretty heavy, more than she had imagined it would be when she asked him what he regretted the most. Now, just looking at him, she knew he was expecting her to run away screaming, get away from the vile monster he thought himself as. But she refused to think of him that way. Had he done things he regretted? Yes, everybody did. Did he truly want to destroy the Time Lords? No. Did she think any less of him? Absolutely not.

Alex turned his head so that he was looking right at her. "Doctor…" Her voice trailed off, unable to voice any of her thoughts aloud.

"Go ahead. Say it," the Doctor said, sounding slightly bitter and upset but also a bit expectant.

Alex stared at him. "Say what?" she asked, knowing what he was thinking.

"That you never want to be around me again. That you couldn't possible go racing around the universe with a _murderer_."

"Stop it," Alex said weakly.

Ignoring her, he continued. "You don't want to see me, let alone stay by my side all the time. You don't even want to _look_ at me."

"Stop it!" Alex begged, her voice stronger now. The Doctor closed his mouth and was about to turn away from her when Alex stopped him.

"Doctor, I don't feel that way about you in the slightest," she insisted, trying to convey her thoughts and feelings on the subject through her voice. She tilted his head so that he was looking directly at her and kept her hand on his neck so he couldn't move away.

"Doctor, based on the way you tell that story, you really didn't have another option. And if you didn't use the Moment, what was the alternative? Allowing Rassilon to destroy the entire universe? All those species? Earth? Me, Amy, and Rory?" Alex shook her head, trying not to imagine such destructiveness. She took a deep breath before continuing. "You mustn't blame yourself Doctor. Yes, you killed the Time Lords. But that doesn't make you a murderer! _They _were willing to destroy the universe for their own selfish purposes. You cared too much about the universe and everyone else to let that happen. The Time Lords were going to kill themselves. You only sped the process up a bit. And in a way, that's a good thing. If you hadn't, you could be floating around as a collective consciousness – assuming Rassilon's plan actually worked – never knowing Rose, or Amy, or Rory, or me." Alex paused, allowing her words to resonate and sink into the Doctor. "_Please_ Doctor. Don't blame yourself."

The Doctor was silent, hearing her words play over and over in his head. _Don't blame yourself._ How was it that this girl – this beautiful, intelligent, perfect girl – could so easily see good in him and just know, like that, that he wasn't to blame for any of the cruel acts he had committed? It was strange and fantastic all at once. Before she had come along, the Doctor had been close to drowning in his self-caused spite and hatred and blame, but then Alex had come along and simply pulled him out of the black sea of darkness into the glorious light, no questions asked. How was she able to do that to him? The Doctor didn't know and he knew that he didn't really care, just so long as she kept doing it.

He focused back on her. She looked expectant and hesitant, unsure of what he was about to say or do. Then, very quietly, so quietly it could only be heard by her, he said "Thank you."

Alex blinked and then smiled, her smile making his hearts soar and his brain to cease functioning. The effect she had on him was truly astounding. "You're welcome," she said softly, matching his tone perfectly.

Now that they had gotten the angst portion of Twenty Questions out of the way, the Doctor shifted closer to her, where he was almost touching her chest with every breath he took. "Now that you've gotten me to expose my deep dark secret," he said in a teasing voice, "what's yours?"

Alex bit her lip and turned her gaze up towards the ceiling. "It's nothing," she muttered.

"Nothing? I'm not falling for that. Come on. What is it?"

"It isn't anything as big as what you told me. Just drop it," Alex tried again but to no avail.

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, then this must be something good! What could Alexandria Locke possibly have done to be her biggest regret? Shoplift perhaps?"

"Did that once," Alex offhandedly admitted, remembering the dolphin statue incident, "but that's not it. Just drop it, okay?"

The Doctor ignored her though. "Seriously Alex, after I admit my deep dark secret to you, in a game of your own concoction I might add, I expect you to deliver. What was-,"

"Trying to pierce my nose!" Alex blurted out.

The Doctor just stared at her. "What?" he finally demanded.

Alex sighed. "The one thing I really regret is trying to pierce my own nose."

There was silence for a moment but then, the Doctor began laughing. He turned away from her, lying on his back and just laughed. "That's your biggest regret?" he managed to choke out between bursts of laughter. "I tell you my regret, which is very, very bad by most standards, and your response is that you regret trying to pierce your nose?"

Alex leaned on her elbow and glared down at him. "It's not funny! I really regretted it afterwards!"

The Doctor chuckled a bit more until Alex swatted him on the back of the head, telling him to stop. He finally sobered and solemnly asked "So what happened?"

Alex sighed and rested back against the pillows, copying the Doctor's position. "It was a really hot summer day. Lacey and I were…fourteen maybe? Yeah, fourteen. Carla had abandoned me for the summer so we were hanging out at my house, AC blasting, drinking ice cold lemonade and watching MTV. We were watching some stupid documentary that I don't even remember the name of, and it featured some girls with pierced noses. Since we were bored, Lacey suggested we try to pierce my nose. I'd wanted to get it pierced for a while but I always figured I'd go to the tattoo parlor here in town and get it done there as soon as I could get my hands on a fake ID."

"Quite a little rebel you were," the Doctor commented. He found it hard to imagine that the sweet, beautiful Southern girl lying next to him could have once been an out-of-control, drinking, piercing obsessed teenage girl.

Alex sighed a bit regretfully. "I was wild back then. You wouldn't believe some of the stunts I pulled. Skipping school, drinking, smoking, all sorts of stuff. Anyway, back to the nose piercing. After a few minutes of haggling, Lacey finally talked me into it so we went into the bathroom on the ground floor. I sat on a chair in front of the sink while Lacey got a needle, a towel, a little stud that had been a spare from when her cousin got her nose pierced, and a lemon."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "A lemon?" he questioned.

Alex let out a little laugh. "We had seen Lindsay Lohan's version of _The Parent Trap _recently and we remembered during the ear piercing scene in the movie, they used a lemon slice and placed it under the ear so as to dull the feeling of the needle slicing through. The idea was that I would slide the lemon slice up my nostril and it would deaden the pain."

The Doctor shook his head and chuckled a bit at her past antics. "So, what went wrong?"

Alex winced. "We forgot to ice the sight where the piercing was going to go first. Not to mention, but the lemon wouldn't exactly cooperate. After we finally got the lemon at an angle where it wouldn't shift, Lacey slid the needle in…and I started screaming bloody murder. It _hurt_. She yanked the needle out and I was left with a bloody hole in my nose. She tried to jam the stud in but that just made it worse. She yanked it out and by that point, I was screaming _and _crying. After we toweled my nose off, we put a Band-Aid and Neosporin over it so I wouldn't get an infection. We threw the needle and stud out and I swore I'd never try piercing myself again or get any other part of my body pierced. A year later, for Christmas, Marigold took me to the mall in Lexington and I got my ears pierced."

The Doctor shook his head. "That has to be," he said slowly, "the most…_hilarious _thing I ever heard." At that point, he began laughing again."

Alex lightly swatted his chest. "It's not funny! I scarred you know!"

This ceased the Doctor's laughing. "What?" he cried, sitting up to lean over Alex. "Where?"

Alex reached up and tapped her right nostril. "Right here, on the side."

The Doctor leaned in close, barely aware that he was close to straddling Alex, and studied the area she had pointed to. Sure enough, on the right side of her nose was a thin white scar shaped almost like a sideways lightning bolt. "Funny how I've never noticed that before," he murmured, his breath hot on her skin.

Alex shrugged, desperately trying to keep her dignity in tact as she was very aware of how close they were now. "It's faded quite a bit over the years," she said slowly so that her voice would come out as steady and even and not breathless and excited. "It used to be quite noticeable. But hardly anyone notices it anymore unless I point it out to them."

The Doctor's eyes followed the scar and he resisted the urge to trace it with his finger. Even though it was slightly startling, it was also beautiful and suited Alex perfectly. From being this close to her, he could also see a tiny zit in the center of her cheek, expertly covered with foundation and other products. Strangely, it too didn't affect her appearance. It was as though any imperfection on her body was meant to be there.

It was at that moment that the Doctor finally registered how close he was to Alex. If he wanted to, all it would take was slinging a leg over her and he would be straddling her. He was already close enough to kiss her. All it would take to do so was lean down and gently press his lips to hers. A large part of him wanted to just that, kiss her sweetly and push her back into the mattress but the more rational side of him, the one that had been with him longer, refused to allow him to do that. The rational part knew that he would just end up hurting her and himself in the long run when she finally left and neither one of them deserved that. Therefore, he couldn't, _wouldn't _kiss her. Ever so reluctantly, he pulled back and moved back to his original position on the mattress.

Alex let out a breath that she didn't even know she had been keeping. She could almost feel the Doctor's desire to do something to her, though what that something was had to be left up to her imagination. In the fantasies that flashed quickly through her mind, they involved a bunch of kissing, similar to how he had done it back on the _Byzantium_, along with running his fingers though her hair, pushing her further into the mattress until she was begging for him to sleep with her. But of course, that could never happen.

Alex knew she wouldn't be around forever. As much as she felt safe around the Doctor, she was also very much in danger. One of these days, she could get hit by a Dalek or placed back in time by a Weeping Angel and she'd never see him again. Well, the latter scenario was debatable at best. She knew he'd look all throughout time for her. But regardless of whatever managed to get her away from him, something would. Alex couldn't be sure when that day would come but she was sure it would. Oh, it'd be worth it, sure, for the chance of seeing all of time and space, but its cost was so great. It would hurt them both too much if they began a relationship – if that was what both of them really wanted – and she was suddenly torn away from him. She knew that he'd be an emotional wreck and she didn't want to do anything that would cause him such raw grief and pain.

_Besides, _she thought sadly, _what would he see in a little human like me? I'm twenty years old; he's nine hundred and seven! I'm just a child compared to him. What could he possibly see in me?_

But that brought out a thought in Alex's mind. He could have easily left her behind on Earth. Why had he brought her along? She remembered what he had told Amy the night she had kissed him; that he took them along so that he could see the universe in all its glory again. While that wasn't such a bad thing when you took into account how long he had been living, Alex couldn't help but feel betrayed when she remembered the letter he had left her after the Atraxi Adventure, the letter she read every single time she wrote in her diary, which was pretty much every day. Had he been lying to her then to make sure she'd accompany him on his travels? Or had he meant every word he said?

Alex opened her mouth to ask this but the Doctor beat her to it. "You know," he said slowly, "I would've thought your biggest regret was going to Octavian."

Alex closed her mouth and pondered this thought. She didn't blame him for thinking that. It was probably the answer he had automatically thought of for her when she posed the question. It was true she hated what happened at Octavian. But it being her biggest regret? No, not really.

"You would think so, but not really," Alex said.

"Why's that?"

Alex thought for a moment, wondering how she could pose her answer so that it would come across clearly. "Well…ever since I was in eighth grade and a person from Octavian came to talk to our class, I knew I wanted to go there. It was surreal. I knew my chances of getting in were one in a million but I wanted to go so bad I was willing to do just about anything. I worked really hard in my classes, studied like hell for the ACTs, and wrote and rewrote my application essays for weeks before I finally sent them in. It was a goal I set in my mind and I really wanted to achieve it. And when I got in, I was so proud of myself and so was everyone else. I was the first person in my entire school going to a well-renowned out-of-state university. I had actually achieved my goals of getting away from Carla and getting a good education. Even though it didn't work out in the end, I knew I had done something that very few people have ever done." She paused, working out what she was going to say next. "So, I don't regret going to Octavian. I set an impossible goal for myself and won. How could that be considered a regret?"

The Doctor nodded and Alex turned on her side. She needed to pose this question. She needed to know where she stood with him, what the Doctor saw her as. "Doctor? Can I ask you something?"

"We're playing Twenty Questions right? That's kind of the point of the game."

"Not in a game-playing sense," Alex clarified. "It's a bit more…personal."

The Doctor, surprised by the hesitancy and worry in her voice, swiftly turned on his side to look her in the eye. "You can ask me anything Ally," he told her softly. Several years ago, he wouldn't dream of granting a companion that kind of privilege, but Alex, he was beginning to learn, was more than a companion to him.

Alex chewed her bottom lip a little before saying anything. "Okay," she said slowly. "You remember the night Amy kissed you?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "How could I forget?" he asked. "It was the first time a companion wanted to shag me."

Somehow, Alex doubted that, but chose to let that one slide. "Well, when you were talking to Amy, I was listening in the doorway. I heard her ask why she was even on the TARDIS and I heard your reply."

The Doctor swallowed. _Shit! _He thought. Did Alex actually think that the sole reason she was on the TARDIS was because he needed her to help him see the universe in all its amazement and glory again? Did she actually doubt everything he had said in that quick little letter he had written her?

"I'm just wondering. I remembered the letter you wrote me after we defeated the Atraxi and I was just wondering if it was all…true."

_How could she possibly think that?!_ He thought. Alex was amazing! He had wanted her to travel with him from the second he saw her look past that perception filter. "Ally, no! That's not it at all! Everything I wrote in the letter was true! How could you possibly doubt that?"

Alex's eyes drifted down to the comforter, now totally embarrassed. "It just popped in my head after I heard what you said to Amy. I figured maybe everything in the letter was just lies or half-truths in an effort to make sure I came with you."

The Doctor closed his eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. "God, Ally," he murmured. He opened his eyes and raised a hand to run through her hair, purposely making it a bit more tousled to his liking. He traced his finger down her jawline until it was right under Alex's chin. He tilted it up, exposing Alex's forest green eyes. "I swear to you, everything I wrote in that scribbled letter was true. Alex, you are the most amazing person I've ever met. From the second I met you, I knew that you were an absolute mystery I had to crack and a wonderful person I desperately wanted to see again." He swallowed slightly, knowing he was breaking his own rule about getting close to companions but in Alex's case, it was unavoidable. "You're a wonderful person Ally. Beautiful, smart, courageous, funny, and just altogether brilliant." He smiled sheepishly. "How could I resist?"

Alex was shocked. She had already known that the Doctor thought highly of her but that? That was just utter devotion. Best of all, he hadn't been lying in his letter. She was someone he highly valued, someone who stumped him and thrilled him all at the same time. She was special.

Alex blinked back tears. She didn't want him to see how his words had truly affected her. "I had no idea you thought so highly of me," she whispered.

"You should be honored," the Doctor told her, a smile gracing his lips. "I think highly of all my companions but none as highly as you."

Alex blushed brightly. She was embarrassed but she was also pleased. It was nice to know that she had a special place in the Doctor's hearts. It would only make it that much harder when she eventually left. Just as she was thinking this though, she yawned and her eyelids began drooping.

"Somebody getting tired?" the Doctor asked, rolling over onto his back to glance at the clock. He was surprised by the time; one fifteen. He and Alex had been talking for over an hour and hadn't even noticed the time flying by.

Alex nodded slightly and moved her head to his chest. The thud of his heartbeats was very soothing and was making her all the more exhausted. "I'm afraid you're going to have to be bored for a couple hours," she mumbled.

_I can't become bored with you Ally_, the Doctor thought but didn't say. He had been sappy enough for one night and besides, he couldn't become attached to Alex. But it was so hard not to do just that.

Alex nestled into his side and the Doctor absentmindedly played with some strands of her hair. She felt so nice against him. He noticed that she fit perfectly into his side. That had to be some kind of coincidence. Fate couldn't have made this body just for her…could it?

The Doctor watched as Alex's eyes grew heavier and heavier until they finally closed. At that moment, an arm crept up and flung itself over his chest. If he had wanted to leave her, he couldn't now without disturbing her. And strangely, that didn't upset him in the slightest.

The Doctor watched her sleeping form. She was so beautiful when she was asleep. Truthfully, Alex was beautiful whether she was awake or asleep. Her hair shined in the moonlight and she looked very peaceful.

The Doctor felt a wave of exhaustion creep up over him. Oh no, that wasn't possible. He didn't need sleep! He yawned. Well, maybe just a little. But it could wait. He yawned again and felt his eyelids growing heavy. Okay, maybe not. He sighed and looked over at Alex's sleeping form and how her arm was currently trapping him. Well, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. What was the harm in closing his eyes for five minutes?

Almost as if they had minds of their own, his eyes closed and his head fell sideways to where it was resting on top of Alex's. The Doctor and Alex both fell into deep sleeps, wrapped in each-other's arms, so deep in fact, that five minutes passed and the Doctor didn't even stir.

* * *

Alex stirred slightly and her eyes opened. She looked around the room, confused for a moment until all the details of the day reemerged in her brain. Bristol. Seeing Lacey and everyone else. Going to the Carslile-Locke Plant. Talking to the Doctor in this very room…speaking of which, where _was _the Doctor?

Alex leaned up on her elbow and looked around the dark room and then at the clock. It was three thirty-five and the Doctor wasn't in her room. The last she remembered, he had been lying next to her in this very bed. She was pretty sure she had fallen asleep in his arms. So where was he now?

Alex frowned sadly and quickly pulled the comforter and sheets out from behind the pillows. She nestled under them until she was in her own personal cocoon. Why had the Doctor left? Had he gotten bored when she fell asleep? That was a possibility but somehow, Alex could sense it was bigger than that.

She sniffled slightly, tears of sadness threatening to erupt but she pushed them back down. No. She had sworn to herself she wouldn't cry over that man, that wonderful, amazing man, and she was going to continue doing that. Instead, she settled her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes, determined to go back to sleep. Within seconds, she did just that.

Meanwhile downstairs, the Doctor paced up and down in front of the large stone fireplace in what he assumed was the living room, or the one that was actually used. The room was small and cozy with white and silver wallpaper, matching cream suede couches and chairs, a bookshelf filed with works of literature, and a crystal-drop chandelier dangling above him.

As he paced in front of the fireplace, the Doctor's eye was drawn to a series of photographs lined up on the mantel. Creeping closer, he carefully studied them.

The first showed a baby in a bright pink hospital blanket in a hospital baby bed with the words _Lacey Rose Abernathy _written on the tag on the front of the bed. He turned to the second photograph. This one showed Lacey, probably around the age of ten, in front of a huge Christmas tree, wearing a red velvet dress, tights, and Mary-Jane's. She was smiling brightly, exposing two missing front teeth. He turned to the third photograph. This one featured Lacey and another girl, probably around thirteen or fourteen, sitting on the front porch of this house, a banana split sundae sitting between them. Lacey's hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a light green camisole and jean shorts, her feet bare. The girl next to Lacey had long light brown hair and wore a light blue sleeveless shirt, white short-shorts, and matching blue ballet flats. Squinting slightly, the Doctor was able to make out a tell-tale scar on the girl's nose.

He gasped. It was Alex! He studied the photo again. This was clearly taken shortly after the nose piercing incident, because the scar on her nose was a bit more noticeable than it was now. She didn't have blonde highlights yet in this photo but she still looked gorgeous, grinning away at the camera. He swallowed and moved onto the next photo.

This photo had clearly been taken at a graduation ceremony. In the background, several black graduation caps had been tossed into the air, contrasting with the light blue of the sky. In the foreground, Lacey and Alex were hugging each-other, both of them in black graduation robes, their diplomas clutched in their hands. Alex had her blonde highlights in this photo and once again, she managed to look gorgeous. She probably hadn't even been trying. It had just happened.

The Doctor sighed and resumed his pacing. He was getting so attached to Alex. When he woke up in her arms just five minutes ago, he had been struck with the sudden realization that he wanted to do that again. He wanted to wake up with her nestled into his side every morning for the rest of his life. Such a realization had made him panicked and he had carefully shifted away from Alex and darted out of the room and downstairs.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. He knew what was happening to himself but he really didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to succumb to the feeling that was all too familiar, since it had only been two lifetimes ago when he had last experienced it with Rose. He had tried to disregard it for so long then but he finally couldn't. And when he finally admitted what he had been feeling to himself, there was no going back. And look what happened when he tried to tell her! He had vanished before her eyes, leaving her all alone in a parallel universe while he was left all alone on the TARDIS, one silent tear streaking down his cheek. Granted, she was happy now but still. It wasn't a feeling he wanted to repeat. It would only lead to heartbreak.

He groaned softly, not wanting anyone upstairs to hear him. How could this be happening? He tried so hard not to get _that _close to his companions but every once in a while, one would creep in and turn him to mush, twisting him all around until he didn't understand his own emotions and feelings. Rose had done that without even trying. Sarah-Jane as well, if he was being honest. Even Romana had managed to strike a chord with him! And look what happened to all of them! It was a never-ending cycle of heartbreak and disaster with him and it would probably never end. And now, here was Alex – sweet, beautiful, caring Alex – about to become the next victim in a painful cycle.

_No!_ He snapped to himself. He began pacing more rapidly until he was sure he would wear a hole in the rug. He would _not _let Alex become the next victim in such a horrible cycle. It would tear him apart if something horrible happened to her when he knew he was in lo-

_STOP THAT!_ He yelled to himself. He clutched his hair in frustration. No! He couldn't admit that! If he did, there was no going back. If he did, the universe would immediately conspire against her and wrench her away from him in some twisted horrible circumstance. She'd be forever away from him and he would slowly grow bitter and darker until the next companion came along.

The Doctor turned on his heel abruptly and hurried up the stairs, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. He wouldn't ponder this anymore. Instead, as he went down the hall, he didn't give a passing glance to Alex's room or any other room until he reached the one Marigold had assigned him. Without turning back, he turned the knob, stepped into the room, and closed the door firmly behind him.

A/N: So many things happening in this chapter! Sorry for the late update, but I had to do communications homework...fun. Anyway, just for future reference, for Torchwood, 'Children of Earth' hasn't happened and some of the stuff that happened in Season 2 is different, but that'll be addressed later. What did you all think of the Twenty Questions game? I thought that was cute. :)

Thank you to **SopherGopherroxursox**, **rycbar15**, **jesterlover**, **TheGirlWhoWaited**, **Gwilwillith**, and **TheUltimateGuest **for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	26. Bristol, KY Stop Part 5

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Doctor Who.

The next morning, when Alex awoke, she wasn't surprised to find the room empty once again. Though she had hoped to find that the Doctor had returned at some point during the night, she knew it wasn't likely.

Alex sighed and pulled herself away from the comforting confines of the bed. They needed to figure out what was going on at the Carslile-Locke Plant today. Twisting her hair into a loose knot on top of her head, Alex headed towards the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, after a thirty second shower (a new record for her), Alex walked downstairs dressed in a short-sleeved black lace shirt, skinny jeans, an old pair of well-worn black Converse, old stuff of hers she had found in the bedroom closet. She had even found a pair of large hoop earrings in one of the bathroom vanity drawers.

The first thought she had as she headed towards the dining-room was that there wasn't the smell of bacon or pancakes or coffee or any of the normal breakfast foods she would've expected Marigold to have made for her in large abundance. Alex entered the room curiously and was surprised to find only Marigold in there, sitting at the head of the table with a plate of eggs Benedict and a cup of coffee in front of her. She was dressed in a Burberry-plaid sleeveless dress, brown high-heels, and a Cartier watch around her wrist. She was reading a copy of the _Richmond Register _as Alex approached.

She looked up and smiled. "Good morning sleepyhead!" she teased.

Alex made a face at the name but the shine in her eyes told Marigold that Alex wasn't really offended. "Am I the first one up?" Alex asked, looking around.

"No, actually, everyone's already left," Marigold said, placing her paper down. "I was instructed by the Doctor to tell you that when you got up to come down to the diner. Apparently, everyone's meeting there to discuss plans of attack for the Carslile-Locke Plant."

Alex was surprised. "Wow. Okay. I'm surprised he wasn't banging on my door this morning, demanding that I get up. According to him, I sleep eight to nine hours every day."

Marigold chuckled. "He briefly entertained the thought of forcing you awake but finally decided to let you sleep." Marigold's smile faded for a brief second and a curious look came into her eyes. "According to him, you two were up late last night talking."

"Oh, um…yeah, that's right," Alex confirmed, feeling somewhat exposed under Marigold's critical gaze. Now she knew how Lacey felt whenever she was busted for doing something outrageous.

"What about?"

"I'm sorry?" Alex asked, deliberately stalling as she knew what the question meant.

"What were you two talking about so late into the night?" Marigold quizzed. Alex could tell that she was trying to keep her voice light and non-confrontational, but the hardness in her eyes exposed her mask.

"Oh, nothing," Alex lied.

Marigold cocked an eyebrow. "From the look on his face and the way yours is redder than a tomato now, it wasn't nothing."

"What did he look like?"

Marigold thought for a moment. "Remember all those gentlemen Lacey dated in high-school?" When Alex nodded, she added "Remember how they all worshipped the ground she walked on?" Again, Alex nodded. Lacey tended to have that effect on people. "They all had that stupid, worshipping, puppy-dog look on their faces. And that was the exact look on the Doctor's face this morning when he mentioned you. Actually," she said slowly, thinking something over, "it's the look he has whenever he mentions your name or whenever you speak to him."

Alex stared at her. "So the Doctor is like all of Lacey's boyfriends? Worships the ground I walk on and gets all goggle-eyed whenever my name is mentioned?"

"Trust me, it's the truth," Marigold insisted. "Although, I do wonder just how involved the two of you are."

"We're not a couple," Alex quickly corrected her. "Trust me, we're not."

Marigold only made a _hmm_ sound, expressing her doubt about that statement very clearly.

Alex hastily retreated out of the dining room and down the hall to the front door. Outside, it was a fresh summer morning. The sky was still gold and orange in some parts, making the dew on the front lawn sparkle like diamonds. Alex had always liked these kinds of mornings, even more so after she moved to Leadworth. Over there, mornings usually consisted of a low fog overhead, guaranteeing the need to apply half a pound of hairspray before you went outside.

At the end of the drive was Nat's black Nissan, all the windows rolled down and the keys in the ignition. Alex smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness and quickly slid behind the wheel. Her gratefulness faded a little, however, as she took in the dingy interior. Nat had never been very tidy, which could be evidenced by the abundance of McDonald's bags, cigarette cartons, magazines, lip glosses, and other junk littering the seats and floor of the car.

Within a few seconds, Alex was driving towards town. She hastily switched the radio to a pop station instead of that weird NPR crap Nat liked and took a right turn which led her to a slightly older section of town, an old slum that used to be populated by African-Americans before segregation.

Past this was what Alex and her friends referred to as Bar Alley. Bar Alley was actually Montgomery Street but became known as Bar Alley due to the abundance of bars and clubs along it. Alex grinned as she passed Blair's, a frequent haunt of hers long ago, the old dance club where Emmy had gotten drunk for the first time and threw up on a bouncer, and then Piedmont's, which everyone knew had the crappiest drinks in town and avoided like the plague.

After leaving Bar Alley, Alex came out next to a tiny strip mall and continued on down the street to the little rise where the diner was located. There were already a bunch of cars in the parking lot and just like yesterday, one spot up front had been saved especially for her. Looking around, Alex was quickly able to gather that Lacey, Emmy, Ross and Mike were definitely here while Lola, Nat, Bree, Amy, Rory, and the Doctor had likely hitched rides with one of the previous four.

The inside of the diner was jumping. Bree had opened already and there were a few people mingling around by the soda fountain. Over by the jukebox, Amy and Rory were attempting to dance to 'Twisting the Night Away' although neither of them seemed to be very good. Ross and Lola were next to them, Ross teaching Lola how to do the Carolina Shag. Sitting in a nearby booth were Lacey and Emmy, both of them calling out pointers and occasionally holding up a napkin with a pen-written number on it, judging the two couples and their moves.

Across the room were Nat and Mike, Nat with an apron hastily tied around her waist as she helped Bree take orders. Mike was at a booth by the window and was attempting the crossword puzzle in an issue of _People _magazine, though based on the amount of scribbling he was doing, he wasn't having much luck. Finally, sitting in the corner by the door, observing all of this, was the Doctor. A glass of water was by his elbow, partially drank, but Alex could tell he was actually waiting for someone. Most likely, it was her.

Alex swiftly moved into his line of sight and she could've sworn he visibly brightened when he spotted her. Motioning her forwards, she sat down across from him.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," the Doctor repeated back to her. "Finally got out of bed I see."

Alex glared at him. "Oh shut up with that!" she cried. "I do not sleep eight to nine hours a day!"

"Yet Amy, Rory and Lacey were up at seven o'clock while you were still passed out in bed."

"It's your fault," Alex retorted. "You kept me up late talking and teasing me about my bloody nose."

"Oh God Alex, did you really tell him that?" Lacey demanded, suddenly appearing in front of them. She looked chipper and ready to go that morning in a short-sleeved floral print shirt, ripped jeans, and bright pink Converse sneakers. She shook her head. "My, how stupid we were back then."

"He tricked it out of me," Alex replied.

Lacey sighed and leaned in close to look at the scar on Alex's nose. "I'd forgotten you even had that. It's faded quite a bit."

"Thank God," Alex said. "Remember when Hillary asked what fight I'd gotten in that week?"

Lacey shook her head and closed her eyes. "You know the saying; once a bitch, always a bitch."

Alex laughed a little and Lacey went back over to Amy and Rory, calling out a dance move they needed to work on. Alex's eyes followed her and she winced slightly as her friends attempted to dance to the Bob Dylan song that was now playing. "How long have they been doing that?" she asked the Doctor.

The Doctor groaned. "Half an hour," he answered. "Apparently, they're practicing for their wedding reception."

Alex cringed. "I tagged along with them one time to a dancing class Amy had signed them up for. It wasn't pretty." She looked over and watched the two for a few minutes, smiling a little when Ross came up and corrected Rory's posture. "Still, they're improving. Before today, they still couldn't figure out who was supposed to lead."

The Doctor snickered a bit and took a sip of water. "So. Any ideas for the Carslile-Locke Plant?"

Alex arched an eyebrow at him. "I figured I'd be leaving it all up to you. You're the one always coming up with brilliant plans at the last minute."

"True, but you have a vested interest. This is your family's honor you're trying to defend. Besides," he added sheepishly, "I haven't forgotten what you did back on Starship U.K. That was brilliant."

"Amy deserves some of the credit too," Alex reminded him.

The Doctor nodded, acknowledging this. "Right. But you're brilliant as well. You need to be in the planning process as well."

Alex nodded. "Okay." She rested back in the booth, tucking her legs up underneath her as she thought. "I really would like to look at those employee files Carslile never let me look at."

"And I need to look over that equipment," the Doctor said. "We need to figure out where it came from and how much power it's taken." Right as he said this, the lights above them went off. The fans powered down, the jukebox went silent, and Alex distinctly heard Bree curse as the walk-in fridge in the kitchen died.

"And we need to do it fast," Alex added. The two watched as the lights remained off for five minutes before slowly starting back up again.

The Doctor and Alex got up and walked to the center of the diner, where everyone else was gathered. "It's getting longer time-wise," Lola reported worriedly from her spot in a booth next to Ross. "Usually, it's only a few seconds."

"It means Carslile is increasing his power. All of the electricity in Bristol is almost gone." The Doctor began pacing and Alex leaned against a table, giving him room.

"Alex and I need to look at the machinery in the plant and she needs to take a look at the employee files," the Doctor reviewed. "But we can't let Carslile see us. There's no way he'll let us back into the plant after yesterday."

"Why? What happened?" Lacey quizzed.

The Doctor, barely registering what Lacey was asking, offhandedly replied "Oh, tried to poison us is all."

The entire Bristol group sat up straight and stared at Alex, shocked that she would leave such a detail out. "ALEX!" they all shrieked.

Ross stood up. "Why the hell didn't you tell us that?!" he cried. "That guy ought to be arrested."

Alex sighed wearily. "It's no big deal Ross."

Nat stared at her. "Alex! The guy tried to poison you and the Doctor! That is a big deal."

"Not poison exactly, just erase our memory of the last few hours," the Doctor assured her. However, this didn't work as Nat's jaw dropped so low, Alex was sure it would hit the floor.

"Can you even do that?" Emmy wondered. "Sounds impossible."

Alex knew they were treading on dangerous territory and hastily steered the conversation back on topic. "Anyways, we need to get into the plant at a time when Carslile isn't around."

"You could try sneaking in though a back door," Amy suggested.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, wouldn't work. There are loads of workers around that plant and twice as many security cameras. I could disable some of the cameras but not all of them."

"What if you went at night?" Mike asked. "Less people around and the cameras won't pick you up very well."

"They could have infrared," Alex pointed out.

Bree shook her head. "No, they don't," she corrected. "I went out there once with my dad when the plant first opened, just to check it out, and one of the reception girls told him that Mr. Carslile hadn't bothered to get the full package on the cameras. She said he felt no one would try to break in."

Alex grinned. "His stupidity is our gain then."

Rory looked over at the Doctor. "Just how easy is it to break into a power plant?" he questioned. "It sounds like it's difficult."

"Not necessarily," the Doctor said. "All we have to do is go through the front doors and I'll use the s-…I'll use some _skills _I acquired to turn the cameras off and then, we'll have free run of the place."

"And you won't be alone," Lacey jumped in. When the Doctor and Alex turned to look at her, confused, she rolled her eyes and cried "Well, you didn't think we were going to let the two of you go in there by yourselves, did you?"

"Actually, yes," the Doctor confirmed.

"Lacey," Alex began, ready to give her friend all the reasons she could think of on why she couldn't accompany them, but Lacey quickly cut her off.

"Forget the lecture Alex. You're not changing my mind or the minds of anyone else here. We're helping you and that's that."

Alex looked at the Doctor and sighed, silently conveying what they both now knew; like it or not, the Bristol group was tagging along with them tonight. "Okay, fine," the Doctor reluctantly agreed. "But you have to do exactly as we say."

Alex cocked an eyebrow at them. "Deal?" she asked.

None of the Bristol group hesitated to say "Deal."

With that settled, everyone went to do some respective activity. Bree went back to taking orders, Nat trailing along behind her. Ross and Mike left for work after promising to meet the group back at the diner at closing. Lola, Emmy, Amy, and Rory all moved to one large booth while Alex ducked into the kitchen, swiping some frozen strawberries and cream from the fridge.

As Alex walked back to the booth, she noticed the Doctor, Amy, and Rory leaning over something. "What are you all looking at?" she asked, sliding in next to Lola in the booth.

"Amy wanted to see our high-school yearbooks," Emmy explained.

Alex groaned. "Oh God, which year is it?"

Emmy grinned at her. "Freshman year," she said happily, knowing that Alex hated that year.

"Damn," Alex muttered. She popped a strawberry in her mouth and sourly eyed the three who seemed utterly fascinated by the yearbook.

"Oh my gosh," Amy muttered. She looked up. "Alex, is that really you?" She turned the book around and pointed to a picture of a younger Alex, dressed in a black vest, black t-shirt, black jeans, and black kitten heels standing on a stage in front of a backdrop made to look like nighttime in Paris. The caption underneath the photo read _Alexandria Locke, Drama Club President_.

Alex groaned. "Unfortunately, yes."

Rory snickered. "Emmy really wasn't kidding when she told us about that Goth phase of yours."

"It was a phase!" Alex shrieked. "I was young and stupid and really messed up!"

"What play were you doing there?" the Doctor asked, deciding to take pity on Alex's embarrassment for her past teenage acts.

Alex looked visibly relieved by the question. As she twirled a strawberry in a pool of cream, she said "It was some artsy piece our student teacher wrote. _Hostages in Paris_, about a bunch of young American millionaires who are held hostage while on vacation in Paris. My character Clara fell in love with the mastermind and ended up marrying him in Monte Carlo in the last scene."

"It was weirder than it sounds," Lola jumped in. "All of the henchmen danced on stage and one had a three minute monologue on the wonders of drain cleaner."

Lacey came over to them from where she had been sitting at the counter chatting with people, arriving just in time to hear their conversation. "I was in that play too!" she cried, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Alex. Swiping a strawberry off her plate, she added "I played the dumb clueless girl Bianca. I got to nearly fall off the Eiffel Tower twice."

There was a little bit of snickering and Amy turned the book around to turn the page. There were a few pages filled with shots of other clubs and teacher candid's before she eventually came to the freshman photo section. Flipping the pages, she eventually found the one Alex was on, right between two kids named Earl Landon and Claire Michaels. In the photo, Alex was smiling away at the camera, dressed in a tight black sweater, large hoop earrings, and a necklace with a key charm on the end of it.

Emmy grabbed the yearbook and flipped over to where her picture was. "Ick," she said as she looked her photo. It hadn't been a good one for Emmy. Her skin was extremely pale, her red hair too bright, both of those things clashing horribly with her light pink blouse. In addition, she hadn't had her braces taken off yet and the photo clearly revealed the train-tracks of metal on her mouth.

Lola shrugged. "Better than mine," she argued. "Freshman class picture day was also the day Pete Dawes put gum in my hair as a joke in science. A whole chunk of my hair was missing."

After looking through some more pages, Emmy suddenly squealed. "Oh Alex! Here's our first WOW Day!"

The Doctor rose an eyebrow at them. "WOW Day?" he repeated.

"It's a big thing the school does every year after testing," Lacey explained. "It's kind of like an all-day carnival with food, games, movies in the auditorium, all sorts of stuff."

Alex looked over and laughed. "Oh look! Somebody caught a photo of me going up the rock wall after Ross dared me."

"Since when are you afraid of heights?" Rory asked.

"I've never been afraid of heights," Alex said defensively.

Emmy snickered. "She barely passed gym because she kept falling off the rock wall."

Alex glared at her. "I couldn't get a decent grip on those rocks! They were always so slick! Plus my spotter kept trying to trip me just so he could grab my ass."

There was one more photo of Alex in the yearbook, also at the carnival, standing next to Lacey, laughing, at the cotton candy booth. Alex still looked beautiful in a black t-shirt, tiny skull earrings, jean shorts, and black Converse sneakers. The Doctor studied the picture over Amy and Rory's shoulders as Alex and Lacey recounted a story on how they took some lemonade from WOW Day and spiked it with vodka. Alex was gorgeous in this photo, young and carefree, something he always liked seeing on her face.

Emmy's sophomore yearbook didn't contain many pictures of Alex. Her student yearbook photo showed her wearing a gray fisherman's sweater over a black t-shirt, her now recognizable large hoop earrings stuck in her ears. One photo showed her in a drama club production of _The Mousetrap_, where Alex revealed she played Mrs. Boyle and had to briefly replace the student director when the original one came down with food poisoning two weeks before the play opened. There was one final photo of her on the page before the sophomore student photos, showing her and Lacey sitting in the cafeteria, grinning into the camera. Lacey was in a tight red sweater and Alex had her hair in a ponytail, wearing a gray cardigan and a black blouse.

The junior year yearbook was packed with photos of Alex. Alex explained that since her guidance counselor had discouraged her from taking so many classes, she had a lot more free time. The drama club photos showed Alex in leading roles in _Arsenic and Old Lace_ and _A Moment in Time_. Alex's student photo showed her in a purple plaid shirt and her hair long and loose. Then, Amy flipped the page to the cheerleading team photos. In one large photo that dominated one page, Alex was doing a split in mid-air in front of a packed gymnasium.

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory all gawked at the photo. "You were a CHEERLEADER?!" they all cried, staring at Alex incredulously. Alex just didn't seem like the rah-rah, go-team type.

Lola nodded. "Yeah, that's the reaction we all had when she told us she tried out and got in."

Alex nodded, barely noticing their shock. "Yep!" she grinned. "Junior year. Apparently, the coach thought I had a really good high-kick and was really flexible. It was a lot of fun."

Lacey snorted. "Until Hillary joined the team."

Amy scoured the page. "Which one's Hillary?" she asked, looking at the large photo of all the cheerleaders together in front of a trophy case.

"Tall blonde standing in the back next to the coach," Alex guided her, a slight edge in her voice.

The group looked at Alex's self-proclaimed arch enemy. Hillary Westcott really was pretty, in that superficial, money-guided way. She had long blonde hair, china blue eyes, and her uniform only fell to mid-thigh instead of a few inches below low-thigh like the other cheerleaders due to two certain something's on her chest. Alex was standing on the other end of the row, smiling into the camera, one hand perched on her hip, her blue, white, and orange uniform fitting her in all the right places.

The Doctor studied Hillary. He had to admit, she was pretty, but it wasn't in that pure, lovely, inherited way Alex was. Hillary's appearance had been carefully manufactured. He knew this even without Lola informing them Hillary had gotten a nose job prior to the photo being taken and that Emmy suspected Hillary was a natural brunette. Hillary's look was fake and undeserving of her; Alex's was perfect in every way, nature having bent itself backwards in order to match her appearance perfectly to her personality.

There were a few more photos of Alex in her cheer uniform and then one on the WOW Day page, this one showing her clad in a floral sundress, ripped jeans, and sneakers, about to throw a ball at a dunk-tank. According to Alex, the woman in the dunk-tank was their vice principal, Mrs. Thurmond, who apparently loved Alex, at least in Lacey's opinion.

But the senior year yearbook contained the most photos of Alex out of all four. Alex seemed to be on almost every page, from a dabble in newspaper to her leading roles in the drama club productions of _Fools_, _Romeo and Juliet_, and a student-written play called _Fell From Heaven_, which according to Emmy, was about an angel that fell from Heaven, developed amnesia, and fell in love with a lawyer, played by Ross. All the while, the angel was unknowingly being looked for by two bumbling, comedic male angels who had finally gotten an assignment of importance. In the play, Alex had played the lead role of the angel, Hope. One photo showed her and Ross in a clingy embrace, two large feathery wings on Alex's back.

The Doctor felt a burn of jealousy rush through him as he stared at the page. While he knew Alex and Ross were playing characters in a play, he still couldn't extinguish the wish that he had been clutching her that tightly instead of Ross.

A two-page photo-spread following the Drama Club pages showed an event Alex named as Southern Spotlight, a type of talent show the seniors put on every year. One photo showed Emmy tap-dancing, another of Lacey singing (though Lacey couldn't even remember what she had sung now), one of Ross and Mike doing a type of vaudeville act, one of Alex in a flapper dress doing a skit with a group of people, and finally, one of her standing in front of a microphone, singing.

Amy looked at her, surprised. "I didn't know you sang."

Alex blushed. "I did it on a dare. I think everyone was just tired of hearing me hum Rascal Flatts songs under my breath."

"Not it!" Bree objected, coming up behind the Doctor with a pitcher of iced tea. "We all heard you singing a Blake Shelton song in the bathroom during rehearsal one day and agreed that everyone else should hear you."

The Doctor smirked at Alex. "Seems you did a lot of things on dares back then," he observed.

Alex blushed. "They all had a very negative influence on me back then."

Lacey rolled her eyes. "More like we annoyed you until we broke down your protective armor and agreed just to humor us."

"What'd you sing anyways?" Rory asked.

"Doesn't matter," Alex dismissed.

Amy pouted. "Oh come on Alex!" she pleaded.

"You wouldn't have heard of it anyways," Alex argued.

"ALEX!" Amy shrieked, desperate to know.

Alex sighed. "_You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man _by Loretta Lynn."

Sure enough, Amy and Rory's faces were blank. "Who?" they questioned.

Emmy stared at them. "Only the greatest female country singer to ever live!" she cried. Emmy was a devoted Loretta Lynn fan.

"Remind me to loan you two my iPod," Alex quipped, part joking and part serious.

Amy shrugged and turned the page. There weren't any more photos of Alex until they got to the graduation ones. There was a shot of Alex and Nat in black robes sitting on the school steps, displaying their diplomas for the camera. The senior awards page showed Alex and all the drama club members receiving plaques and another of Alex wearing a tight, short emerald green dress, holding a thick piece of paper as she smiled away at the camera. The caption under the photo read _Alexandria Locke received several awards, including this scholarship to Octavian University_. No one said anything about the photo, knowing how Octavian had turned out.

The superlatives page contained a few photos of Alex as well. She and Ross had been voted Most Popular and Ross's arm was slung over her shoulders, making the Doctor shift slightly. Alex had also won Most Intellectual along with some guy named Preston Max. Lacey volunteered that Preston was currently attending the University of Kentucky, intending to become a lawyer or judge. Finally, Alex had also won Most Likely to Succeed, something Alex privately thought ironic now. Her companion in that photo was a guy named Jason Isaacs, who Lola revealed was the son of a brain surgeon from Nashville.

Some of the other Bristol group people were on the superlatives page as well. Mike had been voted Class Clown along with a red-haired girl named Chelsea Earls. Emmy had been voted Most Athletic due to her all her roles in softball, girls' basketball, and brief stints in track and tennis along with a buff guy named Taylor Marks. Lacey had been voted Best Personality along with a guy named Logan Herrick's, who Alex revealed had been in drama club with her. Finally, Hillary Westcott was also on the page, having been selected for being the Best Dressed and Best Looking.

Lola shook her head at the latter photo. "I have no clue what the senior class was thinking that year."

Emmy shrugged. "They were probably pulled in by her designer clothes. That's an Alexander McQueen dress there, if I'm not mistaken. Personally, I voted Lacey."

Lacey looked pleased. "Thanks! I voted for me too!"

Alex snickered. "Conceited much?"

Lacey made a face at her. "Like you didn't vote for yourself in every category you were nominated in."

"I didn't select myself for Class Flirt." Alex rolled her eyes. "Never break up with the class president right before superlative nominations come out. He only did that to spite me."

Emmy nodded in agreement. "No kidding. If Bree wasn't vice president that year, you wouldn't have been nominated for anything at all."

The Doctor listened to the girls banter and then watched as Amy and Rory jumped into the conversation, sharing their own school experiences. Their conversation about yearbooks and clubs and breakups were as foreign to him as other emotions were to Cybermen and Daleks. School on Gallifrey had been very different than Earth schools. Yearbooks? Ha! That would have made the Time Lords laugh. If there had been superlatives in the Academy, he probably would have gotten Most Likely to Cause Trouble and General Chaos.

As Alex laughed at something Rory said, he thought about how different his companion's lives always were before he swooped in and swept them off their feet with the wonders of the universe. Rose had just been an average shop girl with no A-Levels or accomplishments to speak of, save for winning the bronze in a gymnastics competition. Martha had been a doctor-in-training from a rich family (the latter part she never told him; he just guessed it). Donna had been a simple temp, longing for adventure. Amy also longed for adventure, the spark ignited within her when he first crashed into her garden when she was only seven years old.

But Alex hadn't really longed for adventure. She didn't contain any of the other qualities of his past companions (though he guessed he could say that she was sort-of-rich even if she wasn't in control of her inheritance). She had been a beautiful, popular Southern girl who only wanted an education and had nearly succeeded at that dream. She was a girl who had extraordinary mental abilities and who could calm him down better than anyone else ever could. She was truly unique and special in his eyes.

And even though he promised himself not to get too attached to her, not to get too close to her, he knew he wanted to keep her around him for as long as possible.

A/N: More about Alex's past here! I had to add that part about her being a cheerleader, it seemed like a fun surprise and something you'd never expect from her. :) Sorry for the late update, but I was out on my birthday dinner. I'll try to update early tomorrow before my party. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I'm glad you and your sister like the story!

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Don't worry. This chapter shows just how good the Doctor is at pulling away from Alex...not very. :)

**rycbar15 **- Oh cool! I haven't seen that. I'll have to go and try to find it. And I'm glad you liked the Twenty Questions part. It is a cute chapter with just a little angst to keep everything from being too sweet. :)

**Gwilwillith **- We can only hope, can't we, lol.

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yeah, I remember hearing about amnesia pills or something like that being mentioned in a Torchwood episode, so it seemed like a good idea to bring them up here. Glad you liked Lacey's POV. Observant little thing, isn't she? And it is cute they fall asleep together! But then it got ruined with the Doctor scolding himself... :D

**The Ultimate Guest **- Glad you liked the Twenty Questions bit! I thought it was a good way for the two to get to know each-other more instead of Alex just randomly asking questions for no apparent reason.

Thank you to those who reviewed and to those who favored/followed this story. It means a lot! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	27. Bristol, KY Stop Part 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

At nine o'clock that night, everyone re-gathered at the diner. In the hours before the big break-in at the power plant, Alex and the Doctor had drove around Bristol, the two of them bickering and bantering in the front seat while Amy and Rory sweated off five pounds behind them in the back-seat. Poor Amy had looked like a wilted rose with her sweat-slicked hair and melted eyeliner before she changed into a pair of shorts and a strapless top.

At that time, Bristol had been pleasantly busy. A few cars passed them on the road, some clothing boutiques were having sidewalk sales, and plenty of young adults in shorts and sundresses waved at Alex or beeped their car horns at her as they passed, only drilling home the obvious to the TARDIS group; Alex had been and always would be immensely popular in Bristol.

But now, the sky was an inky black, streetlights flickering on. The diner was the only store on the whole street with lights on, the parking lot only containing a few cars. The idea was that too many cars driving to the power plant would attract attention. In the end, only Lacey, Ross, Mike, Emmy, Lola, and Bree were accompanying the Doctor, Alex, Amy, and Rory to the power plant. Brett had to work late at his job at the movie theater one town over, Nat had to have a mandatory dinner with her visiting aunt and Kenny, while tempted to come with them, was babysitting his younger sister while his parents were in the hospital visiting a sick relative.

After carefully reviewing the plan of getting into the power-plant, the diner lights were switched off and everyone filed out to the cars. Ross, Emmy, and Lola piled into Ross's car while Bree and Mike shared Mike's truck. Lacey, Alex, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were crammed into Lacey's Rabbit. It was so cramped in fact, that Amy was forced to sit on Rory's lap unless she wanted to be scrunched in between him and the Doctor in the backseat. Alex looked back more than once to see Amy's hand clutched in a death-grip on the car door as Lacey rapidly sped down country roads with no stoplights anywhere in sight.

They reached the power plant in less than twenty minutes, the others already there. Everyone was pleased to see that the lights in the plant were off except for a few security lights which the Doctor's sonic screwdriver quickly, and surreptitiously, took care of.

Alex crept up to the reception door and tried it. Surprisingly, it opened. "That's weird," she whispered to an equally surprised Doctor. "It's like…they were expecting us." She looked up at him worriedly. "You don't think they were expecting us, do you?"

The Doctor didn't answer her, which didn't reassure Alex much. Instead, he turned to look at the others. "Everyone, stay out here. No arguing," he hastily added, noticing Amy, Emmy, Bree, and Lacey all opening their mouths, about to object. "It's better this way. That way, there will be more eyes to keep a look-out." The group didn't look happy at being left out but reluctantly leaned against the cars and began quietly talking as they kept an eye on the long drive leading up to the plant.

The Doctor hooked an arm around Alex's back and led her into the plant. It was quiet, the sounds of machinery dimmed thanks to thick walls and doors. Once they were out of sight from the Bristol group, Alex asked "Okay, are we splitting up?"

The Doctor didn't really like that idea and that wasn't just because he was concerned for Alex's safety if he wasn't around to protect her. "I suppose," he said slowly as he took out the sonic screwdriver and began scanning it around the place. He frowned, looked at it, before putting it back up in the air. "That's weird," he murmured.

Alex arched an eyebrow. "What's weird?"

"There aren't any cameras here," the Doctor informed her.

Alex frowned. "Huh. You'd think they put some in the reception area."

The Doctor shook his head. "No Alex. There aren't any cameras in here or anywhere else in the whole plant. I scanned for them and nothing."

Alex's mind quickly began reviewing the possible reasons for this. Either Carslile was cheap (an option she hoped for) or something was going on in the plant, something that Carslile didn't want security companies seeing. Despite her hope, Alex knew that this last option was the most likely one.

"Okay," she said slowly, drawing the word out. "Maybe splitting up isn't such a good idea."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, already pressing the elevator button. As it dinged open, he said "I'll come with you to Carslile's office upstairs. Then we'll come back down here and look at that equipment."

A few minutes later, Alex was on her knees in front of an open filing cabinet in Carslile's office. The office was dark, thanks in part to the closed window curtains, but the Doctor's sonic screwdriver provided enough illumination for her to read.

"These files don't make any sense," Alex revealed. "All of the Social Security numbers are the same; 000-000-0001. And listen to these stupid names; Peter Parker? Diana Prince? They're the secret identities of Marvel superheroes!"

The Doctor nodded. "That confirms it then. They're aliens."

"And not very good at keeping a low profile," Alex snorted. "The stuff in these files scream _look at me! Look at me!_"

Alex placed the files back, now knowing they had obviously been fabricated, and crossed over to the Doctor, who was studying the solar system map on the wall. "Doctor? What's up?"

The Doctor pointed to the added planets on the map. "Ally, you see these planets?"

Alex nodded and frowned. "Yeah. You mentioned them yesterday. You don't actually think they were added on by an artist, do you?"

"No, I bet Carslile added them. Probably got a bit homesick and wanted a visual reminder."

With that said, the duo headed back downstairs to the mechanical part of the plant. Inside, machinery was still thrumming but there wasn't a worker in sight. As they walked through the rows of looming machinery, Alex whispered "Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't power plants supposed to have 24/7 workers?"

"Exactly," the Doctor whispered back. They were now standing so close to each-other, he could hear the rapid beating of her single heart. "This machinery is programmed to continue working even without maintenance. It's far beyond Earth technology for this time period."

"But what kind of aliens are here?"

"Why don't you just ask?" a voice came from behind them.

The Doctor and Alex whirled around, the Doctor automatically placing himself in front of Alex. The lights slowly flickered on, revealing Carslile and some of the power plant workers standing in front of them. The Doctor counted five workers accompanying Carslile, making it almost impossible for him and Alex to escape.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked, his voice low and almost calm if you didn't see the warning gleam in his eyes.

Carslile stepped towards them casually, as if he wasn't plotting on doing them any harm. Despite this, neither Alex nor the Doctor felt reassured. "We are the Lylon's, a proud and noble race."

The Doctor's face lit up in recognition. "Of course! No wonder the last planet on that map was Lycardia."

Carslile smiled a pure, villainous smile. "I knew instantly you were not from this world Doctor." He glanced behind him at Alex, who looked both scared and strong. "Your companion however, I'm not so sure. It doesn't seem as though the mind drug worked on her."

The Doctor frowned at him. "You leave her out of this," he warned.

"Yet she's already in it, isn't she?" Carslile challenged. "In order for our plan to succeed, we needed a powerful Earth family. And what better family than the famed G-Locke Publications Locke family?"

Alex stepped forward slightly. The Doctor grabbed her wrist loosely but firmly, ready to pull her back behind him at a moment's notice. "So, you used my family and my rightful money. This better be a nice, non-harmful plan you're plotting, because you're currently on dangerous ground as far as I'm concerned."

Carslile hardly seemed bothered by this. "Tell me Doctor, what do you know of Lycardia and the Lylon's?"

The Doctor seemed surprised by this turn of questioning but decided to go with it, if only to figure out what these aliens were up to. "Lycardia is in the Andreas Belt; a small galaxy filled with electricity-charged asteroids. Barely anything can survive in the Andreas Belt without being electrocuted at some point, but the Lylon's adapted, making electricity part of their life."

"Precisely!" Carslile looked pleased by this. He crossed over to a large metal drum attached to some wires and suddenly ripped a wire out. A visible spark of electricity burst in the air but Carslile, hardly bothered, easily grasped it within two fingers and placed it in his mouth. Alex was vaguely aware of her jaw dropping as she watched Carslile swallow what should have been lethal to him.

He frowned slightly. "Hmm, low charge. Oh well. Can't garner much electricity this time of night."

"You eat electricity?!" Alex cried, turning to the Doctor.

"Like I said, they've adapted. The Lylon's are the only beings in the universe that can successfully convert electricity into food."

"Precisely Doctor!" Carslile beamed like a proud parent.

Alex stared at them, her mind hastily working out everything that had been said and fitting them into a scenario with the unsaid details. "Oh, now I get it," she realized. Her voice sounded so much like the Doctor's whenever he figured something out, the Doc himself was taken aback. "Something happened to your planet and/or source of food. You needed to come somewhere where electricity's abundant, somewhere where people wouldn't really notice if some of it went missing because there was so much lying around."

"Oh, she's clever Doctor," Carslile remarked, although judging by the slight sneer on his face, it wasn't a good thing in his mind. He began to pace in front of them and the Doctor and Alex watched, muscles tensed, as he began to explain.

"After our planet was lost, we were forced to look for a new one. Not very many planets in the universe have such amazing electricity as Earth, so we decided to come here."

"Lost?" the Doctor repeated, focusing on that one part of Carslile's statement.

Carslile paused, suddenly looking sad and remorseful. "There were cracks," he said slowly as he began pacing around. "They were everywhere. There were few days where nobody reported new ones. They were threatening our species and our planet."

Unbeknownst to Carslile, behind him, the Doctor and Alex's eyes had widened and the Doctor's hand had moved from Alex's wrist to around her waist. Both remembered Rosanna's words about the mysterious cracks she and the Sisters of the Water had fled: _There were cracks. Some were tiny…some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people and through others we saw Silence…and the end of all things._

That could not be a coincidence.

"What did you see through the cracks?" Alex asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer.

If Carslile was surprised by this question, he didn't show it. Instead, he answered "Mostly Silence and the end of all things. There were a few that showed other worlds and times. Once we realized that the cracks would soon eat us up if we stayed, we went through one and landed here in the forest. The cracks snapped shut behind us and Lycardia was gone."

The Doctor carefully kept his emotions hidden but secretly, he was both terrified and curious. All of what Carslile had told them was exactly what Rosanna told them back in Venice. _What the hell are these cracks? And what is the Silence and why will it end all things?_

"Without Lycardia, our food source was gone," Carslile continued. "We soon realized we were on Earth, a planet filled to the brim with electricity, and we set up operation here."

The Doctor frowned. "Operation?"

"Our race is dying Doctor. For the past few months, we've been hoarding as much electricity as we can gather. Soon, in a matter of a few weeks, maybe even days, we'll have all of Earth's electricity."

The Doctor gaped at them. "You can't do that! Electricity is the most valuable resource on Earth! Without it, too many things cease to function, society collapses, dystopian and apocalyptic conditions occur…" He trailed off, not needing to go any further. Alex could easily see the possible future ahead and none of it was good.

Carslile glared at them. Alex shivered slightly; like the Doctor when he got mad, Carslile looked downright frightening whenever he was challenged. "You shouldn't even try to stop us Doctor. If you try, it will not be pretty."

The Doctor casually moved his hand across Alex's back, making her shiver under his touch. Once he reached her wrist, he slowly trailed down it, talking all the while. "Oh, but you see, there's nothing in this world that can stop me. You're forgetting that Earth is a Level 5 planet and I have no intention of seeing it sabotaged in any way."

Carslile and the workers threateningly stepped towards them. "Very well. Have it your way Doctor," Carslile sneered. "We'll just have to deal with you the regular way." At that moment, sparks began buzzing around the room, jumping towards the Lylon's. Instead of being shocked by it though, the current raced through their bodies before pooling out into their palms like magic in a sorcerer's hands.

"Well, in that case…" The Doctor quickly grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her along after him. "RUN!"

The two sprinted through the piles of machinery, the Doctor zigzagging every few turns so as to throw the Lylon's off. Alex yelped a little whenever an electrical spark flew out at her, just threatening to zap her into unconsciousness. The Doctor's grip on her grew tighter and she forced herself to go even faster so she could keep up with him, despite her legs burning and her lungs screaming for more air.

Sensing her failing energy rather than seeing it, the Doctor whirled around, picked Alex up by the waist and threw her over his shoulder before resuming his running. Alex gripped the back of his jacket so that she wouldn't flop around and watched as the Lylon's chased after them.

"They're getting closer!" she called as they ran through the hallway to reception.

"Thanks, never would've figured that out!" the Doctor said, placing her down so that they could run more easily to the glass doors.

Outside, the Bristol group seemed perfectly calm, silently confirming that Carslile and the rest of the Lylon's had already been inside the plant when they arrived. Bree and Mike were sharing a cigarette, which they immediately stomped out when they saw the Doctor and Alex racing out.

Amy and Rory immediately noticed the slightly terrified looks on their friend's faces. "Doctor?" Amy quizzed, her voice high as she waited for something bad to happen.

She didn't have long to wait. Just as the Doctor opened his mouth, the door burst open behind them, Carslile and the Lylon's stepping out to join them. The electricity was still buzzing in their hands and Alex was sure that everyone save her and the Doctor had their mouths hanging open in shock.

Despite how far they were from the machinery, the Lylon's were excellent at controlling and using electric power, for right at that moment, the buzzing, crackling balls of electricity in their hands grew until it was quickly being passed down the line towards Carslile. Carslile expertly grabbed it and threw it – right at the group.

Alex was right in front of the electric ball. As it got closer, she could feel her skin tingle and react to the charged ball. She felt frozen to the spot. She tried to move her legs but she couldn't. Her whole body was in shock. As she felt her hair start to stand on end, her only comforting thought about her predicament was that she would take the brunt of the blast, leaving everyone else to survive.

However, a split second before the ball could hit her, Alex found herself being shoved down hard to the ground. Alex gasped and groaned, this feeling all too familiar. Then, she remembered who had done it the last time she was in a situation like this; the Doctor.

Alex swiftly turned over just in time to see the electrical ball hit the Doctor chest-on. With a cry, he fell backwards, electricity sizzling and popping all over his body. Though he twitched a little for a moment, all too soon he was still. Dead still.

"DOCTOR!" Alex shrieked. She crawled over to him on her knees, ignoring the rocks digging into the palms of her hands. Once she was by his side, she placed her hands on each side of his face and shook him slightly before bending her head down to check his hearts. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the familiar, soothing thudding beneath her.

"Thank God, they're both working," she told an equally horrified Rory and Amy, who had at some point dove down next to the Doctor.

"Both?" Lacey questioned, pulling Alex back to the moment. "What the hell do you mean _both_?"

"Yeah, both of what?" Lola chimed in.

Alex looked up, about to answer, when she caught sight of the Lylon's. They were standing there, slightly shocked, but Alex could see the electricity buzzing at their fingertips. In a few short seconds, they'd overcome their shock and try to kill them again.

"Never mind that," Alex said, taking control. It's what the Doctor would've done after all, had he been conscious. "Just run!"

In a split second, everyone had jumped into their respective cars and without even being told to do so, Amy and Rory helped Alex get the Doctor into Lacey's car. Due to their hurrying, the Doctor was lying slanted on the backseat. Amy jumped onto the floor and Rory leaped into the passenger seat. Alex only had enough time to jump onto the Doctor before Lacey rapidly sped off down the road.

The Doctor was jarred awake when Lacey hit a speed-bump. He glanced up, seeing the night sky whizzing above his head and…Alex. Her legs were locked around his, essentially straddling him, and she was leaning forward, hands clutching his tweed jacket so she could keep her balance as Lacey swerved around sharp curves. He ignored the sharp crease in adrenaline in his system and instead concentrated on what had happened in the time he had been unconscious.

"Ally, what happened?" he shouted over the roar of wind and skidding of tires on the road.

"The Lylon's tried to throw a huge ball of electricity at me but you stepped in front of me and took the blast!" Alex cried.

"What the hell are those people anyway?" Lacey screamed from the front seat. The car suddenly rounded a corner, nearly launching Alex into the air but the Doctor immediately tugged her down and wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her on top of him.

Alex's face was pressed into the crook of his neck and from this close contact, she could smell his shampoo and thick, musky cologne. God, she really needed to find that cologne and keep some of it in her room. _Focus Alexandria!_

She leaned in close to the Doctor's ear so that they wouldn't need to shout anymore. "Why would you do that?" she asked, her voice soft.

The Doctor knew she was referring to the bomb blast and he shrugged. "How could I let it hit you?" he asked. And it was true. If that electric ball had hit Alex, it would've killed her instantly and God only knew what he would've done if that had happened. He might've snapped completely and strangled each and every one of the Lylon's with his bare hands.

Alex smiled, her lips inadvertently touching the Doctor's ear. He swallowed a moan and tried to ignore the new rush of heat and desire that was running through his veins. His attempts at trying to distance himself from Alex weren't working and pretty much futile. Alex was like a sweet drug he had to have. Once he had a taste of her, he was craving more.

In an effort to distract his thoughts away from Alex, he looked up at the night sky, stars whizzing by as the Rabbit picked up speed. "Where are we even going?" he called.

Alex shifted slightly to where her head was raised above the seat. She instantly recognized the large, overgrown hydrangea bushes they were passing and in the distance, she could vaguely see the rise of some buildings. "We're heading near the high-school!" she revealed.

Lacey, hearing her, called out "It's pretty far from the plant! The others are just ahead of us and that's where they're going!"

Two minutes later, Lacey was pulling into Southern Bristol High School's parking lot. Alex recognized the many cracks in the concrete and was overcome with a slight thrill upon seeing the large round portico in the front of the school, ivy snaking up the sides of the columns. At this time of night, there were no cars in the parking lot, save the night janitor's, Mr. Wilkins. However, Alex knew Mr. Wilkins wouldn't be of much help to them; he was currently drinking a beer and watching a baseball game at the Red Rose Roadhouse two blocks over.

Ross's car was parked helter-skelter across two parking spaces while Mike's truck had burned tire tracks onto the pavement. Alex carefully hopped out of the car and watched as Emmy and Lola scrambled out of Ross's car. Lola looked on the verge of tears and Alex mentally scolded herself for allowing the sixteen-year-old to accompany them on such a dangerous trip.

"Okay!" Bree screeched as she was assisted out of the truck by Mike. She crossed over to Alex and narrowed her eyes at her in a poor attempt to intimidate her. "What the hell was that?!"

"They threw a freaking ball of lightning at you!" Mike cried.

"Electricity," the Doctor corrected him as he clambered out of the Rabbit. "It was a ball of electricity."

Emmy simply stared at him. "Who cares what it was?!" she protested. "The point is, they tried to kill Alex!"

"More like all of us," the Doctor corrected again. "Alex was just in the way."

Lacey looked at Alex carefully. All this time, Lacey had suspected that Alex wasn't exactly being truthful about her and the Doctor and Lacey had an inkling on what she could be hiding. "All that electricity would've killed you had it hit you," she mused slowly. She then turned to look at the Doctor. "But it hit you and it didn't." Lacey narrowed her eyes and the Doctor felt like she was actually inside him, searching for the truth in a maze of deception and centuries-long guilt.

"And what was that about _both working_?" Lola questioned, looking at the Doctor through red-rimmed eyes.

But before the Doctor could answer, a familiar voice called out "Why on earth are ya'll out here at this time of night?"

Everyone whirled around to see Marigold's car loitering at the curb. Her head was stretched out the window, eyeing them all curiously. Before any of them knew it, Marigold had switched off the ignition and was walking towards them, her heels clicking on the pavement.

"Auntie, what are you doing here?" Lacey asked.

"I had to run and see your cousin Delilah. You remember she's in the hospital for appendicitis? Apparently, she's been creating a ruckus up there with her being a hypochondriac and all so I had to go and straighten everything out. I was on my way back to the house when I noticed all the cars parked here."

Alex sucked in a breath. Oh God, how was she going to explain this one? As far as she knew, Marigold didn't believe in aliens!

"Well, what happened at the plant?" Marigold asked expectantly.

"Other than those maniacs nearly killing the Doctor and Alex?" Mike rhetorically asked.

Marigold's eyes widened and she sent a sharp look towards the Doctor and Alex. "WHAT?!" she screeched as everybody winced. She whirled around sharply to look at the Doctor. "What the hell did you drag her into?!"

The Doctor was about to respond – even though he couldn't think of a damn thing to tell Marigold that wouldn't end with him getting slapped – when there was a sudden pinging noise. The group watched as all around them, the streetlights began going out, each bulb exploding and plunging a section of sidewalk into darkness.

"What's happening?" Rory demanded.

"The Lylon's have increased their power," the Doctor explained, eyes worriedly fixed on the darkening streetlights. "They can now make individual bulbs go out as they suck in electricity."

"Isn't there a way to stop them?" Alex asked. She hurriedly thought for a possible solution. "Like um, generators or something?"

"Generators…" the Doctor mused, thinking it over for a second when his face suddenly lit up into a grin. "Generators!" He whirled around and planted a kiss on Alex's forehead. "Ally, you're brilliant! All I need is some backup generators and those Lylon's won't know what hit them!" He looked around, as if expecting a bunch of generators to suddenly fall from the sky. "Where are some backup generators?" he asked.

"Right here at the high school," Lacey answered, deciding it was in everyone's best interest to temporarily abandon the subject of the Doctor's mysterious survival from the Lylon attack and instead focus on the matter at hand.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor cried again before making a mad dash towards the front doors. Taking the steps up to the portico two at a time, he was already at the doors as the rest of the group, Marigold now included, caught up with him.

Alex darted to his side and watched, bemused, as the Doctor pushed against the doors. "Locked," he muttered, one hand already fishing in his jacket pocket for the sonic screwdriver. "I'll just-,"

"_Move, _Doc," Alex interrupted, pushing him to the side with her hip. Having captured his full attention, she made a big show of cracking her knuckles and flexing her palms before calmly reaching out and _pulling _the door open.

She smirked and bit back a laugh at the Doctor's flabbergasted expression. "It's a high school Doctor, not Fort Knox." With that said, Alex sashayed into the high school.

The first room the group encountered was the large foyer that had been added on when Alex was in eighth grade. The glass ceiling stretched high up above them, allowing the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia to shine down on the tiled floor. Across the room you could see the main office, separated from the foyer by a sheet of glass.

"Where are the generators located?" the Doctor asked.

"Basement," Emmy quickly replied. "Come on, it's right off the math hallway."

As they went through a set of double doors leading further into the dark school, Alex eyed Emmy critically. "How do you know where the generators are?" she asked. "Most people don't even know the school has generators, let alone a basement."

Emmy shifted uncomfortably. "Let's just say that me and some friends of mine got to know that basement very well." There were a few grossed out looks at this and Alex caught Marigold swallowing hardly.

The school hallway still had the familiar scent of Germ-X, pine-scented floor cleaner, and mystery meat. The group passed several locked doors ranging from the guidance office to a computer lab to several math classes. Finally, they reached the end of the hallway and Emmy ducked around a corner. The group followed her to where she was standing in front of an inconspicuous looking gray door, crammed between a glassed up fire extinguisher and a series of lockers.

The Doctor soniced the door open, ignoring the looks of shock and mutterings of awe as he did so. Pushing the door open, he paused a moment before quickly rushing down the steps.

Alex and the others hastily followed him and the group soon found themselves in the giant basement. The walls and floors were made of concrete and a large abundance of machinery was spread out all along one wall. Filing cabinets and boxes made up the rest of the area. Curious, Alex inched open a water-stained box to discover a bunch of anatomy books from 1999. Emmy opened another box to reveal a bunch of old tennis team trophies from the 1980s while Ross and Mike discovered a bunch of old, broken desks behind a stack of boxes labeled FENCING EQUIPMENT.

Lacey stared at the aforementioned boxes. "We don't have a fencing team," she pointed out.

"There used to be one, back in the 80s," Marigold explained. She smiled sheepishly. "I should know. I was team captain."

"Oi!" the Doctor called from where he was scanning the machinery with his screwdriver. "You lot, you can reminisce later! Ally, I need you!"

Alex darted to his side and gazed over his shoulder at the generators. "Okay, what do you need?" she asked, ready to do business.

"I can use the generators to connect to the electric grid the power plant is using," the Doctor explained as he maneuvered her to stand by a certain piece of machinery.

"And then you can hack in and release all the horded up electricity?" Alex guessed.

"Exactly!" the Doctor confirmed, beaming at her. "Now, make sure that lever stays in position."

Alex watched as the Doctor darted around, fiddling and scanning and messing with the generator as though it was second-nature to him. He was completely in his element, working with advanced equipment as a serious situation pressed down on his shoulders. She felt a strange sense of being proud of him flow up in her and she found herself smiling slightly. Why was she feeling this way?

Marigold studied Alex. She had known Alex for thirteen years, ever since the day she brought Alex home with her and Lacey on the second day of kindergarten when Carla had forgotten to pick her granddaughter up. Back then, Alex had been a quiet, determined child. Now, Marigold could see a noticeable change in her. She couldn't name what it was, only that the Alex she knew didn't mesh with the one currently standing before her. And even though she couldn't name what the change was, she did know who had caused it; the strange doctor in the bowtie that was currently running around the generator like it was his job.

Marigold stepped up to the Doctor, her high heels making an ominous clicking noise on the concrete floor. She took in his floppy dark brown hair, dark green eyes, and slim but muscular physique before opening her mouth. "Who are you Doctor?"

The Doctor didn't even turn around. "What do you mean? I'm the Doctor," he said distractedly as he ran the sonic over the generator before darting to the other side.

Marigold followed him. "Just that, who are you? Because I scarcely believe you're a professor from Cambridge, not with all the things I've seen you do in the last ten minutes."

"Does it really matter?" the Doctor asked, ripping open a panel and beginning to rearrange some wires.

Marigold gawked at him. "Does it matter?" she repeated, her voice shrill. "Of course it matters when the girl who I practically consider my daughter is involved with you!"

"Alex is fine," the Doctor argued as he placed a red wire into where a green one had been.

"It's true, I am!" Alex called out as she – and the others – could easily hear the conversation.

Marigold ignored her. "Ever since you and she arrived, Alex has been in the craziest situations that shouldn't even be possible. I thought I heard Bree mention something about her nearly being poisoned when I went to the diner this afternoon, but I thought it was just tall-tales and rumor so I ignored it. But then, I hear this talk about you nearly getting her killed by some psychopaths!"

The Doctor jammed a blue wire into a socket and barely winced as a spark blew up in his face. "You think I would willingly bring Alex into danger?" he questioned, his voice trying to be light but failing.

Marigold crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You tell me," she challenged, her sapphire eyes piercing into him. "Who are you really? You seem to be the type that constantly gets into danger, maybe even goes looking for it. Do you really care about Alex enough to keep her safe? Even leave her alone if it would benefit her?"

"Marigold!" Alex objected.

A chord snapped inside the Doctor. He lifted his head up to meet Marigold's eyes. Marigold was struck by the bitterness and self-hate she saw in them. Whoever the Doctor was, he was carrying around a burden that was bigger than any other man carried – more than what a man should carry. "Do you really think I want harm to come to Alex?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Doctor," Alex said softly. She was a little afraid to speak any louder. In that moment, she could see the man who had killed his entire race, even if it was for the better good.

Marigold, of course, knew none of this but she could see the darkness deep inside the Doctor, just waiting for a chance to come out, take control of its owner, and wreak havoc. "No," she answered, her voice surprisingly even. "But that doesn't explain who you really are and why all this madness seems to circle you."

The Doctor stood there. Alex wasn't sure if he was going to answer that or not. However, she would never know what he would've done in that moment for right then, the generators died. Above them, the flimsy fluorescent lights went out in a flash. Alex stiffened, frozen to the spot as she heard a bunch of cries and curses ring out around her. Then, an arm wrapped around her waist and a small green glow appeared in front of her face; the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor wasn't exactly sure how he had found Alex in the dark without his sonic; he seemed to have been naturally drawn to her, like a lion to its prey. _Bad analogy,_ he thought, _although…NO!_ He mentally slapped himself for the interesting scenarios his mind had come up with based on that analogy. He had to keep himself in line. God knew how many times Alex would slap him if she ever found out about Scenario #5.

"What happened?" Mike's voice rang out from a distant direction.

"The lights are out!" Marigold proclaimed.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," the Doctor muttered.

"Don't be rude!" Alex hissed in his ear, making him shiver slightly. He really needed to have a talk with her about doing that. His self-control was already dangling by a thread and he didn't know how much longer he could go before the thread snapped completely.

_Focus you bloody idiot!_ He snapped to himself. "Right!" he cried. He pulled Alex along with him as he went to each and every one of the generators, scanning them with his sonic screwdriver. His face fell and he was almost grateful for the darkness. "Oh," he said, lowering the sonic.

"What is it?" Alex asked worriedly. Though she couldn't see him, she could tell his face was tense and worried. Whatever he had learned, it wasn't anything good.

The Doctor took a deep breath before beginning. "The Lylon's have initiated a power suck. It's just what it says on the tin; they've sucked in all sources of power from all around the world – electric, nuclear, etc. – to the power plant."

"Can a power plant even handle that much power?" Rory asked.

"Probably not," the Doctor answered. "But the Lylon's have made electricity part of their every-day life. All that electricity? It'll be just like it was on Lycardia. Nothing they can't handle."

"But isn't there something you can do?" Amy asked.

The Doctor thought about it for a moment. There was _something_ he could do but it was really dangerous and possibly deadly. Actually, death was pretty much guaranteed. But he needed to do something! Nothing good would happen if the Lylon's fulfilled their plan. "Actually," he said slowly, drawing the word out, "there is something."

Alex looked at him impatiently. "Well, what is it?" she cried.

The Doctor smiled down at her. Oh God, he was going to miss her if he didn't survive what he was about to do. "I can't shut the power suck off from here. There's just no way. The controls are at the power plant. I can go there and shut the power suck off and release all the electricity."

"Brilliant!" Alex exclaimed, but there was a slight twinge somewhere inside her. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but she just knew that there was a downside to this otherwise brilliant plan. "Now what's the bad part?"

_Oh, she's so good,_ the Doctor thought. "The bad part, as you put it Ally, is that a power suck is a really dangerous thing to be dealing with. It's a very temperamental thing. When you release the electricity, as it leaves the systems, the wiring and controls become overloaded, causing…" He trailed off, not wanting to say the word but nothing got past Alexandria Locke.

"Explosion?" she finished, her voice bitter and fearful.

"But you'll get blown to pieces!" Emmy objected. Alex winced at the wording.

"It's only a possibility," the Doctor assured them, but Alex knew that it was one hundred percent likely that the Doctor would die in his attempts. She couldn't allow it. She _wouldn't _allowit.

"Doctor, I'm coming with you!" she declared, setting her face in a stubborn glare to ward off any attempts by the Doctor to get her to change her mind.

In an instant, everyone was arguing against her. "Alex, are you crazy?" Ross cried.

"Alex, you can't die!" Lola wept and Alex mentally berated herself once again for allowing the young teen to be around such mayhem and destruction.

"Alexandria Nicole Locke, if you think for one second I'm letting you leave this room to follow that man to your grave, you're sorely mistaken!" That was Marigold's voice, towering over the other, seemingly helpless and futile, pleas.

The Doctor remained silent. He had known Alex long enough by now to know that arguing with her didn't get you anywhere. He sighed deeply. "Very well Ally," he allotted. "I don't suppose I can stop you."

"DOCTOR!" Amy, Rory, and Marigold roared.

Alex however, didn't hear them. "Thanks Doc," she smiled, eyes sparkling. Somehow, the Doctor could still see them in the thick darkness.

"Doctor, do you know what you're-," Amy began but the Doctor cut her off.

"Ally, come on!" he cried, lighting up his sonic screwdriver. Just distantly, he could see the steps and the door. "We don't have much time! I'd like to get to the plant before they suck out all the lights in Belgium. Funny place Belgium. Never cared much for it."

The Doctor dragged Alex along behind him and they took the stairs two at a time. They ran down the hallways until the Doctor abruptly came to a stop, Alex nearly plowing into his back.

"Doctor, what the hell?" she cried, pressing a hand to the cool cinderblock wall in an effort to regain her balance.

The Doctor turned around and looked at her seriously. "Alex," he said in a voice that Alex instantly knew she shouldn't challenge, "at the power plant, there's going to be a ton of wires. Now, the Lylon's are extremely adapt at electrical technology and they make their wires harder than steel. The sonic can't do much with them so we need something else."

Alex nodded. "What do we need? Bolt cutters?"

"Those should work," the Doctor agreed. He glanced over and noticed a janitorial closet behind Alex. Unlocking the door with his sonic, he quickly ushered her inside. "Ally, look for some bolt cutters!" he instructed, placing one hand on the door knob.

"Okay," Alex agreed. She paused a moment to allow her eyes to get used to the large dark space before venturing further. The janitorial closet was crowded with CAUTION – WET signs, mops, brooms, and several bottles of floor cleaner. It could take a while to find something as simple as bolt cutters in here. "Hang on a sec though. There's a ton of stuff in here."

The Doctor twirled the sonic in one hand. "Take your time," he said in what he hoped was a casual voice. Ever so slowly so that Alex wouldn't notice, he started inching the door closed.

As he did this, Alex was already digging through a red toolbox she had found in a back corner. "I don't see anything," she began, not even noticing the fading light as the door closed, too concentrated on her own task. "Oh, wait – aha!" she cheered, lifting out a pair of bolt cutters. But right before she could turn around to hand them off to the Doctor, she heard the distinct sound of the door slamming closed.

She whirled around. The door was shut. Just then, she heard the sonic whirring outside and the knob jiggling. Oh no. He wouldn't. Within an instant, Alex had dropped the bolt cutters and was across the room, banging on the door and rattling the stubborn knob. "Doctor!" she cried out. "Doctor, let me out!"

On the other side, the Doctor leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, which were already watering with tears. He refused to let them fall though. He had been refusing himself the privilege of having a good cry for a long time now. He really didn't want to do this to her. Alex was so, so perfect and she didn't deserve to be locked up in a closet. He listened with hurt hearts as Alex continued to pound against the door. It was a miracle she hadn't broken it off its hinges yet.

Of course, this had to be done. It was way too dangerous for Alex to accompany him. While he admired her bravery, her reckless sense for taking on trouble was a trait he could've done without. If Alex went along with him and she died, he'd never forgive himself. Marigold wouldn't even have to set about killing him; he'd do it for her. He cared for Alex too much to allow harm to come to her. It was this thought that was making him do this.

So, with heavy hearts and watering eyes, the Doctor swiftly turned and rushed down the hall, heading towards a plausible suicide mission, trying to block Alex's protests from his ears.

A/N: So we now know what the aliens are and what they're planning on doing. Will the Doctor stop them? Will Alex get out of the janitorial closet? Stay tuned!

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopherroxursox** - I promise you, I put that Clara thing in long before Clara the Companion was announced. Can't say the same about Ross though... :)

**calicat197 **- Thank you! I wish more stories would update daily. :)

**rycbar15** - Still haven't looked at the Ally thing, but I promise I will! Hope you like the Lylon's! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- I was hoping people would have that reaction! The cheerleader thing popped in my head as I writing and I thought 'Why not?' And thanks for the birthday wishes!

**TheUltimateGuest **- Glad you liked the yearbook bit! I think a yearbook says a lot about you and, in this case, those yearbooks certainly told a lot about Alex. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass** - I'm so glad you like Ally! I'm trying hard not to make her a Mary-Sue, giving her good qualities (intelligence and loyalty) and some bad qualities (easily jealous, slight lack of tact). And don't worry; she had a genius moment in this chapter by figuring out what the Lylon's are up to. :)

**evilpinklollipop** - SO glad you love this story! I can't tell you how much that means to me!

Thank you to all those that reviewed and to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	28. Bristol, KY Stop Part 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

After almost five minutes of banging on the door and general screaming, Alex finally sunk down against the door. Her throat was hoarse from shouting and protesting and her knuckles were red from all the knocking and pounding she had done. She panted heavily and pressed her head back against the cool metal surface.

She knew why the Doctor had locked her in here. He wanted to keep her safe. She could understand that, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. For God's sakes, the guy couldn't decide whether he should treat her as an equal or like some fragile, porcelain doll that could only be looked at and admired, not played with. Well, Alex Locke was not a fragile doll and she was going to prove that to the Doctor. Right after she got out of here and slapped the hell out of him for tricking her into a closet and locking her in.

_You should've seen it coming though,_ Alex reminded herself. She was usually smarter than to fall for that, or at least that's how she always thought herself.

Alex had just about decided to get up and try again when she heard a bunch of chatter from outside. "I'll SHOOT that man if so much as a hair goes out of place on Alex's head!" That was from a loud Southern voice, a voice that was normally as genteel as sweet tea. Marigold.

"The Doctor would keep her safe," a male English voice hastened to assure her. Rory.

"Oh, you can promise that can you?!" Marigold snapped.

"Auntie, chill!" Lacey scolded.

"Trust us, the Doctor's number one priority would be to keep Alex out of harm's way," Amy tried but Alex knew that it would take the Jaws of Life to convince Marigold of anything otherwise.

Alex hastily stood up and began pounding on the door again, ignoring the screams of protest coming from her knuckles. "Amy! Rory! Marigold! Get me out! He locked me in! The bastard locked me in here!"

There was a sudden skidding on the tiled floors and Alex stepped back and watched the knob jiggle rapidly. "Damn!" Rory muttered. "I bet he soniced it."

"Where would the keys be?" Amy wondered.

"With the night janitor but no one's here," Lacey said dejectedly.

There was a short silence when Rory suddenly proclaimed "Hold on! Alex, stand back away from the door!" Alex heard footsteps backing up and, suddenly realizing what Rory planned to do, hurried and flattened herself against the wall in the far corner.

"Rory," she heard Amy say slowly, "what are you-?" But her question was cut short as without warning, the closet door banged open, one of the hinges coming undone. Alex gawked for a moment at Rory, who had somehow managed to force the door open and was now clutching his shoulder as he gritted his teeth.

"That looks so much easier in Jackie Chan movies," he muttered.

Alex raced up to him. "Rory, thank you!" she squealed, lightly hugging him on the side where he wasn't injured before heading outside. Out in the hall, Amy was staring at her fiancé, her jaw hanging open, looking like she had just seen a wooly mammoth on a tricycle or something. Marigold and Lacey were standing next to her, both of them not looking as impressed as Amy did.

Marigold reached out and grabbed Alex's arm. "Forget it young lady," she said as she pulled Alex over to her. "I know what you're thinking and the answer is no."

_Well, I didn't ask for permission and you are not my mother,_ Alex childishly thought but she knew better than to say such a thing. Instead, she tried something different. "Marigold, with all due respect, that really isn't your decision to make."

Marigold's eyes darkened. "To hell it is!" she cried and Lacey flinched. "I'm not letting you go off on a suicide mission with some man who I, and you, barely know!"

Alex felt her anger slowly rising to the surface. She closed her eyes in an effort to try and suppress it. "Marigold," she began slowly but Marigold wasn't having it.

"Alexandria! What do you really know about this man? You've known him for a little longer than I have but in the short amount of time I've known him, I've managed to notice a few things." Marigold began ticking items off her finger, her eyes casting a sour look up at the ceiling. "He likes danger, he seems to go looking for it, he won't hesitate to get involved in that danger, and he also has some very strange attachment to you."

This last part seemed, at least to Marigold, the strangest and weirdest. She had met all the guys Alex had dated since eighth grade and she could easily see that the Doctor wasn't like any of them. All those guys loved Alex but they didn't try to keep her close to them 24/7. If they did, Alex tended to tell them to knock it off or dump them. But with the Doctor, she was different. He kept her close and she didn't object. In fact, she seemed to thrive on it.

Alex gritted her teeth and breathed deeply. How could she possibly explain that she liked the Doctor regardless of those things? How she loved when he wrapped an arm around her waist protectively and how he wouldn't let anything harm her? She couldn't think of any accurate words to describe any of it.

Marigold, now finished with her tirade, watched her carefully. Alex seemed to be thinking something over desperately. She had seen Alex think something over before, but never like this. It was both disturbing and amazing.

Alex swallowed thickly and opened her eyes, exposing circles of copper covered with a fine layer of water. It struck a chord in Marigold; she had never seen Alex about to cry over a guy before. In the past, Alex had usually been happy to be rid of a guy.

"I know I probably can't make you understand," Alex said, her voice wavering slightly and bordering on hysteria, "but I'm going to try. Before I met the Doctor, my life had been this boring monotony of academics, try and get into college, work, eat, fight with Carla, sleep, and repeat. Now, I'm doing something so different, so crazy, something I never would've seen myself doing a few years ago.

"I've been told I seem different now. According to Lacey and Amy, it isn't a bad different. It's a good different, one that suits me." Alex shrugged at the questioning look on Marigold's face. "Yeah, I don't really get it either. But I do feel different. Not in one of those bad, depressed ways but in this really good, happy, fulfilling way." Alex then let out a surprising, almost crazy laugh. "For the first time in a _really _long time, I'm happy. Really and truly happy."

There was a long silence as everyone watched Marigold sort through Alex's words. All of what she had said was true. Marigold knew that Alex had been happy at several points in her life – her sixteenth birthday, homecoming, landing her first major role in a play – stuff like that. But all throughout her life, there had been an underlying sadness to Alex. Marigold had attributed it to losing her parents at such a young age and having to grow up with a less than ideal guardian but maybe Alex hadn't been really satisfied with her life. Maybe what she needed was a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging that even academics couldn't give her.

Could the Doctor give her that? Marigold wasn't sure but it certainly sounded like Alex had changed for the better because of him. It was true; Marigold could now see the change she had noticed before. Alex was much more open, more relaxed, and much, much happier than Marigold had ever seen before. And it was all because one person had just happened to encounter her; the Doctor. It was hard to believe one man could make that much of an impact, but here were its results and Marigold would be damned if she would let all those results disappear.

Gently, so gently that Alex almost didn't even realize it was happening, Marigold released her arm. She placed her arms down and wrung her hands together, fiddling with a large ruby ring on her left middle finger. "You're right," she breathed.

Alex blinked. _Did she really say what I thought she said?_

"The Doctor can't handle a power suck or whatever it is by himself. You need to go and help him." Marigold sucked in a breath, feeling a deep painful ache settle somewhere close to her heart. "And you need to go now."

Alex grinned. "Thank you!" she cried, jumping up and planting a light kiss on Marigold's cheek.

Marigold blinked her eyes rapidly to keep the tears from falling. "Promise me you'll come back Alexandria."

Alex couldn't guarantee this but she knew that Marigold just needed to hear a verbal confirmation. "I'll see you soon," she said instead before hurrying off, knowing if she looked back, the small piece of doubt and questioning would overtake her and make her change her mind.

Amy watched her best friend race out the doors to a certain death before turning to look at Marigold. The woman seemed frail now as she leaned against a bulletin board, Lacey supporting her on the other side. Anyone could tell that she truly cared for Alex and that the past hour had been extremely difficult for her.

"Dear God in heaven, please keep that girl and boy safe," Marigold murmured, fingering a light gold cross around her neck.

Amy and Rory looked at each-other, both of them thinking the very same thing.

* * *

It occurred to Alex about ten minutes into her run to the power plant that she should've borrowed Lacey's car keys. _Oh well, _she thought as she ran down a side street shortcut, _the exercise will do me good._

Without a car, it took Alex almost twenty minutes to reach the plant. Every few seconds, she found herself gazing above the tree-tops, watching for an explosion that would turn a certain Time Lord into confetti. Thankfully, none ever came and the plant seemed very much the same as when they had first come just an hour ago. Alex bent down and rested her hands on her knees, taking deep gulping breaths. Gazing around, she did notice one difference though; the power lines running to the plant were buzzing with electricity, little electrical sparks jumping up every few seconds.

Gritting her teeth, Alex ran into the plant, her shoes skidding and squeaking on the tiled floor. She needed to find the Doctor and fast.

Though she wasn't sure where to go to shut down a power suck, Alex trusted her strange physical connection with the Doctor to lead her to him. Sure enough, she felt the adrenaline rushing through her system as she ran towards the main part of the plant which could mean only one thing…

Alex pushed open the door and ran through what felt like a maze of machinery before she finally came across him. She could've wept in relief as she saw that familiar tweed jacket and mess of dark brown hair. Instead, she watched attentively as the Doctor crouched down on his knees, running the sonic over a large metal box on the floor. A panel from the box had been removed, exposing a large mess of wires and other gadgets. Alex could see the Doctor was struggling with shutting the power suck off, as evidenced by the way he ran his hands through his hair, swore loudly in a strange alien language, and just looked defeated in general. Knowing there was no time to waste, she ran over to him.

The Doctor jumped and looked over at her in shock as she knelt down next to him. "Alex-," he started but then he seemed to think better of it and shook his head. "Oh, never mind! Here, hold these two wires."

Alex dutifully took the wires and watched as the Doctor ran the sonic over them. His dark green eyes looked panicked and in control all at once, a combination Alex's eleventh grade English teacher would've described as paradoxical. "What's going on with the power suck?" she asked.

"The Lylon's are really good at adapting electrical wires and things for their own means," the Doctor explained, not even looking up. "Earth tech? No problem for a Lylon. The power suck can only go through Lylon tech and it's meant to do its job."

"Can't you stop it?"

"I'm trying." The Doctor messed around with the wires for a few moments before plunging his hand into the box. "Ally, when I say 'now', I need you to put that blue wire in the place where the red wire is right now."

Alex nodded and readied the blue wire. "Okay."

The Doctor looked at her seriously, even though there really wasn't any need, as Alex was fully aware of the gravity of the situation. "You'll have less than five seconds to get it in. I can't help you because I need to-,"

"Doctor!" Alex cried. She matched his serious gaze and stared into his eyes. "I got it. You can trust me."

The Doctor let out a little sigh. "I already trust you Ally," he said softly. Then, in a blink of an eye, the sweet moment was gone and the Doctor's fingers were wrapped around the red wire. "Now!" he exclaimed, pulling out the red wire.

Alex acted fast and jammed the blue wire into the socket with two seconds to spare. She let out a little cheer at this but was quickly silenced as she saw a huge electrical ball appear from the tip of the wire before disappearing, presumably running through the current in the box.

The Doctor got up and pulled Alex to her feet. "Come on!" he cried, grabbing her hand and pulling her along after him.

"What did we just do?" Alex demanded as they ducked and dodged several wires, each of them buzzing with electricity balls.

The Doctor grinned. "What do you think? We just stopped the power suck!"

Alex was about to ask how but thought better of it. It'd probably be too technical for her anyways. Instead, she allowed the Doctor to move her faster through the plant. Every time they turned, it seemed that a wire behind them suddenly exploded. Alex, despite her best attempts, jumped every time this happened.

"What's going on with the wires?" she asked after the eighth one they passed exploded.

"Despite their great power, not even Lylon circuits can handle the huge flux of power currently going out." The Doctor pushed Alex ahead of him, urging her to keep going. "If we don't get out of here in," he paused to look at his watch, "three minutes, this plant will blow up with us in it."

Alex nodded. "Got it," she said as they ran around a sharp corner. "Three minutes or turn into confetti. Got it, got it, got it."

Maybe the Doctor was rubbing off on her a little more than she was willing to admit.

It seemed to the duo that the plant had somehow increased in size for as they ran through mazes of wires and corridors, they didn't seem to get any closer to a door. Finally, they reached the door leading to the main part of the plant. Barely losing momentum, the two slammed the door open and ran even harder.

At that moment, the Doctor noticed a doorway that he hadn't taken notice of on previous ventures into the plant. He tugged on Alex's arm and pulled her back toward him before walking into the room.

Gathered around in the tiny room were a few hundred people. They were hunched around the walls and corners, packed together like sardines in a container. Littered about the floor were packs of stage makeup, brushes, and makeup wipes. The Doctor was confused for a moment until he saw that the Lylon's skin was actually a gray metallic color, a color totally unnatural to humans. Standing in the center of the packed room was Carslile, his silver skin covered with a thin sheen of sweat. The Doctor carefully approached him, keeping Alex behind him.

"What are you lot doing here?" the Doctor demanded. "You should have escaped by now."

Carslile glared at him. "Your interference has caused us our death Doctor."

"Oh please," the Doctor exclaimed, "you can leave! You need to leave or you all will explode!"

"We cannot survive with primitive electricity," Carslile retorted. "If we leave now, we will die out in a few months. I and everyone else here would rather die in an explosion than slowly wither away due to starvation."

Alex's head peeked out from around the Doctor's frame. "Please, don't do this to yourselves," she pleaded. "There's got to be another option, some other way."

The Doctor nodded encouragingly. Sparks flew out from each corner of the room. "Yes, there are other planets, uninhabited ones, in the Andreas Belt. My ship could take you to one of them easily."

But Carslile wasn't going to be moved. Alex could clearly see that and she suspected the Doctor could too. "I must decline your…_offer_, Doctor." Carslile paused and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It's interesting to hear your offer though, considering this is coming from the man who willingly killed his entire race." Alex saw the Doctor's back stiffen, Carslile's words bothering him more than he wanted to admit.

"I wonder, can your conscience handle killing _another _race?"

The Doctor was silent. Alex knew no cheeky response or flippant retort would be coming from him. How big was his guilt, she wondered. She had seen a glimpse of it last night but who knew how far inside him it extended. It could be the size and length of one of those bottomless pits, dark and damp and filled with rotten regret. That pit would just extend further down with the killing of the Lylon's. She couldn't let him bear it.

Alex stepped out from behind the Doctor, her eyes turning from topaz to the Doctor's own dark green. "He's not going to bear the burden alone." Her voice was cool and calm, much like the Doctor's at his worst moments. At that moment, she looked so much like the Doctor, Carslile actually backed up a little in fear.

The Doctor felt her words ringing in his ears. How could Alex possibly say that? She barely knew him and yet she was willing to carry part of the burden for killing all of the Lylon's. He felt so amazed and proud of her while he also felt the large desire to protect her fragile human innocence from such things. At that moment, he felt a small hand snaking its way down his arm to wrap loosely around his wrist. Just a split second after she did this, the Doctor gently guided her hand to rest firmly in his.

The Doctor eyed the Lylon's one final time. "What she said," he replied before pulling Alex after him to continue running, leaving the Lylon's to their doom.

"We've got less than a minute!" the Doctor yelled as the two ran into reception. He pushed Alex ahead of him to the doors. "Don't look back! Just RUN!"

Alex didn't need further prodding. Within a few seconds, she was outside. She whirled around only to see a mass of tweed pushing her to the ground. A split second later, BOOM! Alex shut her eyes as the plant exploded, sending mass amounts of building material, glass, and other things scattering into the night air. There were smaller explosions as electric equipment blew up.

Alex carefully opened her eyes and she became aware that something was lying on her back, keeping her pressed into the ground. She shifted slightly to see a bright red bowtie hanging loosely in front of her. "Comfy Doc?"

_More than I should be, _the Doctor thought. "Right, sorry," he said, rolling off of her and landing on the ground next to her. Once he had stopped moving, he turned to examine Alex. There were no injuries as far as he could see but her beautiful light brown hair was streaked with ash and dust. At least it was tousled and messy though, so that made up for it.

"You okay?" Alex asked.

"Fine. You?"

Alex grinned cheekily at him. "Never better."

Alex rolled onto her back and looked over at the spot where the plant used to be. All that was left of the Carslile-Locke Electrical Plant were heaps of metal, brick, sharp edges of glass, and other rubbish. In there, just beyond the ruins, were undoubtedly the corpses of all the Lylon's. Alex swallowed and tried not to think about that. They had chosen their deaths after all. There wasn't anything she or the Doctor could do to change their minds.

"You okay?" the Doctor asked. Alex knew he was talking about what had happened in there, how she had stood up for him, not about any possible physical injuries.

"I think so," she answered hesitantly. "Nothing I can't handle."

As she kept her eyes on the ruins of the electrical plant, she was aware of the Doctor's hand latching into her own. He squeezed it slightly, just enough to make warm tingles run down Alex's spine. "Thanks," he said softly, so softly that she almost didn't hear it.

Alex smiled and squeezed back. She knew what it was for. "No problem," she said in a matching soft voice.

The two probably would've stayed like that for a long while but right at that moment, a bunch of cars began coming up the drive. Rolling over onto their fronts, the Doctor and Alex watched as Lacey's car, Ross's car, and Mike's truck pulled up in front of them, none of them properly parked. Sitting in the Rabbit were Lacey, Marigold, Amy, and Rory while Ross, Emmy, and Lola were in Ross's truck. Bree was already clambering out of Mike's truck as he snitched a cigarette.

Marigold stepped elegantly out of the Rabbit, practically rivaling the Queen of England. She and Bree came to a stop right in front of the two. Marigold's arms were crossed and Bree's eyebrow was shaped in a questioning arch.

"Okay you two," Marigold began.

"You have got one hell of an explanation due," Bree finished.

A/N: Short chapter, I know. After this, we have the last installment of 'Bristol, KY Stop' tomorrow and then after that, we begin 'Amy's Choice'! Who liked the part where Rory slammed the door open? I thought he should get a little hero moment. :)

Also, I went back and revised 'The Eleventh Hour' a little. Nothing major, but I took a few lines out and changed things because I received word that someone thought I was copying another story because things in those chapters sounded similar to the other story. I have absolutely no intention of plagiarizing anyone and am fully against anyone who does stuff like that.

Some notes on reviews...

**Gwilwillith **- I know! All of this tension is crazy...and there's even more to come! *smiles evilly*

**rycbar15 **- Glad you like the Lylon's! Yeah, locking her in the closet does seem like something he'd do, lol. And glad you still enjoyed the Clara thing. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Sadly, no ass-kicking in this. :( I think, what with them trying to stop the power suck and with all the Lylon's dying, Alex didn't give much thought to it.

**jesterlover **- Yeah, I figured that part would upset some people. On the bright side, they stopped the aliens though!

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yeah, the Doctor is a bit frustrating at times, isn't he? :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and thanks to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	29. Bristol, KY Stop Part 8

**Disclaimer: **I still do not own Doctor Who. I have a model TARDIS though. Does that count?

"Alexandria! Hurry up!" the Doctor bellowed from the TARDIS control room.

Outside, Marigold rolled her eyes. "Listen to him," she muttered. "Don't know how you can stand him all the time."

Amy snickered. "Alex tends to keep him on his leash."

"Amelia Pond, no one, not even Ally, keeps me on a leash!" the Doctor protested, sticking his head out the door.

Rory rolled his eyes. "You know its true Doctor!"

The Doctor, apparently realizing the validity in this, muttered something incomprehensible under his breath and stepped outside to join the group.

It had been a long night for everyone. After blowing up the plant, everyone had questions about who the Doctor really was. The group quickly drove back into Bristol proper and gathered at the diner where Bree had happily turned on the now fully functioning lights. Over large amounts of coffee, tea, and the diner's famed Boston cream pie, Alex had confessed to everyone what she had been doing over the last few weeks and announced to the astonished group that the Doctor was actually an alien.

Surprisingly, everyone was okay with it, even Marigold, who had sat in silence for a record ten minutes processing the whole thing. The Doctor had shown the group the TARDIS and spent ten minutes talking with Ross and Mike about how the engines worked. Alex had been slightly surprised at the male conversation but was pleased to see that parts of her old life and new life were merging together and getting along.

The informal party had lasted way into the night. Everyone wanted to celebrate the end of the Lylon's reign of terror. Amy, Rory, Ross and Lola showed off their dancing skills to multiple tunes on the jukebox, Bree got drunk on a bottle of strawberry champagne she found in the fridge and did complicated jazz squares all over the restaurant, and the Doctor and Alex barely moved from each-other's side all night. More than once you could see them sitting in the same booth, the Doctor's arm around Alex's waist, the two leaning in close to each-other, exchanging private jokes and stories that no one else knew. Nobody had wanted the night to end but ultimately, Marigold and Lacey left at two thirty followed by Ross and Emmy at three fifteen. The party officially broke up after Bree eventually passed out in a booth, still clutching that strawberry champagne bottle.

Now, it was ten o'clock in the morning in Marigold and Lacey's back-yard. The Doctor, while privately liking Bristol and its inhabitants, was anxious to move onto the next adventure. He had woken up Amy and Rory but as everyone predicted, left Alex alone. Amy and Rory had joked about a double standard, something the Doctor pretended not to hear.

Alex hugged Marigold tightly. "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" she cried as she pulled back slightly.

"You make sure that man brings you back here every now and then," Marigold told her, casting a look at the Doctor as she said this.

The Doctor smiled slightly at her. "Don't worry, I'll bring her back here whenever she wants." He raised a hand. "Scout's honor."

Marigold reached into jean jacket pocket and removed a tissue. "Okay," she said, dabbing her eyes, "I know I'm not your mother but I'm the closest thing you have to a parent so I need to tell you some things to do and not to do."

Alex rocked back on her heels. "Okay."

Marigold thought for a moment. "Trouble is, I can't think of anything to tell you in regards to traveling in time and space."

"How about…always listen to the Doctor?" the Doctor suggested. Beside him, Amy and Rory snorted.

Marigold shook her head. "No, only listen to him if you think he's actually saying the correct thing." Amy and Rory burst out laughing at the Doctor's expression to that statement but Alex barely heard them, instead concentrating on Marigold. "Um…what else?"

"Jesus, look at you," Lacey cried, stepping up. She put one hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at Alex. Despite her current attire of a dark blue sundress and ballet flats, she really did look like a force to be reckoned with. "Call often, visit often, don't get into trouble."

Marigold nodded, her long blonde hair swishing around in the faint morning breeze. "Exactly. Thank you Lacey Rose."

"Anytime," Lacey smiled.

"But just because Alex is gallivanting off all over the galaxy, that doesn't excuse you from not applying to college, which I assure you we'll be talking about later."

Lacey's face fell. "Alex, don't go!" she cried, latching onto her friend's arm.

Alex laughed and stepped back. She looked resplendent that morning in a dark green tank dress with a white rope belt wrapped around it, matching green ballet flats, and faux stud pearl earrings. "I have to. But don't worry. I'll be back."

"You better be," Lacey said, pulling her friend in for a hug.

Marigold wandered over to the Doctor, leaving the two otherwise alone. Once she was out of earshot, Lacey pulled back slightly and said lowly "You better not waste any time."

Alex was puzzled. It wasn't like Lacey to speak in rhymes and clues. "What are you talking about?"

Lacey gave her a shocked expression, blue eyes widening. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "I'm talking about you and the Doctor, of course!"

Alex stared at her. "What are you getting at Lacey? And no riddles! Give it to me straight."

Lacey rolled her eyes. "I am being straight! You're just not seeing it! You need to tell the Doctor how you feel about him before it's too late!"

"How I feel?"

"That you love him, of course!"

Alex groaned. "Have you been talking to Amy?"

Lacey nodded. "She's convinced and I have to say, she makes a pretty damn convincing argument. Plus, I've seen it with my own two eyes. You need to tell him before it's too late."

"What do you mean by 'too late'?"

"Amy told me a little about your encounter with those freaky statue things-,"

"Weeping Angels," Alex corrected her.

Lacey waved her hand as if to say whatever. "-and she told me about that woman, River Song."

Alex's stomach crawled at the mention of River's name. "What'd she say about her?"

"Just that she was very flirty towards the Doctor and very condescending at times towards you," Lacey revealed.

Alex sighed. "I hate River. Well, maybe not hate, exactly. I mean, I don't think she's all that bad, she does have some good qualities and she knows when to put aside her jealousy for me, but something about her rubs me the wrong way."

"It's probably because she's from the future and already knows everything about you," Lacey said dryly. She hadn't been very keen on the idea of meeting a person who knew all about you while you knew next to nothing about them.

"Maybe," Alex admitted but she knew it was something else. River's words about killing that man and almost killing his girlfriend still rang in her ears. Alex had the feeling she was involved in that but she didn't want to ponder it too much.

"She sounds like a slut if that helps," Lacey said, trying to cheer her up.

Alex smiled slightly. "Well, I really don't need to worry about River because there's no reason to. I'm _not _in love with the Doctor."

"So you say," Lacey sang.

"I'm not!" Alex said adamantly.

As the two went back and forth over this issue, Marigold approached the Doctor. She stopped a few footsteps away from him. She had seen the inside of the TARDIS last night and was thus a little hesitant to get too close to it. "So where are you off to?" she asked. Amy and Rory, sensing that this was a private conversation, hastened over to and began admiring a large hydrangea bush.

"Oh, here and there," the Doctor answered vaguely.

Marigold turned to look back at Alex. From the looks of things, she and Lacey were having a spirited conversation. Alex, at least, was shaking her head adamantly. "Will she be alright?" she asked quietly, eyes still on Alex.

"Marigold, I assure you, I will protect Alex until my dying breath," the Doctor swore. He stopped, surprised at himself. He had never been that protective of a companion before. Oh, he had been willing to die for all of them, but never so strongly before.

"I know." Marigold turned back, a slight smile on her lips. "You're good for Alex. I can see that now." Her smile grew wider. "Congratulations Doctor, you've just gotten my seal of approval."

"It's very hard to get!" Lacey called out.

The Doctor laughed. "Thank you Marigold. I'll try to live up to that approval."

"You better." Marigold then surprised the Doctor by pulling him into a hug. The Doctor was a little startled but began to relax. Just as he did though, Marigold hissed in his ear "Because I swear, if you hurt Alex in any way, shape, or form, I do have a gun collection and won't hesitate to use this scrawny frame as a practice target."

The Doctor stiffened. "Alex?" he called out weakly. "You ready?"

Alex glanced over at him and stifled a bubble of laughs at his slightly terrified expression as Marigold released him from a hug. Either Marigold had told him about her very large gun collection or he was just shocked about being hugged by her. Either one was a likely option. "Coming!" she called.

She turned back to Lacey. "Okay, real quick, for the fifteenth time, I'm not in love with the Doctor and he sure as hell isn't in love with me."

"Okay, okay," Lacey said, defeated, "but promise me you'll think about it okay?"

"I promise," Alex swore. And it was true. She thought about that thing almost every second. "Behave yourself. I'm going to miss you so much."

"Whenever you get back to the wedding, give me a call," Lacey said, pulling her into another tight hug.

"I will!"

"Alex!" the Doctor called again. "For God's sakes, we're not going off to war! There's a lovely plant in the Vilan Cluster I've been wanting to check out. They say the mountains are made of spun sugar and the sky changes colors every five minutes!"

Alex broke away from Lacey and headed down the path over to him. "Okay, I'm ready."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. "Promise?"

"Promise," Alex confirmed. "You are not getting rid of me any time soon."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor said. "If I even dreamt that much anyways." He snapped his fingers and the doors opened. Everyone in the TARDIS gang immediately began filing in.

"It was nice meeting you!" Amy called over her shoulder.

"Even if this place is hotter than a desert," Rory muttered good-naturedly.

"And even if the conditions weren't as ideal," Amy added.

Alex stepped in behind them and waved a good-bye. "You'll love this next part," she promised before disappearing inside.

Marigold and Lacey gave identical questioning looks towards the Doctor. No one at the diner had actually seen the Doctor land the TARDIS; it had appeared in the parking lot, its familiar materialization noise hidden under an Elvis Presley hit on the jukebox.

The Doctor only grinned at them. "She's right," he said, jumping into the doorway. "Just watch." With that, the door shut.

Marigold and Lacey watched the TARDIS expectantly, unsure of exactly what it would do. But a second later, the light on top of the police box began flashing and a grinding, groaning noise filled the air. As this occurred, the TARDIS exterior began flashing in and out, until with a final _vworp-vworp_, it was gone.

Marigold and Lacey laughed, unable to believe what they had just seen. "Auntie, did that really just happen?" Lacey gasped.

Marigold wrapped an arm around her niece's shoulder. "Yes, yes it did," she said. "And I don't think that's the last strange thing we'll ever see now."

A/N: And that's the end of 'Bristol, KY Stop'! Thank you all SO much for your encouraging reviews! I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can say there will be one more original adventure in this story titled 'Alex's Birthday'. I'll leave you to ponder that...

Tomorrow, we start 'Amy's Choice'. I don't want to give too much away, but I can say that Alex will be tortured a bit more than the others. :( But there IS fluff, so it kinda evens out. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Lol, I didn't even realize it was 'action-movie running' while I was writing it! Glad you liked it though. :) And yeah, Alex is kick-ass in that moment. I love her for that. :)

**jesterlover **- Lol, that's probably how they would do it on the show! But I felt Rory needed a hero moment since he doesn't really get those until 'The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang' episodes and then in Season 6.

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! :D

**rycbar15 **- I'm so glad you like it and that you like Alex! I try hard to keep her from being a Mary-Sue. She's beautiful and smart, but she has flaws too. Lol, don't feel bad about stalking this story. I've been guilty of it in the past. :) Hmm... I wouldn't say this chapter has very many Doctor/Alex moments, but I can promise there's a BUNCH of moments in 'Amy's Choice' and the episodes beyond that, including a few that I think some readers will be tearing their hair out over. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you loved it! I love that part too. :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Nah, there would be no fun in killing Alex off. I think the Doctor would object to that, lol. But, even though I'm not killing her off, that doesn't mean I'm going to be easy on her either. }:) And I'm glad you loved the Rory-the-hero part! I love Rory and he deserves one, don't you think? :)

**Cigar Fancy Pants **- Oops! Sorry! I don't want people to go through fluff withdrawal! I know, they are so darn cute together! I can't say when they're going to get together, but I can say there will be plenty of fluffy bits in this story. Hopefully, that will keep people entertained until we get to THE moment! :)

Thank you to all those that reviewed and to those that favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	30. Amy and Ally's Choice Part 1

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Doctor Who, so many things would be different...

Several days later, Alex wandered into the TARDIS library. After a particularly hectic adventure on a planet she couldn't pronounce the name of, she had managed to convince the Doctor to let them have a day of relaxation before they went tumbling into another adventure. Amy and Rory had been grateful even though Amy did make a comment about Alex having the Doctor wrapped around her finger.

Alex made her way through the tall stacks of books. The lighting in the library was perfectly dim, the chandeliers above her glittering like diamonds. She trailed a finger over the many books and wondered if the Doctor had actually read them all or just liked to collect them. Regardless, she was thrilled by the enormous collection. If there was one thing Alex loved, it was books.

The books had been organized alphabetically according to the author's last name. Soon, Alex found herself standing before an entire shelf devoted to Stephen King. The Doctor didn't seem like the type to read Stephen King but one never could tell.

Alex glanced at the titles before her gaze settled on a paperback copy of _Christine_. She had seen the movie but had never read the book. As she pulled it out, the TARDIS hummed at her selection.

Alex looked up and grinned. "Like this?" she asked, looking up at the ceiling. The TARDIS let out a pleased hum. Alex giggled. "To be honest, the sentient car kinda reminds me of you." There was a slightly indignant hum at this. Alex burst out laughing. "Relax!" she cried. "I'm not accusing you of murder or anything!" The TARDIS hummed again, more cheerful this time, apparently pleased by Alex's words.

Alex laughed again. She had gotten to the point where she could easily converse with the TARDIS. She was surprisingly skilled at deciphering the TARDIS's hums and translated to a still confused Amy and Rory. The Doctor, needless to say, was beyond thrilled at this. He had once told Alex that she seemed to be the TARDIS's favorite companion, something Alex easily believed.

Alex headed over to the leather couch in front of the fireplace she had sat on with the Doctor the last time she had been in here. Lying on her back while keeping her head propped up on the armrest, Alex opened the book and began to read. She had gotten to the fourth page when she heard the birdsong.

Alex lowered her book and looked around the library. That wasn't possible. There weren't birds in the TARDIS, unless the Doctor had an aviary he wasn't telling her about. But before she could get up and investigate, Alex felt her eyelids drooping as a huge wave of exhaustion came over her. Before she knew it, _Christine _had fallen to the floor and she was fast asleep, just one of the TARDIS occupants to do so. Further away, the Doctor was slumped over the controls and Amy and Rory were in their bedroom, Rory passed out on the floor and Amy on the bed. None of them knew of the craziness that was about to happen.

* * *

"Ally, that lever! No, THAT lever!"

Alex rolled her eyes and yanked down the lever she'd been aiming for. Honestly, the Doctor was such a nervous wreck whenever she drove the TARDIS. _He _had taught her everything he knew and the TARDIS had taught her the rest. Five years of flying lessons and you'd think he'd trust her by now. She told him exactly this.

The Doctor laughed wryly at her. "I trust _you_ Ally. I just don't trust your driving. You drive like a maniac after all."

Alex stepped closer to him. "Keep that up and you might find yourself sleeping on the couch tonight," she teased.

The Doctor leaned down to where his lips were nearly touching her own. "Never," he growled before pulling her into a heated kiss. He pulled back long enough to add "You'd be too lonely."

"Probably true," Alex admitted before grazing his lip with her tongue. She gave a mischievous smile when he moaned. Three years together and she still found ways to pleasure him.

He smirked down at her, pleased at being proven right, before suddenly jumping away and tugging her along after him. "Come along Ally! You're going to love Lexus 5. Brilliant light shows, entertainment, and a nice social scene. All perfect for-," By this point he had reached the door and threw it open. His face fell as he stared out at the scene before him. "Well this is not Lexus 5."

Indeed, it wasn't. In front of them stood a nicely sized stone cottage. It was mid-morning and the TARDIS had landed on top of a flower bed in a rockery. The Doctor looked around in confusion before narrowing his gaze on Alex. "I knew it!" he crowed. "You were flying it wrong!"

Alex simply smiled impishly, a look the Doctor had learned to watch out for. "No, I wasn't," she calmly corrected.

The Doctor was about to ask her what she meant when the cottage door slammed open and out came none other than Rory. "Rory!" the Doctor cried.

Rory gaped at the two. "Doctor! Alex!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to them.

"Rory!" Alex squealed. She looked over at the Doctor smugly. "See? I wasn't flying it wrong. I _wanted _to come here." She glanced down at the flowerbed they were on and shrugged. "Just not on this exact spot. Sorry Rory, but I crushed your flowers!"

"Oh, Amy will kill you," Rory smiled as he helped Alex jump down. The Doctor hopped off also, knocking a stone off as he landed.

He looked around expectantly. "Where is she?" he asked.

Rory shrugged a little. "She'll need a bit longer."

The Doctor looked over at the door. "Whenever you're ready Amy!" he called as he looped an arm around Alex's waist and tugged her close. A second later, the door opened and out came Amy….a very _pregnant _Amy.

Alex's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped while the Doctor pointed and exclaimed "You've swallowed a planet!" Alex elbowed him for that.

"I'm pregnant!" Amy corrected as she carefully waddled over to them.

"You're huge!" the Doctor cried.

Alex rolled her eyes. "She's _pregnant_, genius."

"Look at you!" The Doctor grinned at the Ponds. "When worlds collide."

"No, I'm pregnant," Amy tried again.

Alex reached over and patted her friend on the arm. "Don't worry, it'll come to him here in a second." Once she had finished saying that, her gaze traveled over to Rory and her eyes widened as she caught sight of his new ponytail.

"Oh, look at you five years later and you haven't changed a bit!" the Doctor cried, stepping in between Amy and Rory and wrapping an arm around their shoulders. "Apart from age and size," he added, casting a look at Amy's stomach.

"Oh, it's good to see you both!" Amy cried, wrapping her free arm around Alex's shoulders and pulling her close.

At that moment, something dawned on the Doctor. "Are you pregnant?" he asked Amy, looking at her stomach in a whole new light.

"I told you it'd come to him," Alex smiled.

A few minutes later, the group were walking through Leadworth. It looked just like it had the last time Alex had been here a few years ago. Stone houses lined the roads along with large shady elms and an abundance of black wrought-iron fencing. Alex hated the wrought-iron fencing. It made her think of graveyards, which she absolutely hated. She looked around and noticed that the streets were as active as ever. Not a soul was in sight anywhere.

The Doctor, noticing this, sighed loudly. "Ah Leadworth," he said, his voice caked with sarcasm, "vibrant as ever."

"It's Upper Leadworth actually," Rory corrected. "We've gone slightly up market."

Alex nodded. That made total sense. For their wedding, she had given them a ton of stock in G-Locke. Amy and Rory were practically rolling in money now. "Where is everyone?" she asked. "I don't remember it ever being _this _quiet."

"This is busy." The Doctor and Alex gave Amy identical looks. "Okay!" she cried. "It's quiet but it's really…restful and…healthy. Lots of people round here live well into their nineties."

"Well, don't let that get you down," the Doctor replied.

Amy frowned at him, confused. "It's not getting me down," she said as the group found a nearby bench. They sat down, the Doctor sitting in between Amy and Rory while Alex perched on his lap.

"Well, we wanted to see how you were," the Doctor explained as he wrapped his arms around Alex's waist. She leaned back into him, relishing in his scent that included that musky cologne, heavenly shampoo, and a slight trace of her Chanel No. 5 perfume from where they had been making out earlier. "You know me, I don't just abandon people when they leave the TARDIS. This Time Lord's polite. You don't get rid of your old pal the Doctor so easily."

Amy nodded, not believing a word that came out of his mouth. "You came here by mistake, didn't you?"

"I was tricked," the Doctor muttered, lightly swatting Alex on the back of the head.

Alex, hardly bothered, only beamed. "You're welcome!"

Rory chuckled. "I always knew there was a reason I liked you over the Doctor."

The Doctor ignored him. "But look, what a result! Look at this…bench. What a nice bench. What will they think of next?" There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before the Doctor asked "So. What do you do around here to stave off the, you know…"

"Boredom?" Amy guessed.

"Self-harm," the Doctor corrected.

Rory thought about this for a second. "We relax," he said slowly. "We live." At that moment, the sound of birds chirping rang out. Rory acknowledged this with a nod of his head. "We listen to the birds."

"Yeah, see?" Amy urged before suddenly sighing tiredly. "Birds. Those are nice."

"We didn't get a lot of time to listen to bird song back in the TARDIS days, did we?" Rory said.

Alex smiled. "Still don't," she murmured, looking over and lightly kissing the Doctor on the lips.

Amy's eyes widened. "I'd be jumping up and down if I could. You two finally got together?!"

"Three years in two weeks," Alex answered, looking deeply into the Doctor's eyes. She remembered everything about their courtship. She remembered their passionate lip-lock after he saved her from a Raxacoricofallapatorian, how he told her he loved her at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and their first time where she had practically rendered him speechless in a sheer cream with black lace nightgown.

"Treating her right Doctor?" Rory asked, his brotherly concern for Alex popping up.

The Doctor nodded but he seemed a bit distracted for at that moment, the birdsong grew louder. "Ah! Blimey," he groaned, resting his head in Alex's hair. Whenever he'd had a headache in the past, all he had to do was bury his head in Alex's long locks and he'd be okay. "My head's a bit…"

Alex whirled around and eyed him worriedly. "Doctor?" she said. "Doctor, are you alright?"

"No, he murmured, his voice becoming drowsy. "You're right. There wasn't a lot of time for…bird song back in the good..."

The chirping grew louder and Alex found her head drooping down. She felt the Doctor's arms tighten around her waist so she wouldn't go sliding off. Without looking, she could tell the same thing was happening with Rory and Amy. Pretty soon, all of them were leaning on each-other, struggling to remain upright as the Doctor attempted to get one final word out.

"Old…" he mumbled before they all fell asleep.

* * *

"…days!"

The Doctor shot up, looking around. Instead of Leadworth, he was back in the TARDIS. He was lying on the floor underneath the console. Above him, he could see Alex slowly sitting up, looking around in confusion before finally locating him underneath her.

"What?!" he cried, sitting up. "No! Yes! Sorry. What?"

"Doctor, what are you babbling about?" Alex asked wearily. She sat up on the jump-seat and carefully smoothed the wrinkles out of her long-sleeved mint green shirt.

The Doctor raced up the steps and hastily looked her over. He visibly relaxed a little as he saw Alex's eyes switch from chocolate brown to honey-colored. Looking up, he saw Amy and Rory heading down the stairs. Both of them looked very confused, Amy glancing down at her now flat abdomen every few seconds. "Oh! You're okay!" he cried. "Oh, thank God! I had a horrible nightmare about you three. That was scary. Don't ask. You don't wanna now. Safe now. That's what counts." He hurried towards Amy and hugged her while Alex peeled herself off the chair.

"Blimey," the Doctor said as he went over to Alex and planted a kiss on her hairline, "never dropped off like that before." He headed towards the console, Alex trailing along behind him like an obedient puppy.

She arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Okay, never really," he admitted. "I'm getting on a bit, you see? Don't let the cool gear fool you. Now, what's wrong with the console?" He nodded to some red flashing lights. "Red flashing lights. I bet they mean something."

Rory stared into space for a moment, thinking something over as the Doctor fussed over the console. "Er, Doctor, I also had a kind of dream thing."

Amy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, so did I."

"Ditto," Alex jumped in, not even bothering to look up from watching the red flashing lights on the console.

"Not a nightmare though," Rory clarified. He looked over at Amy, watching her expression for the reaction it would have to his words. "Just, er, we were married."

"Yeah! In a little village."

"A sweet little village and you were pregnant."

"Yes, I was huge," Amy recounted. "I was a boat."

Rory cocked an eyebrow. "So, you had the same dream, then? Exactly the same dream?"

Amy's eyes narrowed and Alex could tell that she had misjudged what Rory was implying. "Are you calling me a boat?" she accused, her voice dangerously low.

"And Doctor!" Rory hastily cried before Amy could get the notion to kill him. "You and Alex were visiting!"

"Yeah, yeah, you two came to our cottage," Amy recalled. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "Oh, hold on! You two were also a couple!"

The Doctor, whose head was stuck under the console examining something, shot upward rapidly and banged his head on the console's underside. He cried out and straightened up, rubbing the back of his head. Amy noted that his face was bright red, identical to the shade gracing Alex's face, the latter having gone silent at the mention of her love life in the dream.

"Yes, well…" the Doctor started but his voice trailed off. Alex opened her mouth to say something but promptly closed it. Amy and Rory both noticed that neither the Doctor nor Alex was looking at the other.

Alex opened her mouth again. "Okay, passing that…" she muttered before raising her voice some as she asked "How could we have had the same dream? It doesn't make any sense."

"And you had a nightmare about us," Amy remembered, pointing at the Doctor. "What happened to us in the nightmare?"

"It was a bit similar in some aspects," the Doctor answered vaguely.

"Which aspects?" Rory asked.

"Well…all of them."

Alex flinched a little. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that she hadn't _slightly _enjoyed being with the Doctor romantically in the Leadworth dream. But he was saying it was a nightmare. _That only proves it,_ she thought. _He's not interested in you, period._

Amy and Rory had noticed Alex's flinch and both of them felt a little angry towards the Doctor. "You had the same dream," Amy said bluntly.

"Basically," the Doctor admitted.

Rory frowned at him, his protectiveness towards Alex flaring up. "You said it was a nightmare," he reminded while subtlety nodding his head at Alex.

The Doctor followed the nod of Rory's head over to Alex, who was watching him with a guarded expression. The Doctor mentally swore as he realized what he had said. Even though he knew he couldn't get attached to Alex, he had enjoyed being with her romantically in the dream. It was everything he wanted with her and more. _Way to go, idiot, _he thought.

"Did I say nightmare? No, more like a good…mare," he hastily corrected. As he passed Alex, he reached out and ruffled her hair a little, making it tousled the way he liked. "Look, it doesn't matter. We all had some kind of psychic episode. We probably jumped a time track or something. Forget it. We're back to reality now."

Just as the Doctor began fussing with the controls though, a bird began singing. Amy looked around. "Doctor?" she said as the man in question slowly raised his head. "If we're back to reality, how come I can still hear birds?"

"Yeah, the _same _birds," Rory added. "The same ones we heard in the…"

* * *

"…dream."

With that, Rory's eyes burst open. He was forehead to forehead with the Doctor while Alex's head was drooped against the Doctor's chest with Amy's head resting on the Doctor's shoulder. Rory and the Doctor jerked away with a shout, causing Alex to nearly tumble off the Doctor's lap until he tightened his grip on her at the last moment.

"Sorry!" Rory cried, rubbing the back of his head. "Nodded off. Stupid! God, I must be overdoing it. I was dreaming we were back on the TARDIS."

The Doctor looked over Alex as Rory spoke, pleased to see her worried eyes change from light green to dark, the color matching his own. He gently eased her off his lap, checked his braces, and walked away. From behind him, he could hear Rory ask "You had the same dream, didn't you?"

Amy confirmed this with a nod of her head. "Weren't we just saying the same thing?"

"But we thought this was the dream, didn't we?" Alex asked as she watched the Doctor pick up a grain of dirt and examine it.

"I think so." Amy struggled to get up with her rotund stomach. As Alex darted over to help her, she moaned "Why do dreams have to fade so quickly?"

Rory marched over to the Doctor. "Doctor, what is going on?" he demanded as Amy and Alex trailed after him.

"Is this because of you?" Amy questioned. "Is this some Time Lordy thing because you've shown up again?"

"Listen to me," the Doctor ordered as he glared at their surroundings, his eyes grave. "Trust nothing. From now on, trust nothing you see, hear, or feel." He felt a pang in his hearts of how he felt for Alex but reluctantly pushed it aside.

"But we're home!" Amy argued, looking up and down the empty street.

"Yeah, you're home, you're also dreaming!" the Doctor shot back. "Trouble is, Amy, Rory, Ally, which is which? Are we flashing forwards or backwards?" He pushed through Amy and Rory to look at the opposite end of the street. "Hold on tight. This is going to be a tricky one."

* * *

Alex's eyes shot open and as she carefully peeled herself up from the floor, she watched the Doctor run around the console as the TARDIS thrashed uncontrollably around them.

"This is bad!" the Doctor shouted as he strained under pushing something on the console. "I don't like this!" With that, the Doctor hurled himself away from the console and kicked it. This, however, didn't help and he howled in pain.

"Never use force!" he growled as he hopped around. "You just embarrass yourself! Unless you're cross, in which case, always use force!"

"Want me to run and get the manual?" Alex offered as the Doctor limped down the stairs to under the console.

"I threw it in a supernova!" the Doctor called up.

Alex hung her head and shook it. "You threw the manual…in a supernova," she said incredulously. "Why would you do such an idiotic thing?!"

"Because I disagreed with it!" the Doctor shouted back, looking up at her through the glass floor. "Stop talking to me when I'm cross!"

Alex's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't yell at me when the TARDIS starts acting up!" she screeched.

Sensing that a loud, explosive argument was brewing, Rory took it upon himself to interrupt it. "Okay!" he cried loudly, stepping up and pulling Alex back a little. "But whatever's wrong with the TARDIS, is that what caused us to dream about the future?"

"_If _we were dreaming of the future," the Doctor retorted as he came back up the stairs.

"Well, of course we were!" Amy exclaimed. "We were in _Leadworth_."

"_Upper _Leadworth," Rory corrected her. Amy's response was to give him a sharp look.

The Doctor circled the console, desperately trying to figure out what was wrong. Hearing Amy's comment, he said "Yeah, and we could still be in Upper Leadworth, dreaming of this. Don't you get it?"

"No!" Amy cried as the Doctor gave tools to her, Rory, and Alex. "Okay? No. This is real. I'm definitely awake now!"

"And you thought you were definitely awake when you were all…elephanty."

"Hey!" Amy snapped, holding her tool towards the Doctor's face in a threatening manner. "_Pregnant_."

"And you could be giving birth right now!" the Doctor reminded her. "This could be the dream. I told you. Trust nothing we see, hear, or feel. Look around you. Examine everything. Look for all the details that don't ring true."

"Okay," Rory said. "We're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside."

"With a bow-tie wearing alien," Amy picked up.

"So maybe what rings true isn't so simple," Alex finished.

The Doctor shrugged. "Valid point," he conceded.

Just as he finished saying that, the lights around them suddenly powered down and switched off. A sound also rang out, Alex figuring it was the engine also switching off. Soon, the room was dark except for a green glow coming from the top of the cylinder on the console.

"What happened?" Alex demanded nervously. She placed a hand down on one of the railings but she couldn't feel a hum at all. It sounded like the TARDIS was…dead.

"It's dead," the Doctor breathed, his face filled with horror and grief. "We're in a dead time machine."

Right at that moment, a bird began singing.

The Doctor hastily pulled Alex to his side, their argument from before already forgotten. Rory hurried over to Amy's side and clutched her close.

"Remember, this is real," the Doctor told them as he clutched Alex even closer to his body. He hated that he could feel her shaking slightly beneath him. It reminded him of when she had found out the Weeping Angels had desired her. He felt a slight burst of anger swell up in his stomach. He'd never let Alex get hurt. He'd sacrifice himself before he allowed something else to hurt her. "But when we wake up in the other place, remember how real this feels."

"It is real," Amy said desperately. The chirping became louder and Alex could feel herself sinking down to the floor. But before she lost consciousness completely, she heard Amy say "I know it's real."

* * *

The Doctor's head raised up. He was lying on the ground, Alex curled into his side. His arm was wrapped around her waist protectively, keeping her close to him. Nearby, he could see Amy and Rory waking up on a bench and a schoolteacher leading a gaggle of children past them. He looked back down at Alex and watched as her eyes burst open, exposing topaz-colored irises.

"I hate this," she muttered, helping him to his feet. She shivered slightly and tugged her ox blood red leather jacket tighter around her.

"Don't worry," he whispered, moving his hands to her shoulders. Her shaking instantly stopped and he smiled at her. "I'll figure this out and stop it. I promise."

Alex smiled and looked up at him. She knew he'd never let anything bad happen to her, not if he could help it.

Their sweet moment was unintentionally interrupted by Amy as she peeled herself off the bench. "Okay, this is the real one," she announced. "Definitely this one. It feels solid."

"It felt solid in the TARDIS too," Alex gently reminded her.

"You can't spot a dream while you're having it," the Doctor added. He began waving his hand in front of his face. Alex didn't seem bothered by this but his actions made no sense to Amy and Rory.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked, confused.

"He's looking for something that will indicate this isn't real," Alex explained, having already figured that out. It also helped that she still had access to this reality's memories of her time with the Doctor, where he had taught her a lot about this type of thing.

"Motion blur, pixilation," the Doctor elaborated. "It could be a computer simulation." He reached out and pinched Rory's cheek, the latter looking understandably bothered by this. "I don't think so though."

An old woman then approached them. "Hello Doctor," she greeted as she walked past.

"Hi," Rory replied back at the same time the Doctor said "Hello." The latter looked at Rory, a bit shocked. "You're a doctor?"

"Yeah, and unlike you, I've actually passed some exams."

"Oh Rory! Congratulations!" Alex cheered, bouncing a little.

Amy groaned. "Oh God, you _still_ bounce around like some deranged kangaroo." To her credit, she said this somewhat fondly.

"Tell me about it," the Doctor muffled, ruffling Alex's hair fondly. Alex noticed that he had made it more unkempt and messy. _Bedroom hair,_ she thought, smirking slightly before immediately mentally slapping herself. _STOP IT! You are NOT with him! Ignore those fake memories and focus on the matter at hand!_

"So, a doctor now, not a nurse, like you've always dreamt," Alex mused, trying to get her mind back on track. As she strolled down the street, she and the Doctor linked hands, swinging them slightly.

"Interesting," the Doctor finished.

"What is?" Rory asked, trying to keep up with them as he and Amy followed along behind.

"Well, your dream wife, your dream job, probably your dream baby," the Doctor thought aloud as he suddenly stopped. "Maybe this is _your _dream."

"It's Amy's dream too," Rory explained, turning to her. "Isn't it Amy?"

"Yes," Amy replied just a little too quickly. "Of course it is."

Alex resisted the urge to stare at Amy. Their conversation about Amy possibly being too young to marry was still fresh in her mind. She knew Amy loved Rory but she also knew that Amy really wasn't the type to settle down. The fiery redhead wanted adventure and excitement and as much as Alex hated to admit it, a long married life with Rory really wasn't that exciting. Not when you compared it to the Doctor's life, at least.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked, breaking the tense moment as he pointed up to a building in front of them. It was a large brick building with lace curtains in all the windows. A collection of pink and purple flowers had been planted in the front garden, making Alex smile a little. She had always thought that flowers brightened a place up. Next to the garden was a sign that read _SARN Residential Care Home_.

"Old people's home," Amy answered, causing the Doctor to stare up at the windows. Sure enough, there were a few elderly people in them, some of them staring right down at the group.

"Is it important?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer.

The Doctor nodded a little. "You said everyone here lives to their nineties," he recalled, nodding at Amy. "There's something here that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick." With that, he shot off towards the front door, pulling Alex along after him.

"Oh, can we not do the running thing?" Amy begged as Rory took off as well.

Once they were inside, Rory led them to the main common room. The walls were a pale pink and a bunch of old, comfy looking furniture was spread out everywhere. The air smelled faintly of potpourri, Lysol, and mothballs. Alex tried to keep from grimacing. She hated these types of places and feared ending up in one someday. She had heard enough horror stories about the elderly being mistreated at these kinds of places and even if they were nice, all she would be able to do here was knit, sew, play checkers, or watch daytime TV. _How dull,_ she thought.

The Doctor noticed her trying not to grimace and rubbed her back reassuringly. He knew Alex well enough by now to know that she did care about the well-being of these people but didn't like the prospect of ending up in a place like this herself. The very thought made him want to scream. He couldn't imagine his Ally getting older, her beautiful brown hair slowly turning gray and her fine, smooth skin getting wrinkled with each passing day. If he could, he would keep her exactly like she was now, young and beautiful, and with him forever.

He shook his head slightly. No, he couldn't do that to her. She'd be just like him. She'd have to suffer watching everyone else get older like he did now, and he never wanted to make her miserable.

His pondering was interrupted by a bunch of the old ladies in the room greeting Rory as he entered. "Oh, hello, Dr. Williams!" one of them called.

"Hello, Rory love," another one sitting in a nearby armchair greeted.

"Hello, Mrs. Poggit," Rory greeted back, going over and bending down in front of her. "How's your hip?"

"A bit stiff," Mrs. Poggit admitted.

"Oh, easy, D-96 compound, plus!" the Doctor called as he looked around the room. Suddenly, he remembered something and cringed sheepishly. "No, you don't have that yet. Forget that."

"Who's your friend?" Mrs. Poggit asked as the Doctor and Alex joined Rory. "A junior doctor?"

"Yes," Rory answered slowly while the Doctor frowned at him, incredulous that he was being called a_ junior_ doctor.

Mrs. Poggit then focused her attention on Alex. "Alex, darling!" she cried. "I haven't seen you in years. Not since Rory's wedding and all."

"Hello, Mrs. Poggit," Alex responded, smiling weakly.

Mrs. Poggit's attention wandered over to how the Doctor's arm was still wrapped around Alex's back from where he had been trying to comfort her earlier. "Oh, is this your young man? Rory told me about him once." She smiled up at the Doctor. "And so handsome too. You two make such a lovely couple."

If Mrs. Poggit noticed how red the 'lovely couple's' faces got, she didn't let on. Instead, she reached down into her lap and lifted up an ugly brown and green sweater. "Can I borrow you?" she asked the Doctor. "You're the size of my grandson."

"Um…" he muttered, reluctantly bending down to allow the woman to tug the sweater over his head. Alex laughed silently, her whole body shaking and quivering. She also noticed Rory biting his lip and trying not to smile.

The Doctor, noticing Alex's shaking, frowned at her. "Stop it Ally," he scolded.

Alex probably would've continued silently laughing until Mrs. Poggit's voice rang out. "Alex, dear? Would you mind trying this on? You're the same height as my granddaughter Natalie."

Alex looked over and, not being able to figure out a polite way to say hell no, bent down and allowed Mrs. Poggit to tug a sweater over her head. Once it was on properly, Alex looked down at her new garment. It was a hideous Pepto-Bismol pink cropped sweater, which was tight and loose in all the wrong places. She already felt sorry for poor Natalie, who would probably be expected to wear this the next time she visited her grandmother.

The Doctor smiled and moved his eyes up and down the newest addition to Alex's outfit. "Who's laughing now?" he murmured in her ear.

Alex glared up at him. "Can it!" she muttered.

Right at that moment, Amy entered the room. She stepped up to Alex and the Doctor and silently took in their attire. She shook her head. "This is why I told people to only bring store-bought clothes to the baby shower," she explained, whispering in Alex's ear.

"Slightly keen to move on," the Doctor said as he tugged at a loose thread in his sweater. "Freak psychic schism to sort out." He suddenly leaned closer to the old woman, causing her to move back a little in her chair. He stared at her for a moment before muttering "You're _incredibly _old, aren't you?"

"Doctor!" Alex scolded, looking around the room and noticing all of the elderly staring at the Doctor. But before she could say anything about it – and she was pretty sure she should say _something_ – a bunch of birdsong sounded throughout the room. She looked around, panicked, and watched as Amy and Rory lowered themselves to the floor. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to the ground. Right before she fell unconscious, she caught a whiff of thick, musky cologne. The Doctor.

* * *

Alex's eyes shot open, only to see that she was lying directly on top of the Doctor, his arms wrapped around her waist. A second later, his own eyes burst open and they seemed equally startled as he looked up at her.

Alex smiled nervously. Being in such close proximity to the Doctor seemed to do that to her. He affected her in ways no other man ever had. He made her brain slow down and increase all at once, her heart beat faster than she ever thought possible, and her insides turn to mush, her body relying only on his strong arms to support her. "Hi," she managed to gasp.

"Hello," the Doctor said back, smiling up at her a little.

Alex smiled and giggled slightly. God, it was like she was fourteen again, crushing on Southern Bristol High School's star quarterback. Only, the Doctor was so much better than Eddie Palmer. For a start, he didn't need tutoring in Algebra 1.

The Doctor laughed a little at her giggling. He didn't know whether or not Alex was aware of it, but she completely captured him under some kind of spell when they were this close. It had been like this with Rose as well, but never this strongly. Once again, he noticed that Alex's body completely melded in with his, like two puzzle pieces coming together. Whether it was by accident or some kind of order by Fate, they had been made for each-other.

Alex stopped giggling for, at that moment, she noticed that at some point, hers and the Doctor's heads had moved closer together, almost to where they were touching. Alex bit her lip self-consciously and the Doctor's eyes went dark, his grip around her tightening. Their gazes drifted down towards the other's lips and slowly, they began to move in. Alex closed her eyes and the Doctor opened his mouth to invite Alex's luscious lips in.

"Okay, I hate this!" Amy exclaimed, breaking the spell. Alex eyes opened and she shot up, rolling off the Doctor. The Doctor sat up rapidly and straightened his jacket, not looking at Alex. Alex smoothed out her hair, listening as Amy added "Doctor! Stop it, because this is definitely real. It's definitely this one!"

"You keep saying that Amy," Alex ground out as she stood up. She glared slightly at the redhead, upset with her for interrupting a possible kiss with the Doctor. A shudder went through her and she tightened her gray scarf around her neck, despite knowing this specific scarf wasn't designed to keep the wearer warm.

"It's bloody cold!" Rory stated, rubbing his hands up and down his arms in an effort to keep warm.

"The heating's off!" the Doctor explained as he stood up and raced up some stairs to the upper level of the console room. "Put on a jumper! That's what I always do."

"Sorry about Mrs. Poggit," Rory apologized to the Doctor as the latter began working on something. "She's so lovely though."

The Doctor looked down at him through a designed hole in the wall of the balcony railing. "I wouldn't believe her nice old lady if I were you," he warned.

"What do you mean 'act'?" Amy asked.

The Doctor stood up and dashed down the stairs. "Everything's off!" he reported, ignoring Amy's question altogether. "Sensors, core power…we're drifting. The scanner's down so we can't even see out. We could be anywhere." He closed his eyes, feeling a wave of frustration and irritableness wash over him. "Someone, something is overriding my controls!" he snapped.

"Well, that took a while," a voice suddenly rang out.

Amy and Rory jumped while the Doctor whirled around, an arm already wrapped around Alex's waist and keeping her close. That wasn't much of a problem though for, upon hearing the voice, Alex had latched a death-grip onto the Doctor's tweed jacket and had pressed herself right up against him. At the top of the stairs was a short, balding man who appeared to be in his early sixties, by Alex's guess. He was wearing similar clothes to the Doctor, right down to the bowtie, but they were in darker colors.

"Honestly, I've heard _such _good things," the man exclaimed, cockily sauntering down the stairs. "Last of the Time Lords. The Oncoming Storm. Him in the bowtie." His gaze then settled on Alex. "And the Brilliant Southern Girl! The one with the extraordinary mental abilities never seen before! Can't have one without the other, now can we?"

Alex flinched back and the Doctor stepped protectively in front of her. "How did you get into my TARDIS?" he demanded as the stranger stepped right in front of him before taking a step back. "What are you?"

"What shall we call me?" the stranger wondered, thinking thoughtfully. Alex, however, suspected it was an act. "Well, if you're the Time Lord, let's call me the _Dream _Lord."

"Nice look," the Doctor commented, noticing the so-called Dream Lord's attire.

"This?" The Dream Lord looked down at himself and wrinkled his nose before sneering "No, I'm not convinced. Bowties?"

The Doctor surreptitiously reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small ball. With one swift motion, he had thrown it across the room, where it went right through the Dream Lord. Alex's eyes widened and she separated herself from the Doctor slightly so she could get a better look at the figure standing before her. "Interesting…" the Doctor murmured before noticing Alex's craning head. He quickly tugged her back to him.

The Dream Lord noticed this action and cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Instead, he retorted "I'd love to be impressed, but…_Dream Lord_…it's in the name, isn't it? Spooky, not quite there…"

He disappeared but quickly reappeared on the other side of the room, right next to Alex. Alex shrieked while Amy gasped. The Doctor quickly pushed Alex behind him, where she instantly threw her arms around his waist, staring at the Dream Lord with a mixture of curiosity and fear. "…and yet very much here," he finished.

"I'll do the talking, thank you," the Doctor replied, his voice dangerously low and, to Alex at least, very sexy. He pushed past a stunned Amy and Rory, keeping Alex latched to his side all the while. "Amy, Ally, want to take a guess at what…_that_ is?"

"Er, Dream Lord. He creates dreams," Amy said nervously.

"Dreams, delusions, _cheap tricks_," Alex added.

"What about the gooseberry here?" the Dream Lord wondered. "Does he get a guess? Or, would you rather the ginge and your precious Ally take all the credit?" Taking it a step further, he added "Does your beautiful, perfect, Southern belle get a special prize later tonight if she guesses everything exactly right?"

The Doctor's free hand tightened around the console and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Hey, listen mate!" Rory jumped in before the Doctor attempted to strangle the Dream Lord for his dig at Alex. "If anyone's the gooseberry round here, it's the Doctor."

The Dream Lord snorted. "Well now, there's a delusion I'm not responsible for."

"No, he is. Isn't he, Amy?" he asked, looking at his fiancée for back-up. Amy, however, looked unsure about what to say.

"Oh, Amy," the Dream Lord chided. He then looked over at Alex. "Ally."

"Don't call me that!" Alex snapped.

"You two have to sort your men out," the Dream Lord continued, ignoring Alex. "_Choose _even."

"I have chosen!" Amy snapped back. "Of course, I've chosen." There was a tense moment in the TARDIS as Rory looked uncertainly at Amy. For all anyone knew, Amy had abandoned her plan of trying to attach Alex to the Doctor and had decided to go after him herself. Eyes never wavering from the Dream Lord's, she reached out and slapped Rory in the stomach. "It's you, stupid!"

Rory sighed in relief. "Oh, good, thanks."

"You can't fool me," the Dream Lord retorted before disappearing and reappearing behind the group again, forcing them all to turn around. "I've seen your dreams, Amy. Some of them twice. Blimey, I'd blush if I had a blood supply…or a real face."

The Doctor carefully peeled Alex off of his body and pushed her towards Rory. Rory wrapped his arms around the girl he considered a little sister and watched as the Doctor approached the Dream Lord. "Where'd you pick up this cheap cabaret act?" he questioned.

"Me? Oh, you're on shaky ground."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

"If you had any more tawdry quirks, you could open a tawdry quirk shop! The madcap vehicle, the cockamamie hair, the clothes designed by a first-year fashion student. I'm surprised you haven't got a little purple space dog just to ram home what an intergalactic wag you are."

"Shut up!" Alex screeched as she narrowed her eyes at the Dream Lord. Despite Rory's best efforts, she managed to pull herself away from his grasp and march up to stand beside the Doctor. "Don't you dare talk about him like that!"

"Oh, and there's the well-known defense by Ally! She won't allow anyone to insult her precious Doctor, will she? Whenever someone dares to bring something up about him, she barks back. And that's all there is to you, isn't there Ally? All bark, no bite. Like a good little dog defending their master?" The Dream Lord smiled cockily at her and probably would've patted Alex's head if he had an actual physical form. "Well, good girl Ally! Good girl! Maybe later, if you've done a good job, you'll get a treat!"

"Don't you _dare _talk to her like that!" the Doctor roared, stepping in front of Alex. "You are so damn lucky you haven't got a physical form, otherwise I'd have reached in and snapped your windpipe into pieces by now!" Amy and Rory gaped at him, not daring to make a sudden movement, for fear of setting him off and making him angrier than he already was.

The Dream Lord hardly seemed bothered by this though. "Where was I?" he wondered before disappearing again. He reappeared above them on the second level of the console room, allowing him to look down at the group condescendingly. "Oh, I know. So, here's your challenge. Two worlds. Here, in the time machine, and there, in the village that time forgot. One is real, the other's fake. And just to make it more interesting, you're going to face in both worlds, a deadly danger, but only one of the dangers is real."

Alex stepped forward, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She could feel the blood within her pounding and her heart beating at levels that probably weren't healthy. She wasn't just angry; oh, no, she was _pissed_. Who did this Dream Lord think he was anyway? Well, he was about to learn that Alex Locke was not a person he wanted to tangle with.

"So, then what?" she sneered, her voice so much like the Doctor's that it startled the man himself. "We _choose_? This how you get your little high or whatever? Forcing people to choose between their friends and those they love? Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline to play your little game. I refuse to choose."

The Dream Lord's eyes narrowed at her. "Really?"

Alex nodded, feeling a surge of confidence swell up in her. "Yes, actually. Need me to repeat it again?"

"No, I heard that perfectly Ally."

"Don't call me that. Only the Doctor gets to call me that."

"Yes, yes, we all know that," the Dream Lord said impatiently. "The Doctor and his Ally, gallivanting off around the universe, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., etc., same old thing. But the thing is, _Alex_, just how long could you survive without your precious Doctor around to save you?"

Alex looked at him warily but pressed on. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if the Doctor couldn't save you from something? You were left all by yourself. No encouraging, swashbuckling hero around to help and offer praise? How long would you survive that?"

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't even try it," the Doctor warned.

"If this is some attempt to try and goad me back into being a pawn in your sick little game, it's not going to work!"

"Alex," the Doctor warned. He could practically taste the Dream Lord's desire to do something to her. And whatever that something was, it wasn't anything good.

The Dream Lord sighed dramatically. "Very well, Alexandria. Have it your way."

Just then, a burst of birdsong rang out. Alex looked around worriedly, but strangely, neither the Doctor, Amy, nor Rory seemed to be affected by it. In fact, it was like they couldn't hear it at all.

She grabbed the lapels of the Doctor's jacket and struggled to stay on her feet. "Can you hear that?" she asked frantically. "Please tell me you can hear that!"

"Ally, what's happening?" the Doctor asked, gripping her close.

Alex's eyes started closing and she blinked frantically to hold whatever reality the Dream Lord had concocted for her off for a while. "Birds…" she managed to gasp out as she started sinking to the floor, her eyes rolling back into her head. "Birds…Dream…Lord." With that, Alex's legs gave off and she crumpled to the floor.

The Doctor dove down to her body, barely aware that Amy and Rory were right behind him, demanding to know what was happening to their friend. "Ally? Ally! Alex!" he cried desperately, cradling her face in his hands. "Alex, please wake up! Please!" But it was no good. Alex was off in whatever reality the Dream Lord had created for her.

The Doctor's eyes darkened and he gently lowered Alex's head to the ground, her hair fanning out around her head like a halo. He looked up at the Dream Lord, his expression vicious and sinister. Standing behind him, Amy and Rory were spared the terrifying look but they couldn't be saved from his voice.

"If you have any idea about what's good for you," the Doctor threatened, his voice low and filled with rage, "you'll release her at once." The Dream Lord simply looked back at him, smiling a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile. The Doctor's glare intensified by a thousand and if looks could kill, the Dream Lord would've been six feet under in less than a second. "Now." Still, no action was taken. "I SAID NOW!" the Doctor yelled, causing Amy to yelp and jump back into Rory's arms.

"All of this shouting, and over one meaningless little girl!" the Dream Lord bemoaned.

"She is _not _meaningless! She will NEVER be MEANINGLESS!"

The Dream Lord paced up and down the walkway, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. "I'm getting quite bored of this conversation," he announced casually, almost as though he were reading off stock market quotes. "Tweet, tweet! Time to sleep!"

The sound of birdsong filled the room again and the Doctor, Amy, and Rory found their eyes fluttering close. As Amy and Rory sank to the ground, the Doctor struggled to stay awake, leaning against the console. He gave the Dream Lord a contemptuous look when the latter said "Or are you waking _up_?"

Knowing that the Dream Lord's influence was too strong, the Doctor reluctantly sank down to the ground next to Alex. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. His last fleeting thoughts were that he hoped she was safe and okay and that the Dream Lord hadn't put her somewhere horrible.

* * *

Well, that wasn't really true.

Alex screamed bloody murder as she gripped onto the brass railing lining the salon. What the hell had she been thinking, getting on this yacht anyway? _No, it's the Dream Lord!_ Alex reminded herself. She shook her head. _That's what you get for rattling off that big mouth,_ she thought.

Still, that didn't change her current situation. She was currently on a yacht, much like the one her parents had owned, which, like that previous yacht, was currently in the process of sinking. The crew in this reality had all fallen overboard. Alex looked out the glass windows lining the salon and felt her heart jump into her throat as she saw one of the crew members floating lifelessly in the tumbling waves, his mouth open and his eyes glassy.

Alex closed her eyes and quickly looked away. She had to get out of here. With the new addition of this reality, she had three realities to choose from. One was real, two were fake.

Alex bit her lip and felt tears spring to her eyes. God, she really should learn to think before she spoke in certain situations. The only reason the Dream Lord had placed her in this reality was because she challenged his little game. Now, here she was, in her worst nightmare, with no Doctor in sight.

The yacht slammed to the side, forcing Alex back into the windows and the sleek leather furniture to start sliding around everywhere. End tables were knocked over, books and magazines slid all over the floor, and a leather armchair skidded towards Alex, landing right next to her. The yacht slammed again, this time backwards, knocking Alex back into the chair's cushy seat.

She tugged her brown leather coat around her tighter. Okay, she needed to think. This reality could be the real one and she really didn't want to die here. The only way she might be able to get out of this alive was to try and steer the boat…

Alex shuddered. No. No way in hell was she going to go up on deck and try steering this whale of a boat. It required manpower, something Alex was sorely lacking. _If only the Doctor were here,_ she thought. _He'd fix this for sure._

Alex shook her head. _Focus Alexandria Nicole! The Doctor isn't here and right now, you need to be a big girl and get out of this mess yourself. _Sighing, Alex began to pull herself up from the chair. However, right as she was just managing to climb out, the birdsong started up again.

She groaned and flopped back into the chair. "Oh great!" she muttered, closing her eyes just as the sleepiness sank in.

A/N: Gasp! Alex! No! Hope I shocked you all with this chapter. Alex is in a boat-sinking reality...what will happen?! And how many of you wanted to slap Amy for interrupting the almost-kiss between the Doctor and Alex? :)

Some notes on reviews...

**ElysiumPhoenix** - Lol, glad you like Marigold! As far as I know, no relative of a companion has threatened to shoot the Doctor, so Marigold became the first! And I'm so glad you liked the original adventure! Don't worry, there's another coming up in this story called 'Alex's Birthday', but I don't want to go into details too soon. I can say it will be coming up after 'The Big Bang' though. :)

**dream lighting **- I'm glad you love Alex! You're right, she does keep River on her toes and in line. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! I can't say when they'll get together, just that they will...sometime. :)

**Cigar Fancy Pants **- Thank you! And I hope this chapter settled your fluff withdrawal. :) Oh, and thanks! It kinda just happened because I wanted to reply to my readers when I saw what they had reviewed. And I DO care about my readers, every single one of you! :D

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you liked the original episode! And I'm glad it was believable. That was my biggest worry when writing it. :)

**rycbar15 **- One of those 'tear your hair out' moments was in this chapter with the almost-kiss! And lol, that bit about her mental barriers might be true! :)

**jesterlover **- Hope you were pleased by what happened to Alex in this chapter. And I can say that this is just the beginning of a rough few episodes for her. After this is 'Hungry Earth/Cold Blood'... And did you like the Doctor's epic freak-out here? He's certainly protective of Alex, isn't he? :)

**TimeyWimey12 **- No, it's not bad. I think a lot of people were expecting that and disappointed when it didn't happen. It's just with trying to stop the power suck, then seeing the Lylon's kill themselves, then the relief of escaping the plant, there wasn't anywhere good to put it and I think Alex kind of forgot it when they got down to business. Don't worry, some slapping will occur later on. :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Glad you like the daily updates! In answer to your question, the majority of this story is already written. It has been for about a year. All that's left is 'Death of the Doctor' and 'A Christmas Story', the former of which is about halfway done. All I do before I post a new chapter is go back over and edit it to make sure it sounds good and makes sense. Right now, as I'm writing this, I'm listening to 'Glee' music. My crush on Darren Criss almost rivals the one I have on Matt Smith...sigh. :)

Thank you for all the reviews and to those who followed/favored this story! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	31. Amy and Ally's Choice Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Doctor Who.

Alex's eyes burst open and she gasped, looking around frantically. She was back in the TARDIS reality. A little ways away from her, she could see Amy and Rory passed out on the floor, Rory holding Amy's hand. But where was the Doctor? Alex moved to get up to look for him when she became aware of a familiar arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close. Looking down, she saw the Doctor, also encased in slumber.

Alex couldn't help herself and reached out to smooth a stray hair out of the Doctor's eye. He looked so…peaceful. There was no evidence of his madcap eagerness and craziness. Right now, he looked relaxed and at peace.

"See something you like Alex?"

Alex jumped and turned her head to see the Dream Lord standing in front of her, albeit at a small distance. Alex wasn't sure if he was doing that on purpose or because some part of the Doctor's threats had resonated within him and he had decided not to take any chances.

"You know, that really wasn't necessary," she said softly, not wanting to tempt his anger.

"You aren't the only one who thinks so," the Dream Lord informed her, nodding at the Doctor. "Oh! You should've heard him! _If you know what's good for you, you'll release her at once! Now!_"

"Well, he cares about all of his companions," Alex said wisely.

The Dream Lord eyed her. "Really? Is that what you think you are to him? Just a companion?"

Alex thought for a moment. "Well, one he highly values at any rate," she admitted.

The Dream Lord shook his head in a clearly frustrated manner. "It's amazing how intelligent a person can be while also being an utter dunce."

Alex narrowed her eyes. She took great pride in her intelligence and being called an utter dunce was the equivalent of being called a bitch by Hillary Westcott after she accidentally spilled Pepsi on her at a school picnic. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't start barking again Alexandria! I'm making a valid point here!"

Alex crossed her arms. "Well, it's not that clear to me!"

The Dream Lord sighed and waved his hand as if to declare the matter closed. "Never mind. I think Time Boy over there misses you. He was still screaming and carrying on when I last saw him anyway." With a snap of his fingers, the twittering of a bird was echoing around the control room and Alex was slumping back into the Doctor's embrace.

"Remember Ally!" the Dream Lord called as she slipped further into unconsciousness. "Three realities! Only one real one! Deadly danger in each! Tick tock, tick tock!"

* * *

The Doctor's eyes burst open and he immediately sat up. As his arms were still wrapped around Alex, she was pulled up as well. He heard Rory and Amy gasping as they woke up but there was no sound from Alex. She was still unconscious. Immediately, the Doctor lowered her to the ground and frantically cradled her face.

"Come on Ally," he begged. He was sacred. Truly, truly scared, for the first time in a very long time. "Please wake up. Please, come back." _Come back to me, _he silently added.

The Doctor was still crouched beside Alex's body as the Dream Lord bustled in, wearing a blue suit, a purple tie, and eyeglasses. In his hands was a large chart, an X-ray of a brain.

"Oh, this is bad," the Dream Lord said as Amy and Rory stood, the Doctor remaining next to Alex. "This is very, very bad. Look at this X-ray. Your brain is completely see-through." The Doctor gritted his teeth. He could just imagine Alex saying something smart such as _well, duh, it's an x-ray, genius. You're SUPPOSED to see through it!_ The Dream Lord, not knowing of his thoughts, went on. "But then, I've always been able to see through _you_, Doctor."

"Always?" Amy questioned. "What do you mean 'always'?"

"More importantly, why haven't you brought Alex out of whatever hell you're putting her through?" the Doctor demanded, turning his head to glare at the Dream Lord.

"Now then, the prognosis is this," the Dream Lord began, ignoring Amy and the Doctor altogether. "If you die in the dream, you wake up in reality. Healthy recovery in no time. Ask me what happens if you die in reality?"

"What happens?" Rory asked. Both Amy and the Doctor could practically hear Alex groaning.

The Dream Lord stared at him, unable to believe he'd actually asked that. "You die, stupid," he shot back. "That's why it's called _reality_."

"Have you met the Doctor before?" Amy questioned. Someone had to be Alex after all. "Do you know him? Doctor, does he?"

"Now, don't get jealous," the Dream Lord smirked. "Lord, you're worse than Ally."

"Don't call her that," the Doctor grounded out as he gently picked Alex up off the floor and cradled her in his arms bridal style.

The Dream Lord didn't say anything to that. "He's been around, our boy," he told Amy, as though the Doctor hadn't interrupted him. "Never mind that, you've got a world to choose." He turned to the Doctor. "One reality was almost too much for you, Doctor. Take two and call me in the morning!"

"Not until you release Alex!" the Doctor yelled.

The Dream Lord sighed. "Still fixated on that, are you? Well, I think Alex is a little busy herself right now…"

"Don't punish her for what she said!" the Doctor snapped, pausing only to readjust Alex's body in his arms. "Just let. Her. Go. NOW!"

The Dream Lord groaned dramatically. "Alright, alright, if you insist. But, better catch _Ally _up to speed. She's missing all the fun!" With that, he disappeared.

"Okay, I don't like him," Rory announced as he stepped forward to help the Doctor lower Alex into a chair.

"Who is he?" Amy questioned, arms crossed as she stared at the Doctor expectantly.

"I don't know. It's a big universe," the Doctor dismissed as he reached down and lifted the hideous sweater off Alex's frame. A fake memory from this reality popped into his brain, a memory of him pulling Alex's nightgown off during their first time together, his fingertips dancing over her hot-for-him flesh. _OH GOD! FOCUS!_ He yelled angrily at himself. He couldn't think of Alex that way! No matter how much he may or may not want to.

"Why is he doing this?" Amy wondered, catching the sweater as the Doctor tossed it to her before flinging it across the room onto a flowered sofa.

"Maybe because he has no physical form," the Doctor mused as he reached out and pushed Alex's bangs out of her eyes. "That gets you down after a while, so he's taking it out on folk like us who can touch and eat and feel." He looked down and noticed he was still wearing the sweater. Within an instant, it too was off and had joined the Pepto-Bismol one on the couch.

"What does he mean 'deadly danger', though?" Rory asked, remembering the Dream Lord's words. "Nothing deadly has happened here. I mean, a bit of natural wastage, obviously."

But the Doctor wasn't really listening to him. Instead, he was looking around the room, the now _empty _room. "They've all gone," he murmured. He bent down and collected Alex once again. "They've all gone!"

Right at that moment, Alex's eyes popped open, exposing brilliant chocolate brown irises. She gasped and looked around. "Okay, what'd I miss?" she asked.

The other three jumped at the sound of her voice. "Alex!" Amy cried, rushing over to her as fast as her stomach would allow. "Are you okay?"

The Doctor's arms tightened around Alex and she looked up into his panicked and relieved pupils. "Are you okay?" he demanded before launching into a stream of questions, barely pausing to take a breath. "What happened? Where were you? Did the Dream Lord speak to you? Did he harm you in any way? How many-,"

"Whoa, hold up! Time out!" Alex cried. "First, yes Amy, I'm okay. Second, other reality but we don't have time to discuss that." Truthfully, Alex didn't want to admit what kind of reality the Dream Lord had created for her. If the Doctor had been angry before, he'd be fit to be tied if she told him the truth now. "Yes, the Dream Lord spoke to me, no he didn't harm me and if you ask me how many fingers you are holding up, I swear on all the saints that I will kick your head all the way to Essex!"

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God, you're okay," he breathed. He lowered her to the ground but as he was pulling back up, he whispered in her ear "It's good to have you back Ally."

"Same here Doc," she whispered back before asking in a louder voice "So, what's happened? And where's all the old people? This place was crawling with them last time I was here."

"Good point Ally," the Doctor commented. "Come on!" He grabbed Alex's hand and the two raced out of the nursing home, closely followed by Amy and Rory. Once they were outside, he pulled her towards a playground where a bunch of children and a harried-looking teacher were.

"Stop! You two, over there!" the teacher called. "Come along, where's the rest of you? Come on, come on. We're going up to the castle now!" She nodded over to a large, ruined castle, something Alex had always thought was an oddity in the otherwise boring town of Leadworth. "All of you, come on!"

"Why would they leave?" Rory asked, confused, as they went down the road.

"And what did you mean about Mrs. Poggit's nice old lady act?" Amy added.

"One of my _tawdry quirks_," the Doctor replied, looking down and winking at Alex. She giggled as he added "Sniffing out things that aren't what they seem. So, come on, let's think. The mechanics of this reality split we're stuck in."

"Time asleep exactly matches time spent in our dream worlds, which isn't like normal dreams where time feels sped up and slowed down all at once," Alex finished.

The Doctor nodded approvingly at her and smiled at her. "Exactly. Thank you Ally."

"And we're all dreaming the same dream at the same time," Rory commented.

"What could cause something like that?" Alex asked. Half-seriously, she suggested "Mind meld?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, mind-melding is a completely different process but I like where you're heading. This is some sort of communal trance. Very rare, very complicated. I'm sure there's a dream giveaway, a tell, but my mind isn't working because this _village _is so _dull_!" As he briefly looked back at Amy and Rory, he added "I'm slowing down like you two have."

Right before Alex could scold him, a gasp of pain sounded from Amy. All eyes shot to her. "Really! Ow! It's coming!" Amy screamed as she clutched her stomach.

"Help her!" Alex screeched at a dumbstruck Doctor and Rory.

"Okay, you're a doctor, help her!" the Doctor chattered nervously to Rory.

Rory stared at him incredulously. "_You're _a doctor!" he shot back.

"It's okay, we're both doctors!" the Doctor assured Amy before squatting down and cupping his hands to catch the baby.

Alex gawked at him. "How is _that _going to help?!" she cried, shaking her head.

"Okay genius, what do you suggest we do?!" the Doctor shouted at her as Amy tried to control her breathing.

"Anything but that!" Alex returned. "Amy, honey, breathe."

Amy looked like she was about to follow this advice when she suddenly straightened up. "Okay, it's not coming," she blurted out. The Doctor shot back up and they all stared at her, unable to believe what she had just pulled.

"What?" the Doctor questioned, still reeling from the events of the last ten seconds.

Amy glared at him dangerously. "This is my life now and it just turned you white as a s_heet_, so don't you call it dull again, _ever_." She arched an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly. "Okay?"

The Doctor nodded. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Yeah," Amy accepted before waddling off towards the playground, Rory at her heels. Alex followed close behind her.

"You were faking it?" she demanded.

"Sorry for scaring you Alex," Amy apologized.

Alex grinned at her. "Oh no, don't go apologizing. That worked way better than a lecture by me." The two chuckled a little bit at the validity of that statement as they approached the swings.

After helping Amy into a swing, Alex dove for the one next to it before the Doctor could get there. She smirked at his pouting face and immediately used the heels of her black heeled boots to push off the ground and swing high into the air. She had loved swinging ever since her first elementary school recess in Kentucky. Her vague memories of New York consisted of preoccupying herself with coloring books and building blocks in her fancy private preschool. Actually getting to go outside for recess was a total delight to her five-year-old self.

The Doctor watched her, impressed. Alex was going really high. You could tell she had been doing this for a long time. "Nice job, Ally," he complimented as she briefly passed his face.

"Thanks!" Alex shouted as she swung back up. "I've been doing this since I was five. Got pretty good over the years."

"Let me guess," the Doctor called up. "You were one of those kids who tried to go over the bar, right?"

Alex grinned and threw her head back in laughter. "Yes actually! But I stopped when I was seven. One kid actually did manage to get over it but he lost his grip, fell, and broke both his wrists."

The Doctor watched her for a few more moments, delighting in how young and beautiful and perfect she looked. No wonder the Dream Lord kept berating him about it. In his eyes, Alex was all those things and more. All you had to do was look at her and you'd know it. Then, remembering why they were even here, he reached out and tugged at one of the chains. Alex flew backwards, slowing down a little before eventually coming to a complete stop.

She pouted up at him. "You could've just said _come back down, Ally_ or something like that."

The Doctor shook his head at her and moved behind her. "Would that really have worked?" he whispered in her ear before gently pushing her forwards.

If the two had been paying attention, they might've noticed Amy and Rory watching them with identical bemused expressions. Despite the fact they were stuck in a weird augmented dream, they were still determined to get those two together, even more now that the Doctor and Alex were supposed to have been a couple in this reality.

"Now we all know there's an elephant in the room," the Doctor said as he continued pushing Alex gently.

Amy glowered at him. "I _have _to be this size!" she snapped. "I'm _having _a _baby_!"

"No, no," the Doctor hastily corrected. "The hormones seem real, but no. Is nobody going to mention Rory's ponytail?" All eyes looked over to the aforementioned ponytail and then down at Amy, who was trying to reign in her laughter.

The Doctor looked down at her and Alex mischievously. "You girls hold him down, I'll cut it off?" he offered, making Amy and Alex burst into a cacophony of giggles.

Rory glared at him. "This from the man in the bowtie?"

"Bowties are cool," the Doctor shot back before looking across the playground. His voice died as he watched none other than Mrs. Poggit stand on the steps leading up to the castle. She was looking around and acting suspicious, almost as if she didn't want anyone to see what she was up to.

"I don't know about you," he murmured, "but I wouldn't hire Mrs. Poggit as a babysitter. What's she doing?"

"More importantly, what does she want?" Alex asked as she followed his gaze over to the woman. But before they could ponder this any farther, they all heard the sounds of birds chirping.

"Oh no," Amy groaned before sighing. Alex slunk down further in her seat and the Doctor leaned against the swing-set wearily. "Here we go again."

* * *

Alex woke up and immediately found herself freezing. The temperature in the TARDIS had dropped considerably, bordering on the temperature at which water began to freeze. She shivered a little. Noticing that the Doctor was already awake and standing, she pulled herself up and joined him.

Amy and Rory were also standing, both looking pretty cold as well. "It's really cold," Rory commented. "Have you got any warm clothing?"

"What does it matter if we're cold?" the Doctor shouted, frustrated with this whole bloody situation. "We have to know what she's up to!"

Amy and Rory both arched an eyebrow and silently nodded to a shivering Alex just behind the Doctor. By now, they had figured out that aside from being his rock, Alex was also the Doctor's kryptonite. If he saw her suffering in any way, he'd find himself bending backwards in order to fix it.

Noticing their nods, the Doctor whirled around, saw Alex, and his whole demeanor instantly changed. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized, rubbing his face with a hand as he stepped towards Alex. "There should be some stuff down there. Have a look."

While Amy and Rory hurried down the steps over to a small storage unit, the Doctor stepped closer to Alex. Before she could protest, he had taken his jacket off and was pulling her arms through it. "Don't protest," he said quickly just as she opened her mouth. "I'm not having you freeze."

"But won't you get cold?" Alex demanded as he headed towards the stairs and under the glass platform.

"Oh, don't worry about me!" he shouted cheerfully through the floor. "Time Lords have a lower body temperature than humans. It'll take a while for me to get chilly."

Alex highly doubted that but decided not to argue. "If you insist," she sighed. "I'll be right back. I'm going to look for something in the wardrobe room." The Doctor made a noncommittal noise and, taking that as an okay, Alex headed towards the wardrobe room.

The lights in the wardrobe room were also off, making it next to impossible to see anything in there. Alex felt her away around the room before eventually bumping into a large clothes rack. She grinned as she felt a silk scarf under her fingertips. She knew she had seen some scarfs and warm clothing in here before.

Ditching her impractical gray silk scarf, Alex quickly pulled a chocolate brown sweater over her shirt before grabbing a nearby woolen scarf and tying it tightly around her neck. The scarf was a long multi-colored one, so long that it seemed pretty impractical. Nevertheless, Alex figured it had to have served some use at some point. She adjusted the tweed jacket around her shoulders, finding it surprisingly warm, before delving further into the wardrobe.

As she dug around for an extra jacket for the Doctor, her nose happened to rub against the wool scarf. She inhaled deeply and jumped back in surprise. Wait a minute…she recognized that musky cologne. It was the same stuff the Doctor always wore. That meant that she was wearing the Doctor's scarf…

A thrill of excitement raced through Alex. Sure, it was coincidence that she had managed to find the Doctor's scarf but that didn't mean she couldn't pretend she had discovered it in some grand Fate-designed scheme.

Alex was able to find an extra tweed jacket – trust the Doctor to have _two _of them – before heading back to the control room. She arrived just in time to hear Rory ask "What is that?" She dashed into the room to see a burning ice blue ball on the scanner. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before.

"A star," the Doctor breathed. "A cold star." Within an instant, he was racing towards the doors. He opened them, allowing a bright light and a burst of freezing cold air to rush in before he pushed them closed again.

"That's why we're freezing!" he shouted, racing back up to the console. "It's not a heating malfunction! We're drifting toward a cold sun!"

Alex shook her head. "No way," she said flatly, arms crossed. "There's no such thing. Stars _burn_."

"So's this one!" the Doctor argued. "It's just burning cold."

"Is that possible?" Rory demanded.

"What is that you're holding?" Alex questioned, peering curiously at a weird windup device made out of kitchen utensils that Rory was holding.

"It's a _generator_!" the Doctor cried. "And, I can't know _everything_! Why does everyone expect me to?! Always?!"

"Okay, this is something you haven't seen before," Rory surmised. "So does that mean this is the dream?"

"I _don't know_," the Doctor replied irritably as he sat in one of the jump-seats. He glanced at his watch as he added "But there it is and I'd say we've got about fourteen minutes until we crash into it. But that's not a problem."

"Because you know how to get us out of this?" Rory guessed hopefully.

"Because we'll have frozen to death by then," the Doctor deadpanned.

"Oh, then what are we going to do?" Amy questioned as the Doctor pulled out a stethoscope from somewhere and began listening to parts of the TARDIS console.

"Stay calm," he instructed. "Don't get sucked into it, because this just might be the battle that we have to lose."

Alex looked at him fearfully. In truth, she hadn't really been scared at all during this adventure, except for in her drowning reality and when she had first been introduced to the Dream Lord. She knew all that was because the Doctor had been right next to her, assuring her that he would get them, get _her_, out of this, but now he was saying that he may not be able to get them to survive this. She wasn't sure how she felt about this prospect.

Then, from behind her, came a sneer. "Oh, this is so _you_, isn't it?" Rory remarked sarcastically.

"What?" the Doctor muttered, pulling the stethoscope buds out of his ears.

"Huh, what?" Rory mocked. "A weird new star, fourteen minutes left to live and only one man to save the day, huh? I just wanted a nice village and family!"

"Oh, dear, Doctor!" an annoyingly familiar voice called. Sure enough, they all looked over to see the Dream Lord, standing just behind the Doctor. "Dissent in the ranks. There was an old Doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up throwing his life away. He let down his friends-,"

"Shut up!" Alex snapped as she was the only other person in the room who knew the truth about what had happened to Gallifrey and some of the Doctor's friends. "Shut up you annoying, little…" She trailed off, trying to find a good insult. "You…you…hobbit!"

The others looked at her strangely. Even the Dream Lord seemed puzzled by the remark. "Hobbit?" Rory repeated, looking at her incredulously. "That was the best you could come up with?"

Alex shrugged sheepishly. "I was being rushed!" she hissed as the Doctor shook his head at her.

"Anyway," the Dream Lord called, turning all attention back to him. He was about to speak again when the familiar chatter of birds rang out.

"Oh, no. We're out of time!" the Dream Lord moaned as the TARDIS gang started wobbling unsteadily on their feet and began slumping down to the floor. "Don't spend too long there, or you'll catch your death here."

* * *

Alex's first view upon reentering the Leadworth reality was seeing the see-saws just behind the swing-set…upside-down. _Oh great! _She thought. _The Dream Lord's twisting gravity too!_

"Alex, get up from there!" the Doctor called. "You're making me nervous. Honestly, that position shouldn't even be possible!"

Alex shifted a little before realizing that her mid-back region was completely lying in the curved black plastic swing seat. The upper portion of her body was dangling upside down, her long hair touching the ground, while her legs were splayed out in a V-shape on the other side. She quickly righted herself up and threw a hand to her head. "Ugh, blood-rush," she grimaced as she slowly stood up.

She followed the Doctor, Rory, and Amy as they raced up the stairs of the ruined castle. The Doctor stopped at the top and looked around. "Where have the children gone?" he questioned before running forward to examine a pile of ash.

Alex frowned and stepped forward to get a better look. There were a little over a dozen of these ash piles, all of them piled up next to toys and play shovels. She bent down next to one, running her fingers through it, as the Doctor scanned another pile next to her with his sonic.

"Don't know," Rory replied. "Play time's probably over."

"Wouldn't they have taken their toys though?" Alex asked as she picked up a red plastic bucket with a matching shovel. She used to have one just like it years ago. She would run around in the backyard digging holes and catching earthworms until Carla yelled at her to stop it.

"Excellent point Ally," the Doctor complimented, racing past.

Alex continued to look around as Amy and Rory talked. Her close proximity to them allowed her to hear their conversation. "You see, this is the real one," Rory was saying as she tuned in. He sighed. "I just feel it. Don't you feel it?"

"I feel it both places," Amy admitted.

"I feel it here. It's just so tranquil and relaxed. Nothing bad could ever happen here."

Alex bit her lip to keep from voicing her thoughts. _Don't go putting money on that,_ she thought, remembering the Dream Lord's words about facing a deadly danger in both realities.

"Not really me, though, is it?" Amy asked. "I mean, I would be happy settling down in a place with a pub, two shops, and a really bad Amateur Dramatics Society?" Rory made some kind of surprised noise for Amy quickly added "That's why I got pregnant! So I didn't have to see them doing _Oklahoma_."

"At this rate, you'll have ten kids," Alex smiled, standing up. She skipped over to them and grinned. "That's a lot of god-children's birthdays for me to remember."

Amy stuck her tongue out at her. "Hush it you," she playfully scolded.

"And who said we were making you god-mother anyway?" Rory teased, knowing that if he and Amy ever had a kid, Alex would be the first person on the list to be considered god-mother.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Amy abruptly asked. "And what are those piles of dust?"

The Doctor looked at them with wide eyes and he closed the sonic, placing a handle over its prongs. "Play time's definitely over," he confirmed, looking around at the piles of ash.

Realization clicked in Amy, Alex, and Rory's brains. "Oh my God," Alex gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. _Who could do something so horrible? _She wondered.

"What happened to them?" Rory questioned as he looked around the scene before him in disbelief.

The Doctor was looking past them at something in the distance. Alex turned around to see a large group of Leadworth's resident elderly walking along the street towards them. "I think they did," the Doctor said before setting off at a brisk pace towards the crowd.

"They're just old people!" Amy protested as she struggled to keep up with him.

"No, they're _very _old people," the Doctor corrected her, jumping down the stairs. "Sorry Rory, I don't think you're what's been keeping them alive!"

Just as they were passing the exterior of the castle, the Dream Lord popped up. "Hello peasants!" he called, causing all the old people to stop in their tracks. "What's this? Attack of the old people? Oh, that's ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Amy? Let's all jump under a bus and wake up in the TARDIS. You first."

"Leave her alone," the Doctor warned.

The Dream Lord ignored him, proving this to be a new habit of his. "What about you Ally?" he sneered. "Perfect little mind like that ought to be of some use. How about we jump off a cliff into the TARDIS?" He paused, reconsidering these words. "Well, these three maybe," he said, gesturing to the Doctor, Amy, and Rory. "You may end up in that…other reality."

Alex froze and gripped the Doctor's arm. She did _not_ want to go back to that reality. It was terrifying for her. There was a good reason she stayed away from water. Around it, she could barely function.

The Doctor's eyes darkened upon seeing Alex's newly white face. He officially _hated _the Dream Lord for torturing her that way. Whatever he had placed in that other reality was enough to scare Alex, a hard feat considering the girl had enormous bravery and courage.

"Leave her alone," he threatened, his voice filled with barely restrained anger and disgust. "So much as _speak _to her again, you'll find yourself in a place even worse than Hell."

But the Dream Lord merely grinned at him. It was like he enjoyed getting this reaction out of the Doctor. "Do that again! I love it when he does that," he sighed, confirming his like of making the Doctor pissed beyond normal measures. "Tall dark hero. _Leave her alone!_" He paused and thought for a moment. "Strange really. You're so protective of her, more so than any of your other companions. So much as a splinter threatens her and you're ready to declare World War III." No one bothered denying the validity of this statement.

"Just leave her!" Rory attempted but while it was a worthwhile attempt, it didn't exactly scream danger and back-off like the Doctor's words had.

The Dream Lord clearly knew this for he looked down at Rory and said "Yes, you're not quite as impressive. But I know where your heart lies, don't I, Amy Pond?"

"Shut up!" Amy snapped as he stepped towards her. "Just shut up and leave me alone."

"But listen. You're in there," the Dream Lord said, addressing the Doctor before he turned back to Amy. "Loves a red-head, the Doctor. Has he told you about Elizabeth the First?" He snorted. "Well, she _thought _she was the first."

Alex's stomach twisted at the mention of Queen Elizabeth I. It had pained her when Liz 10 revealed it and it still pained her now. She didn't even know why she was so upset about it. She couldn't be jealous of the Doctor after all, could she?

"Drop it," the Doctor ordered, noticing Alex's pained face. Strangely, he liked that she was jealous of his brief liaison with Elizabeth but he also didn't like seeing it hurt her so much. "Drop all of it! I know who you are."

_He does?_ Alex thought gleefully. Maybe this nightmare could be over soon.

"Of course you don't," the Dream Lord retorted.

"Course I do." The Doctor stepped forward so that he was inches from touching the Dream Lord's face. "No idea how you can be here," he murmured, "but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do."

The Dream Lord smirked at him. There was a silence for a few seconds and it almost looked as though the Dream Lord was going to say that the Doctor had won. But instead, his sneer grew wider and he looked over at the group of patiently waiting elderly. "Never mind me. Maybe you should worry about them."

The group turned to look at the old people, who were now coming towards them, armed with walkers and canes. Alex looked back to the Dream Lord, only to see that he had disappeared again. She felt a hand grab hers and she looked up and smiled reassuringly at the Doctor. He winked at her before they started walking over to the old people.

"Hello!" the Doctor greeted, keeping Alex close to his side. "We were wondering where you went. To get reinforcements, by the look of it. Are you alright? You look a bit tense."

"Hello Mr. Nainby," Rory greeted the man who was approaching him.

"Rory," the Doctor warned, trying to get him to see reason.

"Mr. Nainby ran the sweet shop. He used to slip me the odd free toffee." Right then, without any warning, Mr. Nainby lifted Rory up off the ground.

Rory struggled slightly and looked at Mr. Nainby with shock. "Did I not say thank you?" he wondered right before Mr. Nainby threw him to the ground.

He struggled to his feet. "How did he do that?!" he cried, hurrying over to an alarmed Amy.

"I suspect he's not himself." The Doctor grasped Alex's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Don't get too comfortable here! You may have to run, fast."

Amy groaned. With her current physical condition, running was _not _an option. "Can't we just talk to them?" she pleaded.

However, talking didn't seem like much of an option, for once Amy had finished speaking, the old people all opened their mouths, revealing giant green eyes in them.

Alex felt a wave of vomit trying to force its way up her throat. "Ewww," she grimaced before swallowing thickly.

"There's an eye…in her mouth," Amy breathed, looking at the people in front of them with a similar expression to Alex's.

The Doctor whipped out his sonic and waved it up and down Mrs. Poggit, who was giving them a nice up-and-close view of her extra eye. "There's a whole creature inside her," he revealed. "Inside all of them. They've been there for years, living and waiting."

"That is disgusting," Rory sneered. None of the humans had quite gotten over the fact that they were looking at another eye inside a person's mouth. "They're not going to be peeping out of anywhere else, are they?"

_Yes, focus on the extra eye!_ The Doctor snippily thought.

His thoughts were interrupted when Mrs. Poggit suddenly leaned forward hissing, accompanied by a bright green gas emitting from her mouth. Amy and Alex screamed. Amy hurriedly pulled Rory back while the Doctor grabbed Alex and ran with her to Amy and Rory's sides.

"RUN!" the Doctor instructed, an order Amy and Rory wasted no time in obeying. As the couple raced off, the Doctor tried to distract the old people, or whatever they were. "Okay, leave them, leave them!" he ordered. "Talk to me, talk to me. You are Eknodines. A proud, ancient race. You're better than this!"

"Why are you hiding here?" Alex picked up. "Why aren't you at home?"

Mrs. Poggit opened her mouth to speak. Alex was slightly disturbed by her altered voice, which was deep and raspy and totally alien. "We were driven from our planet by-,"

"Planet by upstart neighbors," the Doctor finished.

"So we've-,"

"Been living here inside the bodies of old humans for years," the Doctor interrupted again.

Alex gaped at the Eknodine, slightly impressed and slightly horrified. "No wonder they live so long!" she realized. "_You're _keeping them alive!"

"We were humbled and destroyed," Mrs. Poggit said bitterly. "Now we will do the same to others."

"Okay, makes sense, I suppose," the Doctor muttered to himself.

"It's credible enough," Alex added. "Could be real."

Alex then heard someone moving across the gravel behind them and turned to see a young bike messenger riding towards them. Seeing the group, he stopped and waved. "Morning!" he called.

Mrs. Poggit's response was to spray her weird green gas on him. As the Doctor jerked Alex back, they both watched, horrified, as the bike messenger stumbled back, screaming, before dissolving into dust and ash.

"You need to leave this planet," the Doctor ordered as he turned back to the Eknodine.

However, the Eknodine didn't seem to like this idea very much. Mrs. Poggit screeched at him. "Did you really think that would work?" Alex asked as she and the Doctor nervously began backing up as the Eknodine crept closer.

"I was hoping, yes," the Doctor admitted.

"Time for Plan B, I think. I vote running."

"I second that!" the Doctor agreed before grabbing her hand and sprinting off.

Alex grimaced as they ran across the cobblestoned entrance to the park. "Why did I have to pick today to wear high-heels?" she groaned, casting a bitter look at her black heeled boots.

The Doctor was about to retort when the chirping of birds filled the air. Alex stumbled into him, their pace slowing down. The Doctor stumbled into her as well and the two continued to do this as they hurried as fast as they could down the street.

Alex looked back and spotted the Eknodine fast approaching. They needed to find a place to hide out and fast. Almost as if it could read her mind, the birdsong increased in volume. Alex fought to keep her eyes open as she looked around the street. "Butcher's!" she gasped, weakly pointing to a large white shop advertising the name.

The Doctor nodded and pulled her along into the tiny store. Alex collapsed against the counter as the Doctor flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED. Alex highly doubted that would keep the Eknodine out, but she wasn't in much of a position to say anything.

"I love a good butcher's, don't you?" a voice rang out. Alex whirled around to see the Dream Lord standing behind the counter. "We've got to _use _these places or they'll shut down." He looked over at the Doctor. "Oh, but you're probably a vegetarian, aren't you, you big flop-haired wuss."

"Oh, pipe down!" the Doctor snapped. He reached over and grabbed the keys next to the door. "I'm busy!"

"Yes, save it for someone who cares," Alex retorted coldly. She attempted to give the Dream Lord one of her best glares but her staggering due to the continuing birdsong made this rather difficult.

The Dream Lord arched an eyebrow at the two of them. "Maybe you need a little sleep." The birdsong increased and Alex found herself slumping over the counter while the Doctor fell back against the wall. "Oh, wait a moment! If you fall asleep here, several dozen angry pensioners will destroy you with their horrible eye things."

The birdsong let up a little, allowing the Doctor to get to his feet. He rushed over to Alex and pulled her off the counter. "Come on Ally, stay with me," he encouraged as he pulled her over to rest next to him by a storeroom door. The chirping then increased and the Doctor growled in anger before putting his fingers in his ears to try and block out the noise.

"Fingers in the ear," the Dream Lord said condescendingly. "Brilliant. What's next, shouting boo?" There was a bunch of knocking on the front door and the Dream Lord turned to see all of the Eknodine crowded around outside. "Come in! Come in!" he encouraged. As the Eknodine began filing in, heading towards the Doctor and Alex, he added "Yes, we've got lots at steak here this week. Lots of _steak_, get it? Are these jokes wasted on you?"

The Doctor weakly pushed Alex ahead of him. She flopped against the wall wearily. Alex was almost out. "Wait, wait, stop!" he called weakly, to the Eknodine or the Dream Lord he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he needed to get him and Alex in that storeroom as fast as possible.

The Dream Lord turned away. "Oh, I can't watch," he muttered, putting his hands over his eyes.

The Doctor fiddled with the sonic screwdriver for a moment before finally managing to get the storeroom door unlocked. Acting fast, he grabbed Alex and pushed her unceremoniously into the room. Stepping in, he slammed and soniced the door closed. The birdsong was getting louder now and he slumped to the floor, blindly reaching out and tugging Alex close to him.

"It's okay," he whispered as she whimpered slightly. "I've got you."

* * *

Alex woke up and immediately shivered. The TARDIS was _freezing _now, which could only mean that they were getting closer to the cold star, which meant that they were getting closer to their sure death. At least in this reality.

Alex tugged the Doctor's scarf closer around her neck and moved herself tighter against the Doctor's chest. He was also cold too – _Time Lord superior biology my eye! _– but he was all the heat Alex had.

The Doctor's eyes open and shot down to the tiny, shivering figure curled up next to him. "Ally?" he asked, putting a hand to her cheek. He jerked it back. It was freezing to the touch. "Ally, you're freezing!" He sat up, pulling Alex with him, sitting her on his lap. He placed his arms around her and rubbed her back and shoulders, trying to get her warm.

Alex smiled a little. "Thanks." She reached over and grabbed the spare tweed jacket she had found. It had fallen to the ground the last time she fell unconscious in here. "Here. I'm not having you freeze either."

The Doctor chuckled a bit but was nevertheless touched by her thoughtfulness. "Thanks," he said as he shrugged into the jacket. His eyes traveled down her frame and it was then that he finally noticed her scarf, or rather, _his _scarf. "Nice scarf by the way," he said, reaching out and fingering it.

Alex blushed. "Thanks. Stumbled upon it in the wardrobe room. Was this one of yours?"

"Yes, I used to wear it a long time ago." The Doctor grimaced a little. "Can't imagine why now. Horribly impractical. It was a miracle I didn't sprain an ankle running around in that thing."

Alex looked down at the woolen material and smiled slightly. "I think I know why you wore it."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow. "You do? Why?"

"You wore it then for the reason you wear that bowtie now." Alex smiled impishly at him, her eyes sparkling and turning a pale, light green. "Because you thought it was cool."

The Doctor laughed. He was pretty sure Alex's statement had just caused him to become even _more _attracted to her, if such a thing was even possible.

"It's colder!" Amy yelped from the other side of the console. Alex mentally groaned. Despite her intentions, Amy seemed to have a knack for interrupting sweet moments between her and the Doctor.

Alex shifted off the Doctor's lap and crawled over to join Amy and Rory, the Doctor just behind her. "The four of us have to agree, now, which is the dream," he decided as he pulled Alex closer to him, wrapping a blanket around her frame.

"It's this, here!" Rory cried.

"He could be right," Amy agreed. "The science is all wrong here. Burning _ice_?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no. Ice can burn. Sofas can read. It's a big universe. We have to agree which battle to lose. All of us, now."

"Okay, which world do you think is real?" Amy asked him.

"This one," the Doctor said, not missing a beat.

"No, the other one!" Rory argued.

The Doctor eyed him critically. "Yeah, but are we disagreeing or competing?" he shot back.

Amy looked at them blankly. "Competing over what?" The guys turned to look at her, causing the redhead to roll her eyes and stand up.

"Nine minutes to impact," the Doctor reported, checking his watch.

Alex watched them, feeling her blood pulsing and pounding. No, the Doctor could _not _be competing over Amy. He was not in love with her! She'd forbid it! She turned to the Doctor as he stood up. "Why would you be competing over Amy?" she asked, trying to keep her voice light but failing miserably.

"It's not like _that_ Ally," the Doctor protested.

"Then what is it like?"

The Doctor knew why he was competing over Amy with Rory. It was a matter of friendship and let's face it, that village bored him to tears. But he knew what Alex was thinking. She thought it was over his and hers apparent involvement in the Leadworth dream and that he was using Amy as a pawn to get away from it. And maybe he was. He couldn't be with Alex that way, no matter how much he desperately wanted to.

He sighed, reached out, and twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. It was so soft and shiny. He wasn't sure how she got it that way or if it was that way naturally. Knowing Alex, it was probably the latter. "Trust me Alex," he whispered, "I'm not in love with Amy."

Alex seemed about to reply when Amy's voice called out "What temperature is it?"

_I'm getting so sick of her interrupting us,_ the Doctor thought sourly. _Maybe I should invent a companion muzzle. _He reluctantly walked away from Alex and darted around the console. "Outside? Burr! How many naughts inside? I don't know but I can't feel my feet and…other parts."

_Good to know,_ Alex thought as she fought to keep her gaze from moving downwards.

Rory gave him a slightly defiant look. "I think all my parts are basically fine," he shot back.

"Stop competing!" the Doctor scolded.

"Can't we call for help?" Rory asked, picking up the console phone and waving it around in front of the Doctor.

"Yeah, because the universe is really small and there's bound to be someone nearby," the Doctor retorted dryly. Alex offered Rory a sympathetic smile before taking the phone and placing it back in its cradle.

"Put these on, all of you," Amy ordered. She came up holding a series of blankets. She tugged one over Rory's head, revealing a hole cut in the middle. Alex groaned and immediately stepped back from an oncoming Amy. She liked a lot of clothes but ponchos, even when she was freezing, was a big no-no.

"Oh, a poncho," Rory realized, looking down at his new garment.

Alex shook her head. "The biggest crime of fashion since lederhosen," she quipped. She thought for a second before adding "Or shoulder pads. And pleather. And bell-bottoms. And-,"

"Alright, we get it!" Amy cried, shooting her a withering look before turning back to help the Doctor into his own poncho. She stood back, looking rather pleased with herself. "Here we go! My boys. My poncho boys."

"You all look like a Peruvian folk band," Alex said dryly. "And not in a good way."

"Thank you Mrs. Doctor," Amy retorted, smiling a little at Alex's apparel. Alex's face went a bright red and she leaned back against the railing, arms crossed, now totally silent.

"Might as well die looking like one," Rory said in reply to Alex's comment, sounding resigned. He shook his head, trying to clear out all the negative thoughts. "No! We're not going to die!"

"No, we're not," the Doctor agreed, "but our time's running out. If we fall asleep here, we're in trouble. If we could divide up, then we'd have an active presence in each world but the Dream Lord is switching us between the worlds. Why? Why? What's the logic?" He paced up and down the floor, thinking.

"Good idea, veggie," the Dream Lord complimented, now pacing in step with him. "Let's divide you four up, so I can have a chat with one of our lovely companions." His eyes rested on Alex, the girl automatically clutching the Doctor close. "Maybe I'll keep her and you can have Pointy Nose and Jessica Rabbit to yourself for all eternity, should you manage to clamber aboard some sort of reality."

"Can you hear that?" Rory asked Alex.

Alex shook her head. "No. What's happening?" She turned to the Doctor and attempted to keep him upright. "Doctor! Doctor, what's going on?"

The Doctor felt his hearts ache. Alex looked so scared and he wanted nothing more than to protect her and keep her with him. "Ally, don't be scared," he told her, despite knowing it wouldn't really work. He sank down to the ground and Alex dove down to her knees beside him. "We'll be back."

"Doctor, don't leave me!" Alex cried as she watched the Doctor fall asleep. She looked around and crawled over to Amy and Rory, also asleep. "Rory! Amy! Wake up!" She slapped Amy's cheek a little but it wasn't effective.

"Oh Ally," the Dream Lord smiled crocodile-like at her. "We're going to have fun, aren't we?"

* * *

The Doctor shot to his feet, unintentionally causing Alex to land ungraciously on the floor. Pressing his ear to the door, he distinctly heard the Eknodine screaming, waiting for him and Alex to come out so they could destroy them. He sighed and looked down at Alex. How could this be happening? He knew who the Dream Lord was and he couldn't believe that his dark side was doing this to him. Still, he was pretty confident that he'd never harm Alex so maybe she wasn't in much danger.

Still watching her, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and fiddled with it. "Okay, where is it?" he wondered, searching for the right frequency. Finally locating it, he lifted Alex up over his shoulder, opened the door, and zapped the lights. The Eknodine stumbled back and closed their mouths as they tried to adjust to their new blindness. He held tight to Alex's long legs as he ran out the door and down the street.

"Help, somebody!" a voice cried out. The Doctor turned to see the Eknodine identified as Mr. Nainby attacking a camper van a little ways away.

The Doctor had half a mind just to keep running but he knew that if Alex were here, she'd be running to help that man. She was terribly selfless. He sighed, adjusted her in his arms, and began running towards the van. "Oh, you couldn't live near the shops, could you?" he cried as he approached.

"Help me!"

In just a few seconds, the Doctor had knocked Mr. Nainby down and handed Alex off to the man in the van. The Doctor climbed into the driver's seat while the owner of the vehicle settled Alex in the passenger seat. The Doctor drove down the street, picking up anyone who was being attacked by the Eknodines, just as Alex would've done if she was here right now.

He felt that same pain stab his hearts again. He glanced over at Alex. She looked gorgeous as usual, dressed in a black camisole, ox blood leather jacket, black skinny jeans, hoop earrings, and those ridiculous black heeled boots she was fond of wearing. He turned back to the road, hoping that Alex was okay back in the TARDIS.

* * *

Alex paced up and down the glass platform, trying to stay warm. A few icicles were in her hair and no matter how often she brushed them away, more appeared. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory's faces and hair were covered with the stuff and every so often, she would bend down and brush some of it off.

Alex skidded a little and cursed. The control room was completely covered in ice now and the floor was slick with the stuff. Alex looked down at her flat tan leather boots gratefully. If she had been wearing heels, she'd have twisted both ankles by now.

"Poor Ally," the Dream Lord crooned, appearing on one side of the console. "He always leaves you, doesn't he?" He glanced down at the Doctor. "Alone in the dark. Never apologizes."

"He doesn't have to," Alex retorted. What she ever did to be stuck with this sleaze-ball she didn't know.

He smirked at her. "That's good, because he never will. And now he's left you with me. Spooky, old, not-to-be-trusted me." He disappeared and then reappeared in front of her, seated on one of the jump-seats, now dressed in a revealing robe. "Anything could happen."

Alex stuck her finger down her throat. Maybe it was a good thing the Doctor was unconscious. He'd be so mad, steam would probably come out of his ears. "Excuse me while I vomit."

The Dream Lord rolled his eyes. "You have a sarcastic comment for everything?"

"Yes, actually," Alex smirked.

"I don't know how the Doctor can stand you all the time."

"He likes me," Alex said calmly, kneeling down to brush some icicles off the aforementioned person.

"_Like _is not the word I would use."

Alex cocked an eyebrow at him. "And what word would you use then?" she asked challengingly. "No, wait, let me guess. Tolerates? Endures? Condones? Any of those closest to what you were going to say?"

"Not even close," the Dream Lord smiled. He leaned towards her in a confidential manner. "No, I'd say loves."

Alex about choked. "_Love_?" she repeated incredulously.

"He dotes on you Alexandria!" the Dream Lord cried. "He always looks right at you when he's about to do something, just to see whether or not you approve. And when you give him that approval, that makes him even more determined to stop whatever's threatening you all. Threatening _you_."

Alex shook her head. "All of the companions do that to him."

"Maybe so," the Dream Lord conceded, "but with you it's even more. Do you think he'd have stayed so long in that dinky place you call a town unless you asked him to?"

"There were aliens there!"

The Dream Lord went right on, ignoring her. "For whatever reason, he goes out of his way to make you happy. Moving the swimming pool? You've seen how big that library is! And letting you sleep for fourteen hours? I can assure you, he's never allowed a companion that luxury before!"

Alex shrugged. "So, he acts differently with me than Amy or Rory or anyone else. He's probably different with everyone!"

"Speaking of that, let's talk about you. Never have I seen a more boring, uptight person than you. I mean, were you a schoolmarm in a past life?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"You are not like that around the Doctor. Around him, you turn into this annoying bubbly, bouncing kangaroo."

"Glad I stuck around for this conversation," Alex muttered.

"Are you going to say you aren't the _slightest _bit interested in the Doctor?"

Alex allowed this statement to sink in and something clicked in her mind. Of course! How could she not have seen it earlier? She looked up and smiled a little at the Dream Lord. "Why do you care so much about my relationship with the Doctor? You don't even like him."

The Dream Lord shrugged. "Curiosity," he said a moment later.

"Hmm…" Alex stood up and crossed over so that she was standing right in front of the Dream Lord. She leaned back against the cold console and crossed her arms. Her eyes switched over from copper to dark green, giving her a piece of the Doctor for the Dream Lord to look at. "Who are you and what do you want? The Doctor knows you but he's not telling me who you are and he always does. Takes him a little while because he doesn't want to scare me, but he does. So you're something different.

"Oh, is that what you think you are?" the Dream Lord laughed. "The one he trusts?"

"Yes, actually. Problem?"

"The only girl in the universe to whom the Doctor tells everything?"

Alex's smile grew wider and her gaze more mischievous and conniving, so much like the Doctor's own. "Now, I never said that." The Dream Lord's face fell slightly, knowing that he could no longer get under her skin.

Alex happily continued as she strutted around the console back over to the Doctor. "Do I think the Doctor trusts me? Oh, yes, absolutely. But am I the first? Well as much as I and probably Amy would like to think so, that's hardly correct."

"So what is correct?" the Dream Lord managed to choke out.

"Here's what I think," Alex said, kneeling down next to the Doctor. She smiled at him fondly and gently ran her fingers through his hair, picking the icicles from his brown strands one by one. "There have been many over the years that the Doctor has confided in. Knowing him, the majority, if not all, have been girls." She chuckled. "What a Romeo you are," she teased his sleeping form.

"The Doctor's been around for a little over nine hundred years," she continued, not even looking up at the Dream Lord. "That's a long time and considering his life, I shudder to think of the things he's seen." She thought about the Doctor's story of the Time War, the ruthlessness and zero-compassion of the Time Lords, and how Gallifrey and its people had burned at his hand. "The point is, sometimes, he needs to tell someone, confide in them, because if he doesn't, he'll go mad. The darkness in him is huge and is strong enough to take him over completely if he lets it.

"If the Doctor doesn't confide in some companion, that darkness will take over. And when that darkness takes over, he slowly turns into _you_." She looked up. The Dream Lord seemed practically weak now, shaken that she had discovered the horrifying truth. "Hi Doc," she smiled.

The Dream Lord – or the Dark Doctor, as Alex now thought of him – didn't say anything. He probably couldn't say anything, he was so shocked. _Maybe he's upset that I'm seeing this side of him,_ Alex thought.

Alex sat back on her heels and eyed the Dream Lord. She had an idea of what was coming next and she was reluctantly preparing for it. "Since you are the Doctor, you're not going to hurt me. That's probably why you've kept me in here for so long, so I'll be safe in at least one reality. _But_, you are the darkest part of the Doctor. You may not actually be able to hurt me, but that doesn't mean you're going to make things easy for me. The boat accident reality? Of course the Doctor's dark side would put me in that. He knows it's the one place I fear most and if he's not there, I'll fear it twice as much."

Alex waited for the other shoe to drop. She'd just exposed the Doctor's dark side and there was no telling what he'd do now that his cover was blown. Well, she knew he'd do one thing to her and as much as she was dreading it, she knew she could deal with it.

The Dream Lord sighed wearily. "You're too smart for your own good, Ally." His voice, at least to Alex's ears, sounded like the Doctor's own. Then, almost reluctantly, he raised his hand, bringing forth the birdsong. Alex had already lowered herself to the ground by the Doctor's side and within an instant, was fast asleep.

The Dream Lord crept closer to Alex. She was right; he'd never hurt her. Alex was almost immune to the wrath of the Doctor's dark side. He looked down at her sleeping form. He had been right; she _was _perfect. Light brown hair with highlights that made it look blonde more often than not. Eyes that changed colors, almost like magic. A small, healthy frame that gave her all that madcap energy. And of course, her brilliant mind, which was like the eighth wonder of the world.

The Dream Lord raised the temperature of the spot she was lying in. He brushed the icicles from her face and hair, even though they seemed to make her sparkle more than a disco ball. Finally, he grabbed a blanket lying on Amy's legs – the dark side favored Alex more than any other companion – and tossed it over her. Maybe these small things would make up for the hell he was putting her through. Maybe, just maybe.

A/N: Wow, long and crazy chapter! Who liked the little twist with the Dream Lord and how Alex figured out who he was? Tomorrow's the last part and I can say there are more fluffy bits and one bit that will probably cause some of you to groan and yell 'REALLY?!' at your screens. :)

Notes on reviews...

**rycbar15 **- Lol, thanks! Yeah, I had to be a little mean to Alex with this episode. But the next chapter makes up for all this roughness. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I think EVERYONE wanted to slap Amy for accidentally doing that! Glad you liked the boat-sinking plot! Yes, what will Alex do without the Doctor there? }:)

**moonsword17 **- Lol, I don't think there's an unofficial rule among us or anything! I did read on Melissa de la Cruz's website that one way to keep your readers hooked to a story is by ending chapters on cliffhangers. Seems like it's working on this one. :) And I'm so glad you lie this story! Hope you enjoy this quick, if late hour, update! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox** - Thanks! I'll try!

**xxsilentwhispersxx** - Aw, thank you! I'm glad you love/hate it when it ends on a cliffhanger. I think most everyone feels that way. :)

**jesterlover** - Yeah, he does get a little bit Oncoming Storm doesn't he? And there's more of that to come! There's an epic one sometime in the future but I can't say when! :)

**grapejuice101** - I think this chapter kind of answered that question. Since the Dream Lord is part of the Doctor, he's trying to get Alex to admit she's attracted to the Doctor despite the Doctor's attempts to distance himself from her while, at the same time, making sure Amy is devoted to her fiancé by putting her in a domestic reality. He's quite the manipulator in this version. :)

**ShadowTier - **I can't say when the get together, but rest assured, it will happen eventually! Glad you liked the Dark Doctor and the moments between him and Alex. Lol, I think most everyone wanted to do violent things to Amy when she interrupted them. And I love Amy too, she's tied with Rory and Rose as my favorite companion, with Clara after that, Donna, and then Martha. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, one part of your hope came true! Whether the other one will or not will have to wait until tomorrow. :) Oh and thank you! I like knowing that my care for you all goes vice-versa. And thanks! I don't want this to resemble other OC stories because I read a lot of them too. :)

**EstherMarie117 **- So glad you like the story! Glad you like Ally and the Doctor's interactions and how she fits into the story! Hope you enjoy this update! :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed this chapter (I think this was the highest amount so far) and to those who followed/favored this story! You all rock! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	32. Amy and Ally's Choice Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own my OC Alex and anything else you don't recognize.

Alex woke up and gasped. She looked around, not at all surprised to be back in the boat accident reality. Only, in the time she'd been asleep in this reality, things seemed to have gotten worse.

A few feet of water decorated the salon, thanks to a large hole that had somehow appeared in one of the windows. Furniture was floating everywhere, like tiny desert islands in the ocean. Alex pushed herself out of the chair and, grateful for her Burberry-plaid rain boots, started wading through the water.

Alex struggled over to a large spiral staircase that led to the upper levels. Grabbing the bronze railing, she pulled herself up to the first step and began ascending the staircase. It felt like hours, but was actually just a few seconds, until Alex reached the top. She was now standing in a dark hallway on the upper deck. She raced past the captain's cabin and into the second salon, which she knew was often called the sky lounge.

The sky lounge offered a perfect view of what was going on. Alex stepped over toppled furniture and glossy magazines to look out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Outside, all she could see was a massive expanse of gray. The water was a dark gray, almost black, and it churned and spun wildly. Cracks of lightning lit up the sky every few seconds and big fat raindrops pelted against the window so hard, Alex could see cracks forming.

Alex looked around, trying to remember the layout of her parent's yacht. If she was remembering correctly, there was a small staircase tucked behind a door that led up to the sundeck. Halfway up, one had to open another door before stepping outside to finish going up the steps. Just as she remembered this, Alex spotted a section of wall that didn't quite match the area around it. The green and gold wallpaper, at least, was crooked. Alex raced forwards and felt a small switch in the spot where the knob would normally be. Grinning, she pressed it and the door swung open.

Alex took the steps two at a time and nearly banged into the second door. There was no time to waste. She knew that the Dream Lord's game was almost over. In every reality, the danger was growing larger and the choice on which reality to choose needed to happen now. Only trouble was, which reality was real?

_Focus on this now Alexandria,_ her subconscious told her. _You can worry about that stuff later. Right now, you need to concentrate on trying to keep this boat from sinking._ Knowing the voice was right, Alex turned the doorknob and continued racing up.

The outside steps were covered by part of the Jacuzzi deck but the second Alex left the shelter, she was pelted with rain. She grimaced as the rain hit with a force equivalent to hail. Looking around, she skidded across the deck to the outside steps that led up to the steering deck. She skidded on the wet steps and even fell down twice, but each time pulled herself back up and continued. Within minutes, she was in the bridge.

Alex ran a hand through her damp hair as she surveyed the room. She knew she looked like a half-drowned rat, but that couldn't be helped. All she could focus on, as she surveyed the equipment and array of charts and GPS systems, was that she had absolutely no clue how to steer a yacht.

She moved over to the main control panel and looked at the controls. A giant wave crashed against the side of the boat, causing it to go sideways, launching Alex across the room. She slammed against the wall and groaned. She closed her eyes in pain as she felt the massive bruise forming on her side. God, what was she thinking? There was no way she could stop this. She wanted the Doctor with her. Surely he'd know what to do. She wanted – no, _needed_ – him so desperately, it almost hurt.

As if reading her mind, the birds started up again. Alex closed her eyes before they took their full effect. She wanted to see the Doctor again. Even though she was trying to be independent, she knew she now trusted him to get her out of any trouble. She wasn't sure if that scared her or thrilled her, but she knew that she wouldn't trade this feeling of confusion for anything.

* * *

"Where's the Doctor? And Alex?" Amy asked worriedly, leaning against the nursery wall. She was pretty winded after going up those stairs in such a hurry. Good thing Rory hadn't had to carry her. He'd probably collapse from all her extra weight.

"I don't know," Rory answered. He paced up and down the room frantically. For all they knew, Alex and the Doctor could be dead. Then, he got an idea. Turning to Amy, he said "I want to something for you."

Amy looked at him, puzzled, as he crossed over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of scissors. Then, as he kneeled in front of her, the meaning became clear and her eyes widened. She watched as Rory reached behind him and cut off that hideous ponytail he had been so insistent on growing in this reality. He held the hair out in his hand and looked at her expectantly.

Amy laughed, tears filling her eyes. "I was starting to like it," she admitted.

From behind them, the window opened, making the two jump. They turned to see the Doctor struggling in. Somehow, he'd managed to get Alex's unconscious body on his back, her hands looped lazily around his neck. "Sorry!" he called. "I had to stop off at the butcher's. Could one of you please get her?"

Rory stood and lifted Alex off the Doctor. He laid her down on the floor next to Amy. "Why is she still asleep?" he wondered.

"Either the Dream Lord is really chatty or he's put her in whatever third reality he concocted for her," the Doctor explained as he knelt down next to Alex and brushed the bangs from her eyes.

"What are we going to do?" Rory asked, watching him.

The Doctor stood back up and groaned. "I dunno," he admitted. He gasped for breath a little. It had been arduous work climbing up that trellis with Alex on his back and a swarm of Eknodine below him. "I thought the freezing TARDIS was real but now I'm not so sure."

"Oh!" Amy gasped. The men turned to her, eyes widened, as she clutched her stomach and said "I think the baby's coming."

Rory couldn't keep from asking "Honestly?"

Amy gave him an outraged look. "Would I make it up at a time like this?!" she growled.

"Well, you do have a history of…" Rory's voice faded as Amy gave him a murderous look. "…being…very lovely!" Thankfully, before Amy could attempt to smother him with her baby bump, a loud racket from the Eknodine came from outside. "Why are they so desperate to kill us?!" Rory cried as he helped Amy sit on the floor next to Alex.

"They're scared," the Doctor explained as he moved to stand in front of Alex. "Fear generates savagery."

Right at that moment, a stone statue burst through the window. Amy screamed and the guys stood in front of the girls to keep them from harm. Also in that moment, Alex was slowly waking up. Unlike the other times, it felt like her head was in a dark fog. She could make out a few things but not that clearly.

But, a split second later, one thing came through crystal clear. "Rory! Doctor!"

Alex's eyes flew open, just in time to see Rory and the Doctor sinking down next to the girls. Rory crawled over to Amy while the Doctor looked forlornly at Alex, not knowing she was awake. "No, I'm not ready!" Rory panted.

Alex sat up, much to the visible relief of the Doctor. "What's going on?" she cried, crawling over to the Doctor's side.

The Doctor weakly reached out and grabbed her hand. "Never thought it'd end like this," he muttered, ignoring Alex's question. "Although, death by Eknodine. Not something you see every day."

"Doctor, you tell me what's going on right now!" Alex cried. However, she knew what was going on. He was dying, him and Rory. She felt tears run down her cheeks and she knew her eyes were turning that horrifying neon green they got whenever she was crying really hard.

The Doctor pulled her down to where their foreheads were touching. "Ally, I don't know if I'm actually dying or not," he began.

"You're not!" Alex sobbed, clutching onto his jacket lapels. "You can't be!"

"But if I am," the Doctor continued as though she hadn't interrupted him, "I just want you to know that you are completely magnificent and it was great knowing you."

Alex gasped horrible, heaving sobs. This couldn't be happening. The Doctor couldn't be dying. He was the _Doctor_, for crying out loud! Then, before she could even consider the ramifications of what she was about to do, she bent down and pressed her lips to the Doctor's. The Doctor gasped in shock but soon overcame it, quickly moving his lips against Alex's. Alex kissed him hurriedly and pushed her tongue into his mouth without any hesitation.

The Doctor darted out to meet her and his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Their movements remained hurried, even more so when Alex felt her knees sinking into a growing pile of ash. Then, she felt a bunch of ash trickling down her back. She pulled away from the Doctor just in time to see his face dissolve into ash.

Alex stared at the pile of ash before her. She felt like she couldn't breathe, like time had stopped, like nothing mattered anymore. The Doctor was gone and in his place was a big black hole full of grief, despair, and anguish that Alex knew she'd be sucked down into.

She ran her hands through the ash and watched as teardrops fell and stained the powder. What was she to do now? _Nothing. _She couldn't imagine her life without the Doctor. Somehow, he had gotten under her skin and caused her to feel what no man before him had ever succeeded in doing; not being able to live without him.

Alex lifted her eyes to Amy, who was staring at her own pile of ash in the same mixture of grief and shock. Sensing eyes on her, Amy looked up at her. She opened her mouth and said determinedly "This is the dream. Definitely this one."

"I was just about to say that," Alex admitted.

Amy stood up and reached over to help Alex up. "Now, if we die here, we wake up, yeah?" she asked, looking for confirmation.

Alex nodded. "Unless we die."

"Either way, this is my only chance of seeing him again. Yours too."

Alex nodded. "We can't go on without them, can we?" she said. "So much for feminism."

Amy laughed a little, grateful that Alex could get her to do that even in their dire situation. "No, we can't. I know this is the dream. Even if it isn't, I don't want it."

"Neither do I," Alex agreed.

"You know," Amy said thoughtfully, sniffling a little, "I honestly didn't really know I wanted Rory until right now. I mean, I knew, I _know _I love him, but I honestly didn't know I actually wanted a life with him until right now."

Alex nodded and moved over towards the window. She looked outside and was surprised to see the Eknodine just standing around. "Why aren't they attacking?" she wondered, waving Amy over to her.

Amy looked out the window and shrugged. "Maybe they know what we're about to do," she sighed.

Alex turned away from the window. "Good luck in…however you decide to do it." Then, Alex ran down the stairs.

Alex looked around the cottage and raced into the kitchen. Above her, she could hear Amy slowly making her way to the stairs. Alex took in the nice, neat kitchen for a moment before ransacking the drawers. She dug through opened bills, coupons for a pizza place one town over, old bottle caps, and more before finally reaching the knife drawer.

Alex pulled out the sharpest one. It was wicked looking, with a sharp, pointy blade that was probably promised to cut through anything. Alex fingered it, hoping it would help her.

For a split second, she was scared. She knew people usually committed suicide by hanging themselves, overdosing on sleeping pills, or other stuff but she didn't think very many killed themselves with a knife. Would it hurt? How long would she be in pain before she blacked out? Maybe she should do something else.

Outside, she heard Amy starting the camper van. She knew exactly what her friend was going to do. Knowing she didn't have much time left, Alex gritted her teeth, positioned the knife, and quickly thrust it into her chest.

Alex gasped and staggered back against the counter. Her fingers were coated in B positive blood and she used them to pry the knife out. She sank down against the lower cabinets and threw the knife down at her feet. She felt more tears roll down her cheeks as blood continued to gush out. Her vision slowly switched from clear water to an approaching darkness. Alex sank into it gratefully, hoping that she hadn't just made a terrible mistake.

* * *

Alex slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in the yacht. She grinned. She'd done it! She got out of the Leadworth reality! Only problem was that there was still this reality and the TARDIS one to choose from. She groaned and reluctantly stood up. Which one could it be?

* * *

The Doctor's eyes burst open and he looked around for Alex. He quickly found her, lying right in front of him. Strangely, there wasn't any ice covering her face and hair. He reached out and laid a hand on her cheek. Her skin felt warm. Actually, the whole spot she was curled up in felt warmer than the rest of the room. He smiled a little. It looked like his dark side wasn't able to cause much harm to Alex. The Dream Lord had taken pity on her.

"So, you chose _this _world," the Dream Lord summarized. He looked around at the group, three awake, one completely unconscious. "Well done. You got it right. And with only seconds left. Fair's fair. Let's warm you up." A few flicked switches and the TARDIS powered up again, the lights overhead causing the ice to sparkle like gemstones, nearly blinding the three conscious time-travelers.

"I hope you've enjoyed your little fictions." The Dream Lord seemed despondent, knowing he had actually been defeated. "It all came out of your imagination, so I'll leave you to ponder on that. I have been defeated. I shall withdraw. Farewell." With that, he was gone.

"Something happened," Rory realized. He looked at Amy in confusion. "I…what happened to me? I…" He was interrupted by Amy tightly hugging him. "Oh. Oh, right. This is good," he rambled. "I am liking this. Was it something I said? Could you tell me what it was so I can use it in emergencies, and maybe birthdays?"

Amy pulled back and smiled. "You just did something amazing is all, right Alex?" No reply. Amy frowned. "Alex?" She whirled around and noticed Alex's still figure. "Alex!" she cried, quickly crawling to her. "Doctor! Alex isn't awake!"

The Doctor jolted up and grabbed Alex, pulling her head into his lap. "Ally! Ally!" he called, shaking her a little. "Wake up! Wake up!"

"She's dead," Rory choked out. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, Amy included. "The Dream Lord killed her. She's dead."

"No, no, no, she's not dead," the Doctor rambled. God help him if she were dead. He'd go throw himself into that cold star. "She must be in that third reality. The one the Dream Lord made up when she back-talked him."

"Isn't there a way to get her out?" Amy asked as she reached out and loosened Alex's scarf.

The Doctor shook his head. Oh, how he wanted to go and save Alex from whatever hell she was trapped in. But he couldn't. "No. It's all up to her now."

* * *

Alex struggled wildly with the wheel. She had no clue how to drive this thing – having to take the car-driving test twice probably didn't help much either – nor could she with these weather conditions. The rain was pelting against the glass in front of her, making it impossible for her to see anything out there. She wailed in defeat and crumpled down to the floor.

How could this be happening? What was with these realities? All had been concocted by the Dream Lord. One was real, two were fake, simple as that.

Alex jerked. Wait a second. What had she just thought? _All realities had been concocted by the Dream Lord._ Alex jerked again and she felt her mind running and jumping as it came to the answer. She gasped. Of course! _None _of the realities were real! The Dream Lord had had control in each one of them. He wouldn't have had control in the true reality!

Alex stood up, invigorated with this realization. Abandoning her original idea to try and save the ship, Alex ran out of the bridge and slid dangerously down the steps. On the lower deck, water was splashing and the whole ship was titling to one side. Alex looked around at the vast expanse of gray and took a deep breath. Then, before she could regret it, she ran and cannonballed into the pulsating ocean, allowing the water to travel down and suffocate her lungs.

* * *

Alex's back arched and she gasped for breath. She coughed slightly, realizing that she was no longer in the suffocating ocean water but back in the TARDIS.

"Alex!" Amy and Rory cried in relief. Alex's vision was quickly blocked by a mass of red hair as Amy threw herself down and hugged her. "I thought you were dead!"

Alex blew strands of Amy's hair out of her mouth so she could speak. "Please. Takes a lot to kill me." The memory of stabbing herself in the Leadworth reality flashed across her mind for a quick second before Alex roughly pushed it to the side.

"More like you're too stubborn to die," Rory quipped. He was hugging her as well.

Alex nodded. "Perhaps. Um, guys? Hate to ruin the moment, but I can't really breathe."

"And this whole position is getting really awkward," a familiar voice said above her.

"Sorry!" Amy and Rory jerked back up and sat back.

"Thanks." Alex loosened her scarf and tossed it over to Amy. "Amy, use that. You've got a few icicles on your face."

As Amy laughed and began picking the ice off, Alex rolled over onto her stomach and grinned upwards. "Hey Doc," she greeted.

He smiled down at her, relieved that she was back with him. "Ally," he greeted. "Is it your mission in life to scare me as much as possible?"

"No, but it's rather fun." Alex giggled and sat up on her knees. No sooner had she done that then the Doctor had pulled her into a tight hug.

"You realize none of the realities are real, right?" Alex asked as she hugged him back.

The Doctor grinned into her shoulder. "Good girl," he whispered, leaning back and kissing her forehead.

Alex frowned at him. "Bothered me when the Dream Lord said it, still bothers me when you say it." _Though not as much,_ she privately mused.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologized, still grinning at her. He stood, reached down, and lifted her up by the waist. Alex giggled and watched as he walked around the console and began to turn a giant ice-covered wheel.

"What are we doing now?" Amy asked, coming over with Rory in tow.

"Me? I'm going to blow up the TARDIS," the Doctor casually replied.

Amy and Rory gawked at him. "_What?!_" Rory shrieked.

"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was? Okay, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice, and I could've done without the limerick. But he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality."

But Amy and Rory still hadn't gotten over his declaration about blowing up the TARDIS. "What are you doing?!" Amy cried again.

Rory jumped in, hoping that maybe he could make the Doctor see reason. "Doctor, the Dream Lord conceded. This isn't a dream!"

"Yes it is!" the Doctor shouted gleefully as he continued to work on the console. The TARDIS began shaking and rattling, forcing everyone to clutch onto the console.

Amy turned to Alex desperately. "Alex, stop him!" she ordered.

"Amy, he's telling the truth!" Alex cried. "Trust me!"

"Are you certain?" Rory asked. He trusted Alex's judgment because it was hardly ever wrong.

"A star that's burning cold?" Alex questioned. She laughed. "Please! _I _could come up with something way better than that! And the Dream Lord doesn't have control in the true reality. In each reality, he had control. He was really offering us the choice between two dreams."

"How do you know that?" Amy demanded.

The Doctor and Alex looked at each-other and grinned. "Because we know who he is!" the two shouted together before the Doctor flicked a lever, plunging them all into darkness.

* * *

Alex bolted upwards, gasping for breath. She looked around for a moment, not knowing where she was. She looked around at the familiar beauty of the TARDIS library and noticed the copy of _Christine _lying abandoned on the floor. She was on the TARDIS. She wasn't dead. But what had just happened? Alex jumped off the couch and raced out of the library, skidding down the hallway until she reached a staircase leading down to the control room.

The Doctor looked up upon hearing footsteps above him. To his right, Amy and Rory were walking down the staircase in a restrained sense of urgency. He turned upon hearing somebody running down the other steps. It was Alex, looking beautiful as ever in a black dress with rose-patterned lace, a black long-sleeved shirt underneath it, along with black tights, combat boots, and large hoop earrings.

"Any questions?" the Doctor asked as they approached. He hooked his free arm around Alex's shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

Alex peered down at the small blue circular objects in his other hand. "What are they?"

"A speck of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass don Slava. Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up, and induced a dream state for all of us." Once he finished his explanation, the Doctor released himself from Alex and headed over to the TARDIS doors. He opened them and then gently blew the pollen out.

"So that was the Dream Lord then?" Rory asked as the Doctor closed the doors and crossed back over to them. "Those little specks?"

"No, no, no," the Doctor frowned. He leaned up against the console next to Alex. "Sorry, wasn't it obvious? The Dream Lord was _me_. Psychic pollen. It's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you, gives it a voice, turns it against you." He smiled sheepishly, though it seemed rather forced to Alex. "I'm nine hundred and seven. Had a lot to go on."

"But why didn't it feed on us, too?" Amy wondered.

The Doctor snorted. "The darkness in you three? It would've starved to death in an instant." He looked over at Alex and grinned. He picked her up and whirled her around, making her laugh as he added "I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise, I'm stuck with my own company and you know how that works out."

"But those things he said about you…" Amy trailed off and looked at the Doctor with a mixture of despair and pity. "You don't think any of that's true?"

The Doctor was silent for a moment and Alex felt her heart sink. How could he think such things? He wasn't like the Dream Lord! _He's not,_ Alex thought determinedly. Hopefully, she could make him see that.

The Doctor avoided looking at Alex as he instead found a way out of answering Amy's question. "Amy," he said, looking over at Rory, "right now, a question is about to occur to Rory. And seeing the answer is about to change his life…" He pushed Amy towards her fiancé and winked. "I think you should give him your full attention."

"Yeah," Rory murmured, thinking something over before saying louder "Actually, yeah."

"There it is!" the Doctor and Alex cheered in synch, making the two look at each-other and smile.

"Cause, what I don't get is, you blew up the TARDIS," Rory began, nodding at the Doctor, "that stopped that dream, but what stopped the Leadworth dream?"

"Crashed the camper van," Amy hesitantly replied.

"Oh, right. I don't remember that."

"No," Amy said slowly and awkwardly. "You weren't there. You were already…"

"Already what?" Rory pressed.

"Dead!" Amy blurted, sounding irritated. She sighed and muttered "You died in that dream. You and the Doctor both. Mrs. Poggit got you."

"Oh," Rory realized, looking at her in amazement. "But how did you know it was a dream? Before you crashed the van, how did you know you wouldn't just die?"

Amy bit her lip nervously. "I didn't," she admitted. Alex grinned and bounced a little as the truth dawned on Rory and he moved closer to kiss Amy.

The Doctor clapped. "So, well then, where now?" Amy and Rory didn't answer, still caught up in using more tongue than Alex was comfortable seeing. "Or should I just pop down to the swimming pool for a few lengths?"

"And please answer him!" Alex begged. She shook her head. "The amount of tongue you two use is truly astounding."

"Shut up Alex," Amy and Rory both chided as they pulled away. Rory wrapped an arm around Amy's waist and grinned down at her. "I don't know. Anywhere's good for me. I'm happy anywhere. It's up to Amy and Alex this time."

The Doctor smiled. "Amy and Ally's choice," he mused. Still grinning, he turned back to the console. Just as he was about to pull a lever down, he happened to glance down at the console. He jumped slightly. Staring back at him, instead of his own reflection, was the Dream Lord. The Dream Lord smirked and winked at him. The Doctor blinked. _No, don't be real, _he silently begged. Once he was done blinking, he saw that the Dream Lord was gone, his own reflection back. He breathed a small sigh of relief, which didn't go unnoticed by Alex.

Alex arched an eyebrow and studied him. He looked like someone had just walked over his grave. "Doc?" her voice rang out, pulling him back to the present. "You okay?"

The Doctor looked over at her and plastered a smile across his face. But they both knew it was fake. "Just fine Ally!" he cheered before yanking the lever down, sending them tumbling further into the time vortex.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alex was lying on the library couch, _Christine _in her hands once again. Amy and Rory had been more interested in kissing and other things than seeing the seventh moon of Poosh or whatever so while the Doctor crept off to do God-knows-what, Alex had returned to the library.

She ran her eyes over the lines in the book, but it didn't feel like she was reading them. She was just looking at words that were somehow connected. She sighed and placed the book down. Who was she kidding? She couldn't read when she had all this Dream Lord stuff rattling around in her brain.

Alex stood and headed out to the corridor. She walked along the halls, not really knowing where she was going. She placed a hand on the wall. "You know where the Doctor is?" she asked the machine.

The TARDIS hummed and Alex suddenly smelled the overpowering stench of chlorine. She grimaced. Of course. He had mentioned something about going to the swimming pool. Gritting her teeth, Alex inched herself down the hall into the room where the swimming pool was housed.

The walls were white, the floor a matching white marble tile. The pool was huge, nearly taking up the whole room except for about seven feet away from the walls. Alex flattened herself against the wall and inched her way along it. On the far end of the pool was a single blue door. Curious, Alex pushed it open but quickly regretted it.

"Alexandria!" a startled male voice cried out. "Don't you knock?!"

Alex's eyes widened and she quickly whirled around. "Oh my God, I'm _so _sorry!" she cried, not wanting to turn around and see the Doctor's nice, muscular body again. How was she supposed to know that was a changing room? _Well, what else would be in the pool?!_ She snapped to herself. "I'm so, so, so sorry! I swear!"

"If you're that sorry, then _please _shut the door. This draft is…uncomfortable."

Not wanting to ponder on what that statement meant, Alex shut her eyes and turned back around, feeling around for the knob and quickly pulling the door shut. She could practically feel her face flaming as she leaned back against the wall, totally mortified. _Let's hope the Doctor doesn't tell Amy about this, _she thought. _I'd never hear the end of it._

"So what are you doing in here?" the Doctor called out from behind the door. "Aside from practicing becoming a peeping-tom?"

"I said I was sorry!" Alex shrieked, feeling her embarrassment go up by ten. "I swear, it was an accident!"

"I'm just teasing you Ally," the Doctor assured her. "Although, seriously, what are you doing in here? I figured the pool was the last place you'd come to."

_You're damn right about that, _Alex thought wryly. Aloud, she said "I just wanted to talk to you is all."

"Oh, of course. Go ahead then."

Alex nibbled her bottom lip, unsure of what to say. All the thoughts running around in her head seemed to make sense, but she couldn't figure out what to say aloud. All words had eluded her. "It's just…how could some part of you be capable of the things the Dream Lord stood for?"

For a moment, there was silence on the other side of the door. Alex thought that maybe he wasn't going to answer and she started to move away when the Doctor spoke. "Alex, I'm nine hundred and seven."

"I know that," Alex replied, leaning back against the wall. "But that doesn't answer my question."

The Doctor sighed audibly through the metal door. "Ally, the things I've seen…they've stayed with me. And I've had companions get hurt or die because of me. I won't lie to you about that. It tends to settle in and effect a person as old as me. Sometimes, in extreme cases…it manifests into something bigger."

Alex leaned her cheek against the wall, feeling it cool beneath her. "But you don't feel that way all the time, do you?"

"Of course not. Companions…they bring in a little light. You especially."

Alex beamed. "Thanks Doc!" she laughed, feeling a thrum of pleasure race through her.

The Doctor chuckled along with her. "So tell me," he said once they were done laughing, "I vaguely recall something happening right before I died in Leadworth."

Alex felt her face burn red again. "You mean…where I kissed you?"

"That would be it," the Doctor quietly confirmed.

"Well, you were dying and I panicked and…we didn't really know that all three realities were dreams, now did we?"

"No, we didn't."

"Right."

There was a tense silence for a moment, both of them brushing off the romantic element in the Leadworth reality and the almost kiss in the TARDIS reality. None of that proved that they were attracted to each-other. It was illusion, manufactured by the psychic pollen, nothing they both really wanted to do.

"By the way," the Doctor spoke, breaking the silence, "I've been meaning to ask. What was the third reality you were in?"

Alex bit her lip, unable to answer. She knew if she told him the truth he would just blame himself. She didn't want that. It wasn't his fault. The psychic pollen had just…influenced him. _Like he'll ever believe that._ "Nothing," she replied, beginning to walk away. "It was nothing."

"I hardly believe that," the Doctor retorted. He waited for a reply but none came. "Alex? Ally?" Carefully, the Doctor opened the door and poked his head out. But Alex was gone.

* * *

Alex tossed and turned in bed, the sheets around her legs tangling into triple knots, but she didn't know that. All her mind could focus on was the nightmare she was currently having.

_She gripped tightly to the side of the boat. All she could see out in the horizon was gray and black. The gray was the churning and pounding of the waves, like the sea was angry and taking it out on her, and the black was the sky, occasionally lit up by violent purple and yellow streaks of lightning that sizzled when it touched the water._

_ "DOCTOR!" Alex screamed, feeling water run down her face. Whether it was tears or rain she didn't know. All she did know was that she was trapped, no option of survival in sight, and that the only person who could rescue her was nowhere to be found._

_ "DOCTOR PLEASE!" Alex begged. Her throat ached from screaming and it was taking all her strength just to keep a grip on the boat. Her feet skidded across the wet floor and she cried out, desperate for someone, anyone, to hear her._

_ "Alex!" a voice called out. It was the Doctor! He had come to save her! But where was he?_

_ "Doctor!" Alex cried, looking around._

_ "Alex! Ally!"_

_ Suddenly, Alex felt herself being shaken. What the hell? Was an earthquake happening in addition to a thunderstorm? "Doctor!"_

_ "Ally! Wake up! WAKE UP!"_

Alex's eyes sprang open and she sat up, called out of her dream. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling it beat wildly beneath her, her breath shallow and coming out in big gasps. As she panted, she turned to gaze into the worried green eyes of the Doctor. "Doctor!" she cried, her voice caked with tears and slightly hoarse from screaming as she impulsively threw her arms around him.

The Doctor gently sat down on the bed next to her. He could feel her fear through her tense muscles and through her voice, brimming with tears. He carefully maneuvered Alex into his lap, slightly conscious of the fact that she was wearing a really short long-sleeved nightgown. He pulled back to look into Alex's bloodshot eyes, the red overpowering the delicate light green irises. "Ally, are you okay?"

Alex shook her head and sniffled a little, too scared by her dream to even be embarrassed about crying in front of the Doctor. "I had a nightmare," she admitted.

The Doctor smiled weakly at her. "I could tell. I could hear you screaming all the way from the control room." Aside from that, he had been informed by a worried TARDIS that Alex was in the throes of a nightmare and would be calling out for him. A split second after that information, he had heard Alex screaming and had bolted out of the control room. Now, his smile faded and his voice was replaced from mild joking to concern. "Ally, what was it about?"

Alex hesitated slightly before answering. She knew the Doctor would blame himself, even though he had no reason to. She breathed deeply before blurting out "It was about the third reality the Dream Lord put me in."

She didn't miss the way the Doctor's eyes clouded over or how his grip on her tightened but she continued anyways. "He put me in a boat accident reality. It was storming and I was going to end up drowning unless I did something. I tried steering the boat but it didn't work. In this nightmare, I was clutching on the side of the boat, otherwise I'd fall in. I kept calling out for you, but you never came."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed and Alex shivered slightly at his deep black irises. "Doctor, please say something!" she begged. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be telling you this. It's too much of a burden."

The Doctor stared at her, shocked. "Ally!" he cried, the narrowing and black quickly disappearing. "Why-I've…" He trailed off and simply kissed her quickly on the forehead. He pushed her head back so that she could look him right in the eye. "Alex, nothing you say could _ever _be a burden to me! Don't you even think that for a second! Get that idea out of your pretty little head right now! And you shouldn't be apologizing to me! I should be the one apologizing to you! The Dream Lord is a part of me after all."

"Doctor, you shouldn't have to apologize for something that's a part of you."

"I do when it hurts someone I l-…_care deeply _about. You, to be more specific."

"It's not your fault Doctor," Alex smiled. She reached up and ran her thumb across his cheek, making the Doctor shiver slightly at the feeling. "You said yourself that the psychic pollen feeds off of everything dark within you. Of course, my fears of water would show up. I know you wouldn't use that against me in reality."

The Doctor smiled at her and ran a hand through her hair, feeling the silky tresses soothe his rough skin. "Oh Ally," he murmured, kissing her hairline, "how in the world did you drop into my life?"

"Must've been a reward from the universe for all the good you've done," Alex teased.

The Doctor laughed. "You might be onto something," he admitted. Truthfully, that seemed pretty likely. Everything about his relations with Alex seemed grand-designed, like they were meant to happen. He wondered fleetingly whether the reason he and Rose were always being torn apart was because the universe already had him destined for Alex. Stranger things had happened.

"Well, I'm always right, aren't I?"

"Let's not get carried away." Regardless, he laughed.

Alex sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thanks."

The Doctor looked at her in confusion. "For what?"

"For waking me up and comforting me," Alex said like it was obvious.

"You're welcome. Are you feeling better now?"

For a second, Alex thought about lying and saying that she was alright. But as the details of the nightmare spilled back into her brain, she shivered and shook her head, answering the Doctor's question.

"Okay," the Doctor said, easing her off his lap. "Scoot over."

Alex gave him a weird look but did as he asked. "Why?" she wondered. She watched in a mixture of shock and excitement as he kicked off his boots, tossed his jacket over onto the leather couch, and untied his bowtie, lying it on the nightstand.

"I'm staying here for the rest of the night," the Doctor informed her. "I don't want you having any more nightmares. And don't try to talk me out of it. It won't work."

Alex grinned impishly. "Who said anything about arguing?" she asked, lying her head down on the same pillow his head was lying on.

The Doctor smirked at her. "Sleep Ally," he instructed as he moved down under the covers. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

Alex smiled up at him, interrupted by a yawn. Truthfully, she was pretty tired. She shifted slightly so that her head was resting on his chest. She was immediately soothed by the thudding of his heartbeats and within five minutes, she was sound asleep.

The Doctor watched her sleeping form as he played with the ends of her hair. How had he gotten so lucky? She was, in every sense of the word, perfect. Perfect for him if he was being honest with himself.

The Doctor looked around the dimly lit room. He hadn't been in here since he had first seen it with Alex and he was curious to see how it appeared now with its new occupant. Also, it would allow him to learn more about Alex, a subject he couldn't get enough of.

For starters, Alex loved to read, for the bookshelves by the bed were packed. The first shelf, in fact, was already full and the second one contained about ten books. The Doctor looked at the titles, each of them organized according to author's last name. He spotted fiction books like _Tender Is the Night_, _Along for the Ride_, _Little Women_, _Heist Society_, non-fiction books about ancient Rome, the _Titanic_, the Tudor dynasty, Al Capone, and more. Alex's taste was widespread and unlimited.

On top of the bookshelves were a small array of items. He spotted two picture frames, one of Alex and Lacey at some kind of school event – Prom possibly, he figured, based on the poufy light pink dress Alex was wearing – and then one of three people he had never seen before.

The photo consisted of a man, woman, and a little girl about the age of four or five sitting on the man's lap. The man had light, wavy brown hair and wore black tortoiseshell frame glasses, a black turtleneck sweater, a white collared shirt, and khakis. The woman had long red hair that was a couple shades darker than Amy's and wore a bright red sweater, a black skirt, diamond earrings, and bright red lipstick. The little girl in the man's lap had long light brown hair and bangs. She was wearing a black velvet dress with red roses stitched along the waist, black tights, and shiny Mary-Jane's.

The Doctor looked at the people curiously, trying to figure out who they were and why Alex would have a photo of them. As he was pondering this, his gaze happened to travel over the woman's eyes. He almost jumped in surprise. One eye was chocolate brown, the other almost dark green. He looked over at the little girl. Sure enough, the majority of the little girl's eyes were topaz but were in the process of switching over to light green.

It was Alex. The Doctor grinned. She was so cute! And it was clear, based on the sleeping young woman lying on top of him, that she had aged gracefully. Of course, genetics had been on her side. Malcolm Locke was debonairly handsome and Daphne Docherty Locke was quite the looker. Alex had to have gotten her good looks from somewhere.

He felt a pain of sadness go through him as he studied the picture. He wasn't sure how much Alex remembered about her parents, but based on the photo, they seemed happy. As he looked at the smiling little girl in the photo, unaware of the tragedy about to unfold, he wished he could somehow get Alex's parents back. Of course, he couldn't. There had been bodies after all. And, if they had survived, Alex would most likely not be here with him right now, sleeping peacefully on him, unaware of his thoughts.

Hopefully, the universe hadn't gotten rid of Alex's parents just so he could have a clear shot at her. If that was what had occurred…he shook his head. He couldn't think about that. He'd make himself ill.

Turning away from the photos, the Doctor concentrated on the other objects. There was a glass hourglass with purple sand in it, a plastic London double-decker bus, a statue of a peacock, and a snow-globe from Mt. Rushmore. The desk contained a MacBook, a vase with a wilted rose in it, a green gooseneck lamp, a glossy fashion magazine, and a Diet Pepsi can.

He looked over at the nightstand. A small zebra-print lamp sat right next to the bed along with another picture frame, this one of Emmy and Lola sitting on top of Alex's 56 in some wooded area. A bottle of Raspberry Blush nail-polish sat next to that along with a small black velvet pouch, a black rosary lying on top of it. Finally, a book rested next to the lamp; a copy of Stephen King's _Christine_.

The Doctor grinned and looked at the classic cover of a car surrounded by a black background, headlights on ominously, like a pair of eyes. His ninth incarnation had been a large fan of Stephen King and he recalled Rose having nightmares after she read _Cujo_. He hadn't pegged Alex for the Stephen King type but her bookshelves should have told him not to assume what she liked to read.

The Doctor eased back into the pillow and sighed. This was nice. He had learned so much more about Alex in this looking around than he would've if they talked non-stop for two weeks. He looked down and smoothed out a tangle in Alex's hair. It was also nice lying with Alex like this. Screw his previous lamentations when he had last done this with her. He was going to enjoy this.

He yawned. Oh, crap. Not this again! Was it going to be like this every time he lied with Alex, him suddenly getting tired and wanting a nap? _Whoa! EVERY time?!_ He thought but was interrupted by another yawn. Well, didn't look like he could ponder this any longer.

The Doctor felt his eyes closing and he happily sank into the dark oblivion. He didn't mind. He was lying her with a girl he…_cared deeply_ for. How much better could it get?

A/N: How many of you loved the ending but wanted to scream when they denied their feelings...AGAIN?! I just love drawing this out, don't I? I'm so evil! :} And did you like where the Doctor died in the Leadworth reality? I haven't read a fic yet where that happens, so I decided to make it happen here. :)

Notes on reviews...

**jesterlover **- *blushes like crazy* Thank you! I'm not really sure what else to say, other than thank you, so thank you! :)

**ShadowTier **- Glad you liked that part. The Dream Lord can't be _completely_ heartless to her, since he is part of the Doctor. :) Lol, LOTS have asked, but I can't say! It will be epic though and does take place in an episode where a lot of stuff happens... :) Yeah, this is a pretty long story. I don't want to rush anything with these two because they both feel like they can't have the other due to certain circumstances and it's fun to play around with that and see where it takes them. And don't worry! Ramble to your heart's content. I don't mind! :D

**SopherGopherroxursox** - Thank you! And I'm glad you liked that part! The Dream Lord is part of the Doctor, so he can't be completely mean to her. And don't worry, I like Martha really! She's just not my absolute favorite. That slot is tied with Amy, Rory, and Rose. I don't hate any of the companions. The only one I really don't like is River. She's never clicked with me, but I do think the idea behind her is cool. Hope that clears things up! :)

**larayray132434 **- Oh, don't worry about being late. You're actually the first one that's replied to that old post, so congrats! Hmm, Jes Macallan looks older than how I picture Alex, but I do see that edge and confidence you were talking about. Maybe an older Alex, but I still appreciate the suggestion! :)

**rycbar15 - **Thank you! Lol, I think most EVERYONE wants to attack Amy at some point in here!

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Thanks! I'm glad it sounds believable. That was my biggest worry when writing this. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks!

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Gasp! BOTH your hopes came true! :D And I'm glad you find the Doctor/Alex pairing believable (we need a ship-name for those two). Yeah, they just fit together don't they? :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Don't worry about not reviewing. I have schoolwork of my own to deal with; one AP class and one online college course. :( And don't worry about not seeing as many episodes of Doctor Who as others. I haven't seen nearly as many classic episodes as I want to. :)

**sashaxh **- Lol, there IS quite a bit of fluff in this isn't there? I must've been in a really good mood when writing this. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and thank you to those who followed/favored this story. Tomorrow, we start 'The Hungry Earth'. What awaits Alex when she encounters the Silurians? *cue dramatic music* Please review and see you tomorrow!


	33. The Hungry Earth Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

The next morning, Amy skipped down the halls of the TARDIS. She had the vaguest realization that she was turning into Alex but dismissed it. She was SO happy! She was with the man she loved – Doctor _Who?_ – and nothing was going to tear them apart now.

Now, she wanted to talk to Alex. The Doctor was nowhere to be found, not that he'd be much help anyways. Amy still found it hard to believe that he left Alex to sleep for as long as she wanted while he pounded on her door, yelling for her to get up already, they were wasting daylight. Of course, nothing would stop _her _from barging in on Alex. Alex could scream and cry and call Amy all the mean SAT vocab words she could think of. It wouldn't work.

Amy stopped in front of Alex's door. It was the closest one to the control room and so far, the only room the TARDIS hadn't moved for fun. Sometimes, it took Amy half an hour to locate her room but Alex's remained in the same spot. She wouldn't have been surprised to learn that the Doctor had decreed that Alex's room be left alone. It was pretty likely.

Amy knocked quietly on the door, just to be polite. Alex was less likely to yell at her if Amy argued she had knocked first. After a few seconds, she knocked again. No reply. Smirking, Amy twisted the knob and pushed the door open. She got a step inside the room before she stopped in her tracks.

Lying in the bed, the sheets and comforter twisted around them, were the Doctor and Alex. They were both asleep. Alex's head was resting on the Doctor's chest, one arm flung over it. The Doctor's head was lying on a pillow but was also tilting to the side so that his jaw rested on Alex's thick mane of hair. One of his arms was wrapped around Alex, keeping her close, while the other was resting over Alex's slung-over arm.

Amy studied them silently, totally thrilled beyond description. The Doctor's jacket was lying on the couch, his boots were resting by the bed, and his ridiculous bowtie was lying on the nightstand but other than that, he was fully clothed so it was highly doubtful that he and Alex had 'danced' last night. Most likely was that he had stayed in here after comforting her from a nightmare, possibly about the third reality Alex had been placed in. Amy had a strong suspicion that the Dream Lord had put her in an accident involving her fear of water.

Alex had only told Amy about her fear of water after she vehemently refused to accompany her and Mels to a water-park. Amy had felt bad about her being the only survivor of that horrible boating accident and had even suggested Alex take swimming lessons or some kind of therapy to help her get over her fear of water, but Alex had shot them down. _Nothing _could get that girl near water if she could help it. Of course the Dream Lord would put her in such a reality!

Suddenly aware that she was still staring at the two like some sort of creeper, Amy backed out of the room and shut the door. As she tiptoed down the hall, she couldn't help but feel slightly grateful to the Dream Lord, if only because his manipulations had caused the Doctor and Alex to end up in their current arrangement.

Almost five minutes after Amy left, Alex's eyes slowly fluttered open. She thought she had distantly heard the door open. She looked over and saw that it was closed. Oh well. Must've been her imagination.

She sighed and rested her head back on her really comfortable pillow. The TARDIS must really like her if she was giving her this much comfort. But right as Alex was beginning to doze off again, she heard the thudding of a heartbeat. Actually, two heartbeats. Alex jolted, suddenly wide awake. There was only one person she knew that had two hearts…slowly, she looked up to see the sleeping form of the Doctor.

In spite of herself, Alex found herself smiling. Well, this was a lovely surprise. She recalled her nightmare last night and how the Doctor had come to comfort her. His presence must've worked for she hadn't had any more bad dreams.

Almost as though he could sense she was awake, the Doctor's eyes opened. He looked up at her, his gorgeous dark emerald green eyes meeting her honey brown ones. Rassilon, she was beautiful. Her hair was messy and tousled and her eyes were shining. She looked like an angel. _Don't go getting sappy over a girl! _A voice inside his head snapped, sounding suspiciously like his first incarnation.

Neither of them really knew what to say. _Talk about the morning after being awkward, _Alex thought wryly. Finally, she settled for a cheerful "Morning!"

The Doctor chuckled, glad that she had made the first move. "Morning," he replied back.

Alex giggled and leaned back on her haunches, the hem of her nightgown rising up to show off a little of her thighs. "You do this often?" she asked.

"Do what often?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Comfort pretty girls from nightmares," she clarified.

The Doctor thought for a moment. There had been many times with Sarah-Jane and Rose but not with anyone else. Donna probably would've killed him if he tried to stay in bed with her all night. "A few times yes," he replied hesitantly, not wanting to offend or upset her.

Alex surprised him by nodding, like she had been expecting this. "I kinda figured so." She then smiled mischievously. "But I'm sure you enjoyed comforting me the most, right?"

_She's not wrong._ The Doctor grinned and sat up. "Perhaps," he said slowly, still smirking at her, strongly enjoying this nearly unlimited flirting they were doing.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through her hair, making it more tousled and messy. The Doctor swallowed roughly and gripped the sheets tightly to prevent himself from lunging and pinning her to the mattress and snogging her senseless. His thread of self-control was still dangling and threatening to snap at any second.

Before he could do something he might deeply regret, the Doctor stood and grabbed his boots from the side of the bed. "Well, I'll just leave you to get changed," he muttered before grabbing his jacket and rushing out the door.

Alex giggled and fell back onto the mattress. It was so funny to see him flustered. He hadn't had the slightest idea what to do when he woke up next to her. Of course, neither had she but Alex was willing to overlook that small detail. She rolled over and rested her head on the pillow the Doctor had used last night. Oh God, it smelled just like him! Alex couldn't help but bury her nose in the pillowcase, inhaling the magnetic scent of musky cologne and fancy shower shampoo.

She rose slightly, feeling a little ashamed at her tween-like behavior. Honestly! She was acting like one of those thirteen years olds who were obsessed with Justin Bieber. Alex quickly swung her legs over the side of the bed and headed for the shower. Maybe a one minute shower would make her see reason.

Fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and dressed in a white blouse, short jean shorts, mid-calf length brown leather boots, and dangly red rose earrings, Alex burst into the kitchen, a piece of fabric wrapped around her fingers.

"Here Doc," she said, approaching the Doctor who was leaning against the kitchen counter, eating what appeared to be chocolate cereal. She dangled his bowtie in front of him. "You left this in my room last night."

From behind her, Rory noticed what she was holding and about choked on his own breakfast of Cocoa Puffs. Amy pounded on his back until he stopped coughing and watched as he gaped at Alex as she casually handed the Doctor his beloved garment.

The Doctor didn't seem embarrassed by it. He simply took the tie and started fastening it around his neck. "Thanks Ally."

"Am I missing something here?" Rory questioned Amy.

"The Doctor stayed in Alex's room last night," Amy explained.

Rory turned to stare goggle-eyed at Alex. "Alex!" he cried.

Alex glanced up from where she was inspecting the milk in the refrigerator. "What?" she asked, truly puzzled as to why Rory had screamed her name.

"Not like _that_," Amy hissed before Rory got Alex pissed at him.

"Never mind," Rory muttered, turning back to his cereal. As much as he thought the Doctor and Alex were a cute couple, he was still protective over the twenty-year-old and was a bit relieved to hear that nothing resembling 'dancing' happened last night between the two.

Alex made quick work of grabbing a Pop-Tart and a glass of milk before perching up on one of the counter stools. She flipped through a magazine the TARDIS had provided her with. The TARDIS liked her like that. There was always some source of reading material provided to Alex every morning; _New York Times_, _Harper's Bazaar_, etc.

The Doctor glanced over at Alex. She was deeply engrossed in an issue of _Soap Opera Digest_. _One Life to Live's_ Jessica was finally back to normal after her DID relapse, _General Hospital's _Vanessa Marcil was returning as Brenda Barrett, Caleb's identity was finally being revealed on _All My Children_, things like that. He shook his head, wondering why she was interested in stuff like that.

"I saw that," Alex said, not even looking up.

"Saw what?"

"That head-shake."

The Doctor feigned innocence. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You know, for a guy who faces down aliens and other bad guys almost every day and defeats them with a screwdriver and sarcasm, you're a really bad liar."

Amy and Rory snickered until the Doctor shot them a look. He casually wandered over to Alex and plucked the magazine out of her hands, staring at it disdainfully for a moment before tossing it on the counter. "Hilarious Alexandria," he said dryly.

"Thought so," Alex replied. She picked her magazine back up and flipped the page. "So what are we doing today?"

"Going to Rio." The Doctor didn't miss the way Alex's body stiffened for a second before slowly relaxing.

"Really?" Alex asked, her voice attempting to be light but there was a small squeak at the end. "That's nice."

"Amy wanted to go and I figured after the Dream Lord and all, I'd take her."

"That's fine," Alex attempted to dismiss. "You don't need to ask my permission or anything like that."

"I know that," the Doctor retorted, although he did actually feel like he was asking her permission. Beaches, huge expanse of ocean? She hated the beach and here he was, taking her straight to it! He leaned down to whisper in her ear "Don't worry. Amy and Rory can spend as much time at the beach as they want. You and I will do something else."

Alex gazed up at him, wonderstruck that he was willing to do that for her. "Really? You'd do that for me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Absolutely," the Doctor swore without hesitation. He was willing to do anything in order to make her happy.

As Alex beamed, the Doctor hurried out of the room, shouting for everyone to hurry up and get to the control room already.

* * *

"Behold!" the Doctor cheered, throwing open the TARDIS doors. "Rio!"

Amy and Rory rushed out, big smiles on their faces which quickly faded as they took in their surroundings. Alex peeked out over the Doctor's shoulder, relieved to see not enormously large beaches and palm trees, but a graveyard. Okay, she hated graveyards, but a graveyard was preferable to a person who disliked water more than the common house cat.

Alex and the Doctor stepped out, the door shutting behind them. Based on the gray skies and cool air, Alex surmised that they were somewhere in England or Wales. She shivered slightly, cursing her shorts and thin cotton blouse. Glancing over at Amy, who was similarly dressed, Alex knew she was thinking the same thing.

"Not really getting the sunshine carnival vibe," Rory said, glancing around disdainfully.

"No? Ooh! Feel that though! What's that?" The Doctor suddenly started bouncing up and down in place. Since Alex was holding his hand, she was forced to join him.

"Ground feels strange," the Doctor commented. He looked around, noticing the human's confused expressions. Even Alex couldn't feel anything different. "Just me. Wait…that's weird."

"What's weird?" Alex wondered.

"Doctor, stop trying to distract us!" Amy ordered, coming forward and glaring at him. "We're in the wrong place!" The Doctor, however, ignored her and suddenly ran around the TARDIS, dragging poor Alex behind him as Amy and Rory followed.

"Doctor, its freezing and Alex and I have dressed for Rio. We are not stopping here." The Doctor only knelt down next to a patch of turquoise colored grass. Alex knelt down next to him and studied it as well. It looked like how she had always thought bluegrass should look. Looking around, she noticed several more patches all around the cemetery. "Doctor? Are you listening to me? It's a _graveyard_. You promised me a _beach_."

_Rather be here than at a beach,_ Alex thought.

"Blue grass," the Doctor murmured, still ignoring Amy's protests. He fingered a few of the blades.

"I'll take styles of music for five hundred," Alex quipped. The Doctor smirked at her before turning back to the blades. "Seriously though, what is it?"

"Not sure," the Doctor admitted. "There's patches of it all around the graveyard." He stood up, pulling Alex up along with him. "So! Earth, 2020-ish, ten years in your future, wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit, but it's not a massive overshoot."

But Amy was more preoccupied with something in the distance than the Doctor's petty excuses. "Why are those people waving at us?" she asked, causing heads to turn to follow her gaze to a hill across from them. Squinting, Alex could vaguely make out two people standing there, waving at them.

"Can't be," the Doctor muttered, squinting as well. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of binoculars. Alex stared, slightly amazed, as he exclaimed "It is!" He looked at Amy and Rory excitedly. "It's you two!"

"Let me see!" Alex said impatiently, jumping up and snatching the binoculars out of his hand. As she dusted the lenses off, she heard Rory say "No, we're here. How can we be up there?"

"Ten years in your future," Alex replied, holding the binoculars up. Sure enough, she could see a slightly older Amy and Rory through them. "Probably came to fulfill the paradox we're seeing now or to relive past glories."

"Humans," the Doctor sighed. "You're so nostalgic."

Alex continued to peer through the binoculars. "Not bad looking," she said. "Oh, but, Ames? I'd start stocking up on hair dye now if I were you."

"WHAT?!" Amy shrieked, causing Rory and the Doctor to burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Alex smirked. "Just kidding!" she sang.

Amy glowered at her and lightly swatted the back of her head. "Not funny," she growled.

Alex lowered the binoculars and passed them back to the Doctor. "So you two are still together in ten years."

"No need to sound so surprised," Rory said light-heartedly.

"Not surprised, just impressed," Alex corrected.

"Hey, let's go and talk to them," Amy suggested. "We can say hi to future us. How cool is that?"

"Uh, no, best not," the Doctor shot down as he pocketed the binoculars. He still remembered the time he took Rose to visit her father. That was not an experience he was willing to repeat. "Really, best not. These things get complicated very quickly, and oh look!" He pointed out into the distance. The companions followed his gaze to what appeared to be a large mining operation. "Big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. See, way better than Rio. Rio doesn't have a big mining thing."

Amy groaned, immediately sensing where this was going. "We're not gonna have a look, are we?" she guessed.

"Let's go and have a look!" the Doctor grinned before pulling Alex off. "Come on, you two!" he shouted back to Amy and Rory. "Let's see what they're doing!"

"Got any theories Ally?" the Doctor asked as he pulled Alex along.

Alex laughed. "I'll bet anything they're mining because of that grass in the cemetery. I've never seen anything like it. It looks like how I've always thought bluegrass back in Kentucky should look."

"Good idea," the Doctor complimented.

Alex giggled, pleased with herself. "So," she said, swinging his arm before stepping closer so that their sides were touching, "what were _you _thinking?"

"Actually, the very same thing," the Doctor confessed.

Alex giggled again. "Great minds think alike!" she chirped, making him laugh as well.

At that moment, Amy came up, looking a little puzzled. "Hey Alex?" she said, stepping in synch with her friend. "How much did Rory pay for my engagement ring?" From what Alex had eventually admitted, she had been the one to consult Rory on Amy's engagement ring and actually accompanied him and Mels to London to pick it out.

Alex nibbled her lip. "I promised I'd never tell."

Amy nodded, her lips pressed in a thin line but a smile still threatening to crop up. "That's what I thought."

* * *

A few minutes later, the trio were at the mine gates. The Doctor peered at the sign. "'Restricted Access'," he read aloud. "'No unauthorized personnel.' Hmm." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the lock. A second later, the lock sparked as it unlocked, making the girls jump back and Amy yelp.

"That is breaking and entering!" she hissed.

"What did I break?" the Doctor retorted, grinning as he pocketed the sonic. He pushed open the gate. "_Sonicing_ and entering. Totally different."

Alex gave him a dry look. "I can hear the judge laughing now."

"Hush it you," the Doctor chided, pushing her ahead.

Amy sighed, seeing no way out of this. "Come on then," she said, going off after Alex.

The Doctor nodded but he was looking out behind them towards the TARDIS. "You're sure Rory'll catch us up?" he called back to Amy.

"He'll be fine!" Amy answered, smiling at him. "Don't worry!"

The group made their way into one of the buildings. As they headed down a hallway, Alex watched as the Doctor pulled some blades of the strange grass out of his pocket and examined them. "What about now?" he asked the girls. "Can you feel it now?"

"Honestly, I've got no idea what you're on about," Amy admitted.

"The ground doesn't feel like it should," the Doctor explained, strolling ahead and once again dragging Alex after him.

Alex shrugged, still not sensing anything different. To her, ground was ground. "It's ten years in the future," she pointed out. "Maybe how this ground feels is how it always feels."

"Good thought," the Doctor complimented, "but, no, it doesn't." A siren suddenly started up and the Doctor pulled out his sonic. "Hear that?" he asked, looking at the device. "Drill in start-up mode. Afterwaves of a recent seismological shift and blue grass." He tucked the sonic away and then, for some reason, shoved a few bits of the grass into his mouth before spitting them back out.

Amy and Alex stared at him, disgusted. "Ew!" Alex screeched.

"Oh, please! Have you always been this disgusting?" Amy questioned.

"Seriously!" Alex cried. "The only time you should eat grass is if you're on some weird health kick!"

"No, that's recent," the Doctor replied to Amy, ignoring Alex. He quickly led the girls down the hall over to a doorway. "What's in here?" he wondered, poking his head into a large room.

Alex peeked out from behind him and looked over the room. It was fairly large, with a dirt floor and tables with equipment and computers scattered all around. Standing in front of a bank of computers was an Indian woman in her late forties.

"Hello!" the Doctor called, stepping into the room, followed closely by Amy and Alex.

The Indian woman whirled around and whipped off her glasses. "Who are you? What're you doing here?" she demanded before turning to look at Amy and Alex. Her eyebrows rose up as she took in their attire. "And what are you wearing?"

"We dressed for _Rio_," Amy said by way of explanation.

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his psychic paper. "Ministry of Drills, Earth, and Science," he said, dangling it in front of the woman for a split second before tucking it away. As he darted over to examine the equipment, he added "New Ministry, quite big, just merged. It's a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Don't like to talk about it. What are you doing?"

"None of your business!" the woman snapped.

"Where are you getting these readings from?" the Doctor asked, looking at the computer screens.

"Under the soil."

"The drill's up and running again!" a new voice called. Alex turned to watch an older burly man dressed in plaid come through a doorway. He stopped to look at the new arrivals. "What's going on? Who're these people?"

"Amy, Alex, the Doctor," Amy introduced, nodding to each person as she said their name. Alex waved and smiled, totally chipper, but the Doctor only bent down to examine some dirt. Alex followed his movements over to a nice medium-sized hole in the middle of the floor. "We're not staying, are we, Doctor?"

"Why's there a big patch of earth in the middle of your floor?" he asked, answering Amy's question.

The woman shrugged. "We don't know," she answered, going back over to the computers. "It just appeared overnight."

Alex frowned. _Holes don't just appear. It's illogical. _Aloud, she said "That's not good."

The Doctor nodded approvingly at Alex's statement. "Good. Right," he said before standing up and hurrying over to Alex. "You all need to get out of here very fast."

"Why?" the woman demanded. Amy and Alex stepped hesitantly over to the patch, looking over it critically, trying to see what the Doctor had seen.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Nasreen Chaudhry."

"Look at the screens, Nasreen," the Doctor ordered. "Look at your readings. It's moving."

"What's moving?" Alex asked, going back over to the Doctor. She leaned in close to the equipment to try and see what was going on.

"Hey, that's specialized equipment!" the man called after her. "Get away from it!"

Alex ignored him. "Again, what is it?" she demanded.

"Doctor!" Amy cried from where she was kneeling beside the hole. A fine mist of steam was coming out from it, not something one saw coming from holes that often. "This steam, is that a good thing?"

The Doctor and Alex turned to look at it. The Doctor began to pace around while Alex went over to stand next to Amy. "Shouldn't think so," the Doctor admitted. "It's shifting when it shouldn't be shifting."

"_What _shouldn't?" Nasreen cried.

But right then, the ground began shaking. Everyone stumbled but somehow managed to remain on their feet. Just as the rumbling subsided, Alex heard a strange noise coming from the hole in the ground.

The Doctor didn't appear to be fazed by this sudden occurrence for he continued pacing. "The ground, the soil, the earth, moving. But how? Why?"

"Earthquake?" Amy offered.

"I'm willing to bet it's not something that simple," Alex guessed.

"What's going on?" the man demanded.

"Doubt it," the Doctor answered to Amy's question. "Because it's only happening in this room."

Just when he got finished saying that, two more holes appeared in the floor, followed by three more a second later. In spite of herself, Alex jumped and screamed a little.

"It knows we're here," the Doctor gasped, staring at the holes. "It's attacking. The _ground's _attacking us!"

Nasreen shook her head. "No, no, that's not possible!" she argued.

_And sofas can read, it's a big universe!_ Alex thought but didn't say. Now was not the time for her flippant remarks.

"Under the circumstances, I'd suggest…run!" the Doctor shouted.

He raced off in the direction of the door, Nasreen close behind, when they suddenly stopped, realizing they were missing a few people. The two whirled around to see the man kneeling on the ground, caught in one of the holes as Amy and Alex attempted to navigate their way over in order to reach him.

"Amy, Ally, stay back!" the Doctor ordered. "Stay away from the Earth!"

_Does he honestly think that'll work?_ Alex thought as she jumped over a hole after Amy. Amy was kneeling beside the man, trying to help him up.

"Tony!" Nasreen cried, sounding completely panicked.

"It's okay," Amy assured the man now identified as Tony. A split second later, a hole opened underneath Amy, pulling her down as Alex barely managed to jump back.

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted as he raced over to the girls, Nasreen just behind him.

"Doctor, help me!" Amy shrieked. "Something's got me!" She suddenly screamed again as she was pulled further down, now up to her thighs.

"Take my hand!" the Doctor ordered, reaching out to grab her. Amy's hand shot out to meet him while the Doctor's other hand gripped her arm to try and pull her out.

"Doctor, the ground's got my legs!" Amy shrieked as he tried to pull her out, but to no avail. "Don't let go!"

"Never," he promised.

"Don't worry Amy," Alex assured her, trying to keep her voice calm and controlled, even though she felt like panicking herself right now. "We'll get you out!"

"No, _I'll _get her out," the Doctor corrected, shooting her a look. "_You _go stand over there."

Alex frowned at him. "Doctor-," she started.

"_Now_ Alexandria Nicole!" the Doctor shouted at her.

Alex glared at him, but she wasn't really that mad. Surprised that he had called her by her full name? Yes. Of course, she knew that he just wanted to protect her. Ever so reluctantly, she began to move away from the holes, listening to Amy pepper the Doctor with questions on why this was happening. But right as she began to put her foot down on a solid spot of ground, another hole appeared, sucking Alex down in it.

She yelped and clawed at the sides, trying to pull herself out, only succeeding in the ground tugging her down to her waist. Behind her, Amy's eyes widened and she let out a horrifying scream. "ALEX!" Amy screamed, causing the Doctor to whirl around and his face to go pale.

"Alex!" he cried. He watched as Alex tried to pull herself out and only succeeding in being sucked in even more. He started to get up to go help her when he remembered he was holding Amy's hand. He dove back down and looked back and forth between both girls. Amy. Alex. Amy. Alex. Amy. Alex.

"Doctor, go help her!" Amy yelled at him.

"No, don't listen to her!" Alex objected. "Help Amy! I'm fine!"

"No, go help her!"

"Help Amy!"

The Doctor looked back and forth rapidly. How could he decide between the girls? They were both important to him. _But Alex is your favorite, _a snide voice that sounded like the Dream Lord whispered in his mind. And the worst part was, he knew the voice was right.

"_Go,_" Amy insisted. She stared up at the Doctor, understanding and worry reflected back at him. "She is more important and valuable to you than anyone else here."

"Stay calm!" the Doctor called to both girls. He turned back to Amy. "Keep hold of my hand. Don't let go." He looked over at Nasreen, who had managed to get Tony out. "Your drill!" he shouted at them. "Shut it down! Go! Now!" Needing no further prodding, the two ran out.

"Can you get us out?" Alex asked as she attempted to pull herself out again. She gasped and whimpered a little as the force beneath her sucked her down half an inch further, like it was teasing her.

"Try and stay calm!" the Doctor instructed. "If you struggle, it'll make things worse!"

"Doctor, go to her!" Amy begged.

"I'm not going to let you go," the Doctor insisted. Now wasn't really the best time to play Who-Is-The-Doctor's-Favorite-Companion?

"Doctor, something's pulling me down!" Alex cried. "Something's pulling me!" She closed her eyes and started mentally reciting rosary beads while simultaneously cursing herself for not attending church like she probably should've done.

"Stay calm!" the Doctor cried again, though he knew this repeated phrase wasn't doing any good. "Now, hold on till they can just shut down the drill."

Amy tightened her grip on his hand but as she was sucked further down, it loosened. "I can't hold on!"

"Amy, hold on!" Alex shouted. She was slightly grateful that she couldn't see what was happening but also slightly angry as well. She wanted to comfort her friend but here she was, stuck in a bloody hole getting pulled down to the pits of Hell or something by an unseen force.

"What's pulling me? What is under the Earth?" Amy questioned rapid-fire style. "I don't want to suffocate under there."

"Amy, concentrate," the Doctor pleaded. "Don't you give up!"

"Tell Rory…" Amy's voice trailed off and she whimpered a little before she was sucked completely down the hole.

"No, Amy!" the Doctor cried in agony. He dug through the soil in a futile attempt to try and get her back. But there was no sign of her flaming red hair anywhere. "Amy, no!"

"Amy!" Alex cried, feeling tears boil up in her eyes. "Doctor, what happened? Where is she?!"

Hearing Alex's questions reminded the Doctor that there was still one girl he could save, one girl he _needed _to save. He jumped up and ran over to her. He grabbed both of her hands, clutching them close to his chest. "Ally, do _not _let go," he ordered, his voice dark, not towards her, but to whoever was doing this to her.

Alex clenched her teeth and tried to put all of her strength into her upper body. "Please don't let go!" she begged, some of her tears leaking out.

"Never," he told her fiercely. There was no way in _hell_ he was going to allow someone to take his Ally away from him. Wait, HIS Ally?

Alex glanced down briefly at the dirt covering the lower portion of her body. "Doctor, what is it? What could possibly want me?"

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted, "but I'm not going to let whatever it is get you too."

Alex felt herself being sucked down another inch and she let out a strangled cry. "AAH! I don't think I can hold on for much longer!"

"Don't say that!" the Doctor snapped, even though he knew it was probably true.

Alex cried out again as she was sucked downwards again. She could feel her hand getting slick with sweat, her grip becoming compromised. She was going to let go of his hand any second now. She knew it and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The Doctor knew it as well. His fingers clenched tighter around Alex's small, fragile hand. He could practically feel his knuckles turning white. He stared into Alex's eyes, currently a mix between a bright, terrifying neon green and dark emerald green. He couldn't tell which color was overpowering which. He silently prayed to whatever God was out there that Alex wouldn't be harmed, that she would be safe and by his side.

Suddenly, Alex screamed, the sound playing over and over again in his ears as her hand was ripped away from his and she was pulled further into the ground. "DOCTOR!" she screamed before disappearing completely.

"ALEX!" the Doctor shouted. He dug madly through the soil, trying to catch a glimpse of that almost-blonde hair and colorful eyes but there was nothing. He pulled back, the only evidence of his efforts being the abundance of dirt under his fingernails. He grabbed his sonic, nearly dropping it as he hurried, and pointed it at the ground. But still, nothing happened.

He lowered the sonic dejectedly as Nasreen and Tony raced in. Nasreen looked around. "Where are they?" she asked.

"They're gone," the Doctor choked out, staring at the ground. "The ground _took _them." _They took Alex, _he thought. Truthfully, that was the biggest focus of his thoughts right now. It was bad enough that they took Amy, but Alex? Alex was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Is that what happened to Mo?" Tony asked, interrupting the Doctor's thoughts. "Are they dead?"

The Doctor stood and began pacing in front of the holes. "It's not quicksand. They didn't just sink. Something _pulled _them in. It wanted them." He felt a burst of anger go through him, relishing in the hot, fiery feeling.

"The ground wanted them?" Nasreen repeated, looking confused.

The Doctor turned to her. "You said the ground was dormant," he recalled. "Just a patch of earth, when you first saw it this morning. And the drill had been stopped."

"That's right," Tony confirmed.

"But when you re-started the drill, the ground fought back."

Nasreen snorted. "So, what? The ground wants us to stop drilling?" She shook her head, still unable to believe what the Doctor was suggesting as the latter knelt next to the holes and scanned them with the sonic. "Doctor, that is ridiculous!"

The Doctor ignored her, watching as the dirt shifted slightly and gave a small rumble. He lifted the sonic and snapped it open to read the scans. "I'm not saying that and it's not ridiculous. I just don't think it's right." He leaned on his forehead and laughed a little as he finished reading the scans. "Oh, of course! It's bio-programming."

"What?" Nasreen quizzed.

"Bio-programming," the Doctor repeated before jumping to his feet. "Oh, it's clever! You use bio-signals to resonate the internal molecular structure of natural objects. It's mainly used in engineering and construction, mostly jungle planets, but that's way in your future and not here. What's it doing here?"

Nasreen, however, was caught up in something strange the Doctor had said. "Sorry, did you just say _jungle planets_?"

Tony nodded his head in agreement with her. "You're not making any _sense_, man!" he snapped, causing the Doctor to stop pacing and look up at him, a frown etched onto his face.

"Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense," he said lowly, almost threateningly. If Alex had been there, she'd have been able to keep him calm. "You're just not keeping up. The earth, the ground beneath our feet, was bio-programmed to attack."

"Yeah, even if that were possible – which, by the way, it's _not_ – why?" Nasreen asked.

"Stop you drilling," the Doctor replied, as though it were obvious. "Okay, so we find whatever's doing the bio-programming, we can find Alex and Amy. We can get them back." _You can get Alex back._

Suddenly, he stiffened and held up a finger. "Shush, shush, shush," he ordered. "Have I gone mad? I've gone mad." Unfortunately, that was a distinct possibility since Alex had been taken away from him.

Nasreen eyed him worriedly. "Doctor-?" she started before she was shushed.

"Shush! Shush! Silence! Absolute silence!" the Doctor said again. Nasreen looked at him with wide eyes but complied. "You stopped the drill, right?"

"Yes," Nasreen answered, surprised that he was asking for an answer to a question he should already know.

"And you've only got the one drill?"

"Yes," Nasreen repeated like he was a child that hadn't gotten the memo to clean his room even after being told to do it five times already.

The Doctor eyed her. "You're _sure _about that?"

Tony took this one. "Yes!" he insisted.

They frowned at him as the Doctor looked around the room before hopping over a hole and lying on the ground, pressing his ear to the cool, hard dirt. "So, if you shut the drill down…why can I still hear drilling?" As Nasreen and Tony leaned closer to the ground to listen, the Doctor spoke again. "It's under the ground."

"That's not possible!" Tony protested as the Doctor shot to his feet, heading towards the computers.

The Doctor ignored him, whipping out his sonic and aiming it at the computers. Nasreen's eyes widened and she rushed forward to stop him, Tony right behind her. "Oh no, what are you doing?" she demanded.

"Hacking into your records," the Doctor casually answered, his gaze never wavering, not even as he gently pushed Nasreen off to the side. "Probe reports, samples, sensors. Good. Just unite the data, make it all one big conversation. Let's have a look." He straightened up and nodded to the screen, now showing a diagram of the drill hole.

"So, we are here, and this is your drill hole. Twenty one point zero, zero nine kilometers." He nodded approvingly at Nasreen and Tony. "Well done."

Nasreen nodded a little, not sure whether or not to accept the compliment. "Thank you," she replied cautiously. "It's taken us a long time."

"Why here, though?" the Doctor wondered. "Why'd you drill on this site?"

"We found patches of grass in this area, containing trace minerals unseen in this country for…" Nasreen paused, thinking it over. "Twenty million years."

"The blue grass!" the Doctor recalled. He remembered Alex's witty comment about the grass and felt his hearts pang. No! He couldn't think about that right now! Instead, he smiled and chuckled slightly, more at the human's ignorance than at any humor in this situation. "Oh Nasreen," he said, patting the woman's shoulder. "Those trace minerals weren't X marking the spot, saying dig here. They were a _warning_. Stay away. Because while you've been drilling down, somebody else has been drilling up."

The computer in front of them beeped, drawing their attention. "Oh beautiful," the Doctor murmured, examining the screen with the same intensity he did on Alex's appearance on any given day. "Network of tunnels all the way down."

"No, no," Tony protested, shaking his head. "We've surveyed that area!"

"You only saw what you were looking for," the Doctor replied before another beep rang out.

Nasreen peered at the screen, watching as three little dots began moving up the screen. "What are they?"

"Heat signals," the Doctor answered. "Wait, dual readings, hot and cold, doesn't make sense. And now they're moving. Fast." He turned to look at Nasreen and Tony expectantly. "How many people live nearby?" he asked.

"Just my daughter and her family," Tony answered. "The rest of the staff travel in." He looked worriedly at the Doctor, wondering where he was going with this.

The Doctor nodded, glad this wouldn't be a repeat of the Leadworth reality in the psychic pollen adventure. "Grab this equipment and follow me," he ordered before beginning to march off.

"Why?" Nasreen called after him. "What're we doing?"

The Doctor whirled around and marched back over to them. "That noise isn't a drill, it's _transport_. Three of them, thirty kilometers down. Rate of speed looks about a hundred and fifty kilometers down. Should be her in, ooh, quite soon. Twelve minutes." He turned to head back to the door, listening as Nasreen and Tony hurriedly gathered up equipment. "Whatever bio-programmed the Earth is on its way up…_now_."

The Doctor walked out the door, his stride determined. He was going to get Amy and Alex back and he was going to get them back _alive _and in one piece. If anything happened to them, there would be no help of getting him calmed down, particularly if Alex was harmed in any way, shape or form.

Tony and Nasreen hurried after him. "How can something be coming up when there's only the Earth's crust down there?"

"You saw the readings!" the Doctor retorted. _Honestly, humans!_ He thought. _Can't see an alien even if the proof is right in front of them!_

"Who are you, anyway?" Nasreen demanded. "How can you know all this?"

But before the Doctor could answer, a red light flashed above them in the sky before quickly disappearing.

"Whoa!" Nasreen gaped up at the sky. "Did you see that?"

The Doctor's face fell and he mentally cursed whoever was doing this in every language he could think of, from English to Sycoraxic. "No, no, no!" he chanted, praying he was wrong as he pulled a slingshot out of his jacket pocket. He grabbed a rock from the ground and settled it in the slingshot before firing away at the sky. A red webbing appeared, hissing as the rock hit it, before turning invisible again.

"Energy signal originating from under the Earth," he explained to the baffled humans. "We're trapped."

"Doctor!" a voice called out. The group whirled around to see Rory racing up to them, a young woman and a boy of about twelve hot on his heels. He skidded to a stop by the Doctor before panting "Something weird's going on here. The graves are eating people!"

_Oh great, just what I need!_ The Doctor thought bitterly. Of course, he had a pretty good idea what was happening with the graves but it wasn't something he could focus on right now. "Not now, Rory! Energy barricade, invisible to the naked eye. We can't get out and no one from the outside world can get in."

"What?" Rory blurted. He paused for a moment, thinking the situation over before suggesting "What about the TARDIS?"

"The what?" Nasreen questioned.

"Er, no," the Doctor said hastily, noticing Nasreen's curious expression. Based on how long it had taken her to accept that there was something under the Earth, he could just imagine how long it would take getting her to accept time travel. "Those energy patterns would play havoc with the circuits. With a bit of time, maybe, but we've only got nine and a half minutes."

Rory looked at his watch. "Nine and half minutes to what?"

"We're trapped and something's burrowing towards the surface," Nasreen explained, mostly to the two other people that had arrived with Rory.

Rory nodded, absorbing the information, but then he noticed something odd. Where were Amy and Alex? Amy wouldn't want to miss any of the excitement and Alex would've made her presence known by now, what with her bouncing and intelligent questions. She wouldn't want to miss any of this either. "Where's Amy?" he asked the Doctor. "And Alex?"

_Oh, shit,_ the Doctor thought, dreading the question. He turned to Nasreen and Tony, hoping to stall for just a few seconds on answering Rory. "Get everyone inside the church," he ordered. He waited until everyone had gathered the equipment and was out of ear-shot before beginning to walk off. "Rory, I'll get them back," he promised over his shoulder.

Rory's eyes widened and he raced after him. "What do you mean 'get them back'?" he demanded. "Where've they gone?"

The Doctor felt his hearts ache and a flash of anger run through his veins. "They were taken," he revealed. "Into the Earth."

Rory's eyes flashed dangerously, reminding the Doctor that he wasn't the only one who cared about Amy and Alex's safety. "How? Why didn't you stop it?!"

"I tried," the Doctor said honestly, remembering how he had tried to keep hold of the girl's right up until the moment they were each taken away from him. "I promise, I tried."

"Well, you should've tried harder!" Rory snapped.

The Doctor felt his entire demeanor darken. How come Rory didn't get it? Couldn't he see what Alex's absence was doing to him? It was like trying to live without the sun; cold and a quick route to death. He could feel his insides twisting into tight little knots as the fear and guilt and anger took root and settled in.

He grabbed Rory by the collar and pulled him up to where the human could see the dark black irises that screamed worry, anger, and guilt. "Do you really think I don't know that?" the Doctor hissed, his anger curling into his words. "Do you not think I don't realize I could've done a thousand things differently that would've ended with me saving them?"

Rory gulped and for the first time since meeting him, he actually felt a little afraid of the Doctor. He got the feeling he was seeing a part of him that the Doctor kept hidden from others, maybe even hidden from himself. This man was not the bumbling adventurer he had come to know and actually like; this was a dark, twisted person who wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything in his way that prevented him from getting to those he cared about.

It was this side that Alex somehow managed to control. It was this side of the Doctor that was threatening to come out now that its gatekeeper was no longer around. It was this side of the Doctor that would be unleashed if anything happened to the gatekeeper. And that, Rory thought, was the scariest thing of all.

"I'll find Amy," the Doctor suddenly spoke. "I'll find Alex. I'll keep you all safe, I promise. Come on, please. I need you alongside me." And with that, he released Rory's collar and headed back towards the church, never looking back, as if he knew Rory would follow him. And that was exactly what Rory did.

A/N: Alex got taken with Amy! What will happen? SO sorry for the late update, but I was at a football game and didn't leave for some time. On the bright side, my school beat our number one rival! :)

Notes on reviews...

**Cigar Fancy Pants **- Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. Thank you! :D

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I recently turned 17. :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

**SopherGopherroxursox** - Lol, I think 'Dalex' is the winner so far! That's what I've been calling them in my head at least. :) Glad you loved the ending! It was rather sweet, wasn't it?

**The bunny always dies first **- Yeah, I think a lot of people hate that, but I don't want to rush into anything. Ooh, can't say anything about the Pandorica episodes, just that a lot happens in them. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- I'm pretty sure NO ONE expected me to kill the Doctor off there! I've never seen it done, and I thought it would be interesting to see how Alex reacted to that. So glad you loved the chapter and the fluffy end bits. :)

**Skipper1318 **- SO glad you like this fic and the pairing! Lol, I think 'Dalex' is going to be it and you're right, it is pretty funny said aloud. :)

**ShadowTier **- Glad you liked the chapter! Sorry for the late update, but football is practically another religion where I'm from. And basketball. :)

**Gwilwillith **- I am rather evil, aren't I? :D

**dream lighting **- Yes, they will get together (wouldn't be much of a story if they didn't), but I can't say when! Well, we've seen River in the Weeping Angels episodes and her relationship with Alex is interesting. They have an interesting frenemies relationship, which we will see in the Pandorica episodes. That's all I can say for now about how River will react. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- I'm so glad I could fulfill your wishes! You have no idea how shocked I was when I read your review and thought 'they nailed it!' I can't say when they get to have each-other, just that they will sometime! And don't worry, Stonehenge will be full of surprises... :)

**jesterlover **- Glad you're excited! 'The Hungry Earth' is a good episode!

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yes, the Silurians are the green lizard-people that used to live on Earth before humans populated it. They went underground when they mistook the moon entering Earth's gravity for the apocalypse. They don't like humans or 'apes', and you'll see that in this episode and 'Cold Blood'. }:)

**rycbar15 **- I'm so glad you love this story! Yeah, when IS he going to admit it? He can be pretty thick! :)

**TimeyWimey12 **- Ooh, good question...well, she doesn't have a fob watch that we know of, but anything's possible. :)

Again, super sorry for the late update! Don't worry, I plan on updating again today (today as in it's past midnight where I am) to make up for it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favored/followed this story! Please review and I'll see you in a unspecified number of hours!


	34. The Hungry Earth Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Doctor Who.

A few minutes later, the Doctor was at work helping Tony and Nasreen set up their equipment. Their current hiding place, the church, was a true oddity. Dozens of boxes and crates packed with household items such as dishes, brooms, and lamps were stacked up around them, as though the occupant was currently in the process of moving in or moving out. A little distance away, Tony's daughter Ambrose, his grandson Elliot, and Rory were watching them work.

So far, Ambrose wasn't really buying the whole 'aliens are coming up from the ground' thing. "So, we can't get out, we can't contact anyone, and something – something that took my husband – is coming up through the Earth." Her voice reeked of skepticism and doubt.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "If we move quickly enough, we can be ready."

"No, stop!" Ambrose snapped. "This has gone far enough! What is this?!"

"He's telling the truth, love," Tony said, trying to calm her down. The Doctor continued working, wishing again that Alex were here. She'd have that woman calmed down in five seconds flat. She had a strange knack for doing that.

"Come on!" Ambrose protested. "It's not the first time we've had no mobile or phone signals! Reception's always rubbish!"

Nasreen looked up. "Look Ambrose," she began, "we saw the Doctor's friends get taken, okay? You saw the lightning in the sky! I have seen the impossible today and the only person who's made any sense of it for me is the Doctor."

Ambrose stared at the Doctor doubtfully. "Him?!" she scoffed.

"Me!" the Doctor confirmed, grinning madly at her before turning back to his work.

Ambrose still looked pretty doubtful but her son Elliot actually seemed inspired. He stepped forward as the Doctor lifted an extension cord. "Can you get my dad back?" he asked.

He stopped and turned to the boy, vaguely aware that all eyes were now fixated on him. He didn't wish that Alex was here to inspire any confidence in him; she didn't need to be here for this. The Doctor already knew his answer. He bent down to Elliot's eyelevel, gaze never wavering, and said "Yes." He now looked up at Ambrose. "But I need you to trust me and do exactly as I say from this second onwards, because we are running out of time."

Ambrose looked at him but even though she appeared slightly more trusting of him, the Doctor could still see the doubt in her eyes and stiff body language. He absently wondered what Alex might say if she were here. She'd probably be a bit hesitant in asking this woman to do anything. "So tell us what to do," Ambrose said, the uncertainty all too clear in her voice.

"Thank you," the Doctor said sincerely while privately deciding to keep an eye on the woman. Thinking about what Alex might do had inspired him to think like her. He knew Alex well enough by now to know how she'd react to certain people and he was fairly confident that she'd be pretty hesitant and cautious but polite towards Ambrose.

He looked around the room before checking his watch. "We have eight minutes to set up a line of defense. Bring me every phone, every camera, every piece of recording or transmitting equipment you can find. Every burglar alarm, every movement sensor, every security light! I want the whole area covered with sensors!"

Within just a few minutes, all of the equipment was set up. Elliot was currently off somewhere drawing a map of the area and everyone else was busy scuttling around, making last minute alterations and corrections. Four minutes remained on the clock and currently, the Doctor was examining the interior of Ambrose's meals-on-wheels van.

"Oi!" Ambrose called, heading towards him with a large bundle in her arms. "What're you doing?"

"Resources!" the Doctor answered back. "Every little helps! Meals-on-wheels. What've you got here, then? Warmer in the front, refrigerated in the back." He pulled himself out of the vehicle and watched with a frown as Ambrose placed her bundle, which consisted of a bunch of rifles and a cricket bat, on the backseat.

"Bit chilly for a hideout, mind," she warned, stepping away from the door, not even noticing his disapproving look.

"What are those?" the Doctor questioned, nodding towards the weapons.

Ambrose shrugged, not appearing to notice his displeasure with her new course of action. "Like you say," she replied, "every little helps."

_And you took that to mean weapons?!_ The Doctor thought. He could practically hear Alex groaning and saying something snippy and sarcastic like _Yes, attacking the mean aliens will go over really well!_ Coming back to the present, he shook his head and objected. "No. No weapons. It's not the way I do things."

Ambrose stared at him, indignant. "You said we're supposed to be defending ourselves!"

"Oh, Ambrose, you're better than this!" The Doctor smiled coldly at her, feeling that raw anger and fury seep up again. "I'm asking nicely. Put them away."

He turned and walked off back to the church, feeling Ambrose's frown dig a hole into his back, but not caring in the slightest.

Once he was back inside, the Doctor headed over to the computer bank. He sighed as he examined the screens. The dots were moving upward very, very quickly, leaving them now with less than three and a half minutes. Three and a half minutes until he could capture the aliens that had taken Amy and his Ally away from him.

The Doctor wasn't sure when he had started thinking of Alex as his but it seemed a pretty accurate statement, in his opinion. He and Alex spent the majority of their time with each-other and he was very protective and possessive of her. He knew Alex probably wouldn't like feeling owned but the idea of her being his struck him as being very, very nice.

The Doctor turned away from the screen and reached into his jacket pocket. His pockets were bigger on the inside like the TARDIS and it took him a moment to feel the edges of a photograph. He grabbed it and pulled it out, eagerly examining it.

The photo was one of Alex that he had insisted on taking of her on their trip last week to New New York. While Amy and Rory were off doing whatever, he and Alex had explored the city. Alex had wondered whether he had come here before and he told her about his previous trips there with Rose and Martha. Alex had laughed or stayed silent at all of the appropriate parts and never once judged him.

Later, as they were admiring the New Statue of Liberty – which Alex had happily noted was not covered in green corrosion and sea-salt like the other one – the Doctor happened to notice that everyone around them was staring at them. At first, he assumed it was because of his attire, which got an awful lot of staring for some reason, until he then noticed the majority were actually looking at Alex. When he looked over at her, he realized why. Alex was drop-dead gorgeous and her personality, filled with confidence and enthusiasm, radiated off of her.

Alex had laughed when he tried to pose her. _No way, I look awful!_ She'd protested, trying to shake off his arms half-heartedly. _I have like, three zits!_

Of course, the Doctor couldn't see them. Alex looked as she always did; beautiful. Her eyes were shining and the wind had made her hair perfectly tousled. Despite Alex's giggling protests, he still took it and she was forced to admit that the photo wasn't half bad. Either Alex had no idea how truly beautiful she was or she was just very, very modest.

He sighed. He had to get Alex back. He just _had _to.

His reminiscing came to a screeching halt when Elliot suddenly rushed in, clutching a colorful piece of paper. "Look at that!" the Doctor cried, taking the map and examining it. He had to admit, this kid had talent. "Perfect! Dyslexia never stopped Da Vinci or Einstein. It's not stopping you."

Elliot blushed a little, pleased with the words of encouragement. "I don't understand what you're going to do though," he admitted.

"Two phase plan," the Doctor began. "First, the sensors and cameras will tell us when something arrives. Second, if something does arrive…" he trailed off and held up his sonic to demonstrate his next point, "I use _this _to send a sonic pulse through that network of devices. A pulse which would temporarily incapacitate most things in the universe."

"Knock them out," Elliot nodded, understanding. "Cool."

The Doctor shrugged, trying to downplay Elliot's approval. He liked that he was getting it though. With Alex MIA, there was no one who would eagerly tell him that he had a genius idea or scold him for how the plan was really bad. He couldn't help but think Alex would approve of this plan.

He looked around the church. "Lovely place to grow up around here," he commented, hoping to change the subject away from his continuing worries over Alex.

Thankfully, Elliot took the bait. "Suppose," he shrugged. "I want to live in a city one day. Soon as I'm old enough, I'll be off."

The Doctor chuckled, thinking of the similarities between himself and Elliot and even Alex. Like Elliot, Alex had longed for a more exciting life outside of Bristol. "I was the same where I grew up," he revealed. "A friend of mine, she was like you too. She wanted to get away from her small town and do exciting things."

Elliot looked amazed. "Did she get away? Did _you _get away?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said, answering his second question. "And my friend, she did as well. She's doing amazing things."

"Do you ever miss it?" Elliot wondered.

The Doctor swallowed thickly, remembering Gallifrey. Despite its slightly insane inhabitants, there were good parts too. "So much," he admitted.

Elliot nodded, noticing the slight pain in the Doctor's eyes. For whatever reason, the Doctor didn't like talking about his hometown and it would be rude to continue pushing the subject. Instead, he decided to ask what he had meant to ask when he first came in here. "Is it monsters coming? Have you met monsters before?"

"Yeah."

"You scared of them?"

"No," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "They're scared of me."

Now for the million-dollar question. Elliot watched his face carefully as he asked "Will you really get my dad back?"

The Doctor bent down and looked him right in the eye. "No question," he promised. "And I'll tell you why. Those monsters took two friends of mine, one of whom I am very close to. _Nothing _can prevent me from getting her back safely."

Elliot nodded, seeing the truth in his eyes. Whoever this friend of the Doctor's was, it was clear she was someone special. "Is that her?" he asked, nodding to the photo still clutched n the Doctor's hand. "Your girlfriend?"

The Doctor visibly started. "_Girlfriend_?!" he repeated, standing back up in shock. Elliot had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the flabbergasted look on his face. "Wh-wha-what would m-make you say that?" he stammered.

Elliot shrugged. "From the way you talk about her and look like when you talk about her," he said matter-of-factly, reminding the Doctor of how noticeable children were about things. He then shrugged. "Then again, that's what Mum says happens in all of her girly books."

The Doctor laughed hoarsely. Alex as his _girlfriend_? The idea of attaching such a juvenile label to Alex was truly laughable. And even if he wanted to attach such a term on her, he couldn't because he could not feel that way about her. At all.

"She's not," he said, just barely managing to force the words out. "Alex is beautiful, smart, funny, and everything else in between but she's not my…girlfriend."

Elliot shrugged. _Suit yourself,_ he thought. "I left my headphones at home," he announced before running back up the church aisle.

The Doctor nodded, barely hearing this last part. Elliot's other words rang in his ears. Alex as his girlfriend? It sounded so strange but so right at the same time. He sighed and focused back on the countdown.

One minute and counting.

* * *

As the countdown ticked down away from sixty, the Doctor went out to the graveyard. Rory was setting up a camera on a gravestone as he approached. "How're you doing?" he asked.

Rory seemed about to respond when he looked up to see the sky turning darker, and not in a natural way. "It's getting darker," he pointed out as the sun's light was replaced with a deep, dark black. "How can it be getting darker so quickly?"

The Doctor looked up to study this new phenomenon. "Shutting out light from within the barricade," he explained as the blackness fully set in, making it look like they were out in the middle of the night when it was only two in the afternoon. "Trying to isolate us in the dark. Which means…" Just as trailed off, there came a sudden rumbling. He looked all around. "It's here!"

The two immediately took off towards the church. As they approached the building, they came upon Ambrose, who was desperately trying to get the ancient door open.

"I can't open it!" she cried. "It keeps sticking! The wood's warped."

The Doctor immediately moved to help her, but not even his efforts could make any difference. He turned to Rory, who was watching them with a puzzled expression on his face. The Doctor frowned at him. "Any time you want to help!" he snapped.

"Can't you sonic it?" Rory asked.

The Doctor somehow resisted the urge to cringe sheepishly. "It doesn't do wood," he admitted.

"That is rubbish!" Rory exclaimed.

"Oi!" the Doctor yelled before turning away from the door to approach his male companion. "Don't diss the sonic!" He turned back to the door, Rory now following him, and with their help, they succeeded in helping Ambrose get the door open. They dove inside just as the heavy door slammed close behind them. Just as they were approaching Tony and Nasreen, who were stationed at a bank of computers, the ground started shaking severely, like an earthquake on steroids.

"See if we can get a fix!" the Doctor shouted as he somehow managed to run to the center of the room despite the shaking and the number of items that were toppling off shelves all around him. He ran up to a computer and started typing frantically, but then, the computers and everything else electric suddenly went dark.

"No power," Tony said, stating the obvious as he looked around confusedly.

"It's deliberate," the Doctor grimaced.

"What do we do now?" Rory asked.

"Nothing," he answered as Tony turned a flashlight on. "We've got nothing. They sent an energy surge to wreck our systems."

Well that was reassuring. Trying to take his mind off this unsettling development, Rory called out "Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?"

"I'm fine," Nasreen responded.

"Me too," Ambrose confirmed.

As if wanting to challenge this, there was another burst of rumbling. "Doctor, what was that?" Rory demanded.

"It's like the holes at the drill station," Tony recalled.

"Is this how they happened?" Nasreen asked.

The Doctor knelt down and pressed his ear to the ground. After a moment, he answered "It's coming through the final layer of earth."

"What is?"

But before he could answer, the rumbling stopped, a loud silence now replacing it.

"The banging's stopped," Tony remarked, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Where's Elliot?" Ambrose's voice rang out. Everyone turned to her, seeing her look all around the room frantically. "Has anyone seen Elliot? Did he come in? Was he in when the door was shut? Who counted him back in? Who saw him last?"

The Doctor suddenly felt ill. He was positive that if Alex was here right now, she'd whack him over the head and yell at him for not keeping an eye on Elliot. But how could he focus on anything else when she was under the earth with God-knows-what happening to her? But he knew it was no excuse. "I did," he said quietly.

"Where is he?" Ambrose questioned.

"He said he was going to get headphones."

Ambrose frowned at him. "And you let him go?! He was out there on his own?!"

Then, confirmation. "Mum!" Elliot suddenly called, his voice just audible through the thick wooden door. He pounded the wood with both fists. "Grandpa Tony! Let me in!"

"Elliot!" Ambrose cried, sprinting towards the door.

"Let me in!"

"He's out there!" Ambrose tugged on the door, but the warped wood was once again conspiring against them. "Help me!"

"Open the door! Mum! There's something out here!"

With this new development, everyone ran over to the door, desperately trying to get it open. "Push, Elliot, push, Elliot!" Ambrose called to him. "Give it a shove!"

"Mum! Hurry up! Mum!"

"Come on!" Tony groaned before finally getting the door open.

Ambrose dashed out onto the church porch. "Elliot!" she shouted worriedly. But there was no sign of him. "Where is he? He was here. He was here! Elliot!" With that, she took off towards the graveyard in search for her only son.

"Ambrose, don't go running off!" the Doctor called after her, despite knowing it wouldn't do any good.

"Ambrose!" Tony cried before rushing after his daughter.

The Doctor and Rory looked at each-other before they both rushed off after Tony. It didn't take long to reach them. They found the two in part of the graveyard, Tony sitting against a tombstone, looking rather ill, while Ambrose stood, looking frantic and worried as she tended to him.

"What happened?" the Doctor demanded.

"My dad's hurt."

"Get him into the church now!" the Doctor ordered.

Ambrose looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Elliot's gone," she sniffled. "They've killed him, haven't they?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so. They've taken three people, when they could've just killed them up here. There's still hope, Ambrose. There is always hope."

"Then why've they taken him?"

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted, shaking his head again. "I'll find Elliot, I promise. But first I've gotta stop this attack. Please, get inside the church."

Though Ambrose looked a little reluctant, she ultimately nodded. "Let's go, Dad," she said, gently prodding her father up and leading him up to the structure.

"So what now?" Rory wondered once the two were out of sight and earshot.

"Now…" The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses and his sonic. "I find out what's out here."

Rory eyed the sunglasses skeptically. He didn't know how a pair of sunglasses was going to help them, but he had learned a long time ago to just go with the flow when you were dealing with the Doctor. Sooner or later, all would be revealed.

Five minutes later, the two had formulated a plan and the Doctor was now wandering around the graveyard, his new pair of infrared sunglasses on. As he walked, he quickly spotted something moving through some bushes. However, there was no heat signature. "Cold blood," he murmured. "I know who they are."

He headed over to the meals-on-wheels van, whistling it as he tapped the side so as to signal Rory. He opened the front door and removed a fire extinguisher. As he shut the door, he looked over in the side mirror to see a creature rushing towards him. Hardly bothered, he spun around and released the pin on the extinguisher. Cold foam and gas gushed out, the creature screaming as Rory jumped out the back of the van. He and the Doctor each grabbed one of the creature's arms, pushing it back into the van before locking the door.

"We got it!" Rory laughed in relief.

"Defending the planet with meals-on-wheels!" the Doctor chuckled, wondering how Alex would react to this if she was here. She'd probably be surprised, but he was pretty sure she'd approve. He moved to high-five Rory, something they both forgot when a bunch of rumbling started again.

"What was that?" Rory asked.

"Sounds like they're leaving."

"Without this one?" Rory nodded back to the van just as the blackness overhead disappeared, the sun shining once again. He looked up in shock. "Looks like we scared them off!"

_If it were only that, _the Doctor thought. He shook his head. "I don't think so," he said grimly. "Now both sides have hostages."

* * *

Alex felt like weights had been pressed down on her eyes, preventing her from fully opening them. She felt like she was half-awake, where you were both a part of and not at all part of your surroundings.

She grimaced and rolled over only to hit…wood. Something solid at least. Her eyes fully opened and she rolled back over onto her back, staring at the space she was enclosed in. She seemed to be in some type of rectangular box with a glass lid. Alex squinted, trying to look out but the glass was wavy, making her vision distorted.

She opened her mouth, about to call out, when she distantly heard something. Alex strained to hear the faint words. "…alive in here! Let me out! I know you're out there!"

Amy! She was alive! Alex felt a rush of relief run through her and she immediately began pounding on the glass. "Amy!" she called, her voice a little rough from swallowing dirt as she was sucked underground. "Amy! It's Alex! Where are you?"

"Alex?" Amy distantly repeated. "Alex! You're okay! You're alive!"

"I could say the same about you!" Alex replied. "Where are we? Do you see anyone?"

"Hold on," Amy instructed. "Hello? Anybody there?" Alex noticed a little movement which she knew Amy had immediately pounced on. "My name is Amy Pond and you'd better get me the hell out of here or so help me I am going to kick your backside!" There was a pause and then a meeker sounding "Please?"

Alex tried to lift herself up closer to the glass lid so she could hear. She could vaguely hear someone making a shushing sound but it wasn't very clear. "Did you just shush me?" an irate voice cried out. Amy again, only a very pissed Amy this time. "Did you just shush me?" There was another pause and then the sound of Amy banging on the glass. "No, no, no!" she screamed. "No, don't do that! No gas, no gas!"

"Amy!" Alex screamed, banging rapidly. "Amy! What's happening? Are you okay? Amy!"

Alex growled as her friend remained silent and a second later, a figure appeared over her as well. "Look," she tried peacefully, "I know you're angry for some reason but trapping us is not the answer. Please, just let me out and then, maybe we can reach some understanding."

But the figure only moved away, making Alex's patience level drop. "Let me out!" she screamed. "Let me out!" Then, Alex became aware of a hissing noise by her ears. She gasped just as a bunch of gray gas began flooding the tiny, enclosed space.

"No, no, no!" she screamed, covering her mouth with her arm to try and block the gas out. "No, please! Please!" Alex coughed, feeling the gas sink into her lungs despite her best efforts and within a few seconds, she was fully unconscious.

A/N: Not much happening with this chapter, I know, but it'll pick up in 'Cold Blood'. Poor Doctor. He really can't function without Alex beside him, can he?

Also, I've officially decided on the pairing name for this story. It is...Dalex! Yes, I know it sounds like 'Daleks', but I think this one works. Also, I promise that this pairing name will be mentioned in the series sometime and we'll see how Alex and the Doctor react to it! :) And thank you all so much for your suggestions! :)

Notes on reviews...

**rycbar15 **- Ooh, yeah, Alex is not going to be a happy camper in 'The Curse of the Black Spot'. However, something will happen before that that lightens her mood a little :)

**babewithbrains132008 **- I think the suspense is killing _everyone_! I can't say, but rest assured, it WILL happen sometime! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you liked the twist with the Dream Lord and the Doctor dying in the Leadworth reality. :) And yes, poor Rory, having to deal with an angry Doctor since Alex is MIA. Thanks! I think you'll like it. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! And yeah, they ARE pretty clueless, aren't they? :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Glad you liked that part! :D Hmm, I don't see a dark side in Alex, at least not here. She's pretty young and hasn't seen all the stuff the Doctor has. Never say never though. I can't say much about whether or not Alex is human, but I will say this; the truth is something I'm pretty sure hasn't been done on here before. Lol, yeah, a lot happens in this fic! Hmm, I can't see the Doctor being jealous if Alex is grieving Rory. For one thing, Rory is completely devoted to Amy, something easily seen in his interactions with her. Also, the two have an established brother-sister relationship, and the Doctor would likely notice that. But you never know. Something Rory does like making her laugh could make him a little envious. :) And don't worry about rambling. I don't mind!

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- The Doctor doesn't like being without Alex, does he? You're right, stuff that happens with Alex in this episode and the following episode will definitely make the Doctor pissed... }:)

**ShadowTier **- Glad you loved the chapter! I love writing Dark Doctor because he's truly threatening and it almost always ties in with Alex being in danger. Lol, I was hoping people would enjoy that part! Even though Rory wants Alex and the Doctor to be together, I don't think he'd appreciate the Doctor 'dancing' with his little sister so suddenly like that! :)

**Cigar Fancy Pants **- Thank you! Here's more!

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Um...for privacy and anonymity purposes, I can't say. Sorry! Glad you liked the chapter though! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- In the original episode, they saw their future 10-years-older selves and still winded up in Manhattan. Based off dialogue in 'The Power of Three', Amy and Rory have known and traveled with the Doctor for 10 years, so that part in 'The Hungry Earth' probably took place shortly before 'The Angels Take Manhattan'. BUT, I will say that I have a super-duper, mega-awesome twist for Amy and Rory involving that episode! I have many issues with that episode (which we'll get to when that time rolls around), but for now, I will say that there will be differences between show-canon and this story-canon. :) Oh, and don't worry! I don't mind! Some stuff I just can't answer for privacy and anonymity purposes, but I encourage everyone to keep asking questions. :)

**TimeyWimey12 **- Yeah, I guess it is! The OC stories I've read have that feeling too. I have to admit, when I'm watching an older episode of the show, I wish Alex was there! :)

**jesterlover **- You're not messed up! I think if everything just worked out for the OC's, it would get pretty boring and unrealistic. And yes, more Doctor possessiveness and protectiveness! :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favored/followed this story! Again, sorry for the late updating with last chapter but on the bright side, two chapters in one day! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	35. The Hungry Earth Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Doctor Who. I only own Alex.

"Are you sure?" Rory asked. He looked into the other room warily, staring at the seated figure with a mixture of fear and curiosity. "By yourself?"

The Doctor nodded. "Very sure."

"But the sting…" Rory remembered the vicious sting Tony had gotten from the creature.

"Venom gland takes at least twenty four hours to recharge," the Doctor explained. He cast a look down the stairs at the creature. "Am I right?" he called down. As he expected, the creature did nothing. He turned back to Rory. "I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine." With that, he headed down the stairs.

Upon reaching the bottom, he watched as the creature crawled out of the shadows and into the light. Its chains rattled, reminding the Doctor all too well that the creature was a prisoner.

"I'm the Doctor," he calmly announced, striding over to stand in front of the creature. "I've come to talk." He knelt down next to the creature, watching for any sudden movement. "I'm going to remove your mask."

The mask in question was a thick, evil reptilian one with large black eyes. The Doctor knew that it was probably meant to inspire fear, in which case it was doing its job perfectly. The humans were terrified. Gently, the Doctor lowered the mask, exposing a human-like face covered in green scales.

The Doctor smiled. "You are beautiful," he murmured, privately thinking about how jealous Alex would get at that statement. He looked over the creature in awe and fascination. "Remnant of a bygone age on planet Earth. And by the way, lovely mode of travel. Geothermal currents projecting you up through a network of tunnels. Gorgeous. Mind if I sit?"

The Doctor stepped back and grabbed a chair leaning against the opposite wall. "Now," he began once he was seated, his face serious, "your people have two friends of mine. I want them back. Why did you come to the surface? What do you want?" But the creature didn't respond.

The Doctor smirked. "Oh, I do hate a monologue," he bemoaned. "Give us a bit back. How many are you?"

"I'm the last of my species," the creature finally hissed.

The Doctor frowned and arched an eyebrow at her. "Really?" he said coldly. "No. Last of the species. The Klempari Defense. As an interrogation defense, it's a bit old hat, I'm afraid."

"I'm the last of my species!" the creature insisted.

The Doctor stared coldly at her, unable to believe he was hearing this. "No, you're really not," he said lowly. "Because I'm the last of my species and I know how it sits in a heart. So don't _insult_ me. Let's start again. Tell me your name."

The prisoner rose slightly and the Doctor could tell she was impressed with his strategy. After a moment of silent pondering, the creature finally answered "Alaya."

"How long has your tribe been sleeping under the Earth, Alaya?" Noticing Alaya's shock and confusion, he added "It's not difficult to work out. You're three hundred million years out of your comfort zone. Question is, what woke you now?"

"We were attacked," Alaya hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"The drill," the Doctor realized. Of course! It was fairly obvious.

"Our sensors detected a threat to our life support systems," Alaya explained. "The warrior class was activated to prevent the assault. We will wipe the vermin from the surface and reclaim our planet." This last sentence was said with a sneer, making Alaya's feelings about the humans perfectly well-known.

The Doctor frowned. "Do we have to say 'vermin'? They're really very nice."

"Primitive apes," Alaya scoffed.

"Extraordinary species," the Doctor defended, thinking of Alex in particular. "You attack them, they'll fight back. But, there's a peace to be brokered here. I can help you with that."

Alaya frowned at him. "This land is _ours_!" she argued. "We lived here long before the apes!"

"Doesn't give you automatic rights to it now, I'm afraid. Humans won't give up the planet."

Alaya shrugged. "So we destroy them."

"You underestimate them."

"_You _underestimate _us_."

"One tribe of homo reptilia against six billion humans?" The Doctor almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. "You've got your work cut out!"

Alaya stood and held onto the chains wrapped around her wrists. She tugged a little away from their attachment to the wall but the chains were strong and didn't give. "We did not initiate combat, but we can still win."

"Tell me where my friends are," the Doctor demanded again. "Give us back the people who were taken."

Alaya smirked. "No," she replied without hesitation.

The Doctor glared at her and stood. For a split second, he thought about throwing his chair at her but instead pushed it back up against the wall. Getting angry wouldn't do them any good right now. "I'm not going to let you provoke a war, Alaya," he warned. "There'll be no battle here today."

"The fire of war is already lit," Alaya countered as she watched him head towards the stairs. "A massacre is due."

The Doctor swung back around to face her. "Not while I'm here," he vowed.

Alaya studied him for a moment, trying to figure him out. Finally, she spat out "I'll gladly die for my cause. What will you sacrifice for yours?"

The Doctor only smiled wryly at her before turning and heading back up the stairs. _Don't worry girls,_ he thought as he headed back over to the waiting group, _I'll save you._

* * *

"You're going to _what?!_" Rory demanded, staring at the Doctor incredulously. His expression was matched by the others in the room as they absorbed the Doctor's words.

The Doctor didn't appear to be fazed by their shock. He simply leaned back in his armchair and said "I'm going to go down below the surface to find the rest of the tribe to talk to them."

Ambrose stared at him, her face a mixture of shock and outrage. "You're going to negotiate with these…_aliens_?" she demanded, indignant.

"They're not aliens!" the Doctor argued. "They're Earth-liens. Once known as the Silurian race, or, some would argue, Eocenes, or Homo Reptilia. Not monsters, not evil. Well, only as evil as you are. The previous owners of the planet, that's all.

"Look, from their point of view, _you're _the invaders," he said as he stood up and pointed at the group. "Your drill was threatening their settlement. Now, the creature in the crypt. Her name's Alaya. She's one of their warriors and she's my best bargaining chip. I need her _alive_. If she lives, so do Elliot, Mo, Amy, and Alex, because I _will _find them. While I'm gone, you four people, in this church, in this corner of planet Earth, you have to be the best of humanity."

"And what if they come back?" Tony questioned. "Shouldn't we be examining this creature? Dissecting it, finding its weak points?"

The Doctor glared at him. _Typical humans!_ He thought angrily. _Something strange and new pops up and you have to go torture it just to satisfy your puny little minds!_ He shook himself slightly. He needed to calm down. "No dissecting, no examining," he said in what he hoped was a firm, but calm, voice. "We return their hostage, they return ours, nobody gets harmed. We can land this together, if you are the best you can be. You are decent, brilliant people. _Nobody _dies today. Understand?"

He turned to each face, waiting until they nodded in understanding and approval. Nasreen even began applauding but when no one jumped in, quickly stopped and began examining her nails as if they were the Fountain of Youth and she was Ponce de Leon.

The Doctor nodded and headed out the church. He could feel his hearts beating rapidly, so rapidly if felt as though they were going to burst out of his chest. He felt a rush of excitement and nervousness and angst flood through him. He was going to rescue Mo, Elliot, Amy, and Alex. _Alex. _He knew it was wrong to feel that strongly about rescuing that one person but he couldn't help it. Alex was like one of those mysterious potions in the Arthurian tales; one sip and you were under its spell.

He was almost to the TARDIS when he became aware that Nasreen was following him. "No, sorry, no!" the Doctor yelled as she came to a stop in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you, of course," Nasreen replied like it was perfectly obvious. He had noticed that she had a way of making things sound as though they were totally obvious and expected. She looked the TARDIS up and down, curious. "What is it, some kind of transport pod?"

"Sort of," the Doctor admitted, "but you're not coming with me." He then noticed Tony coming up behind Nasreen, stopping just in time to hear this comment.

"He's right!" he declared, looking at Nasreen as though she were crazy. "You're not."

"I have spent all my life excavating the layers of this planet," Nasreen told the Doctor, "and now you want me to stand back while you head down into it? I don't think so!"

The Doctor groaned. "I don't have time to argue!"

"I thought we were in a rush," Nasreen pointed out.

"It'll be dangerous," he warned.

"Oh, so's crossing the road!" Nasreen countered.

"Oh, for goodness sake! All right, then, come on!" the Doctor snapped, resigned even though he knew it was probably a good idea to take someone along with him, just to keep him in line that is. That was primarily Alex's job and since she was currently AWOL, he was in a very volatile state.

He headed into the TARDIS, distantly hearing Tony and Nasreen saying goodbye. Once he was up on the platform, he heard the door open. "Welcome to the TARDIS!" he called out as a stunned Nasreen looked around every which way. "Now, don't touch anything. Very precious."

"No way," Nasreen breathed. She rushed up the steps to the console and took in the bigger-on-the-inside time-machine with an expression of utter delight. "But, but that's…this is fantastic! What does it do?"

"Everything," the Doctor said as he began pressing buttons on the console. "I'm hoping, if we're going down, that barricade won't interfere."

However, the TARDIS didn't seem to agree with that statement. The machine pitched violently, causing the two to clutch the console so they wouldn't be thrown onto the floor. "Did you do something?" the Doctor demanded, looking at Nasreen suspiciously.

"No!" Nasreen swore. "Isn't this what it does?"

"I'm not doing anything." Right at that moment, the TARDIS began shaking from side to side. "We've been hijacked! I can't stop it! They must've sensed the electro-magnetic field." He grabbed the monitor above and watched the image of dirt rushing past them. "They're pulling the TARDIS down into the Earth."

A few seconds later, the TARDIS came to a complete stop, throwing the duo to the floor. "Where are we?" Nasreen demanded.

The Doctor got up and dashed over to the doors, Nasreen just a step behind him. They were now in a large cavernous tunnel, fungi and roots covering the walls. Above them, loose soil was trickling down from where the TARDIS had been pulled in. The Doctor observed this. "Looks like we fell through the bottom of their tunnel system. Don't suppose it was designed for handling something like this."

"How far down are we?" Nasreen wondered.

"Oh, a lot more than twenty one kilometers," the Doctor answered casually.

"So why aren't we burning alive?"

"Don't know," the Doctor admitted. "Interesting, isn't it?"

Nasreen smirked at him. "It's like this is everyday for you."

"Not every day," the Doctor corrected. "Every _other _day."

* * *

Alex's eyes slowly fluttered open and her copper irises began flicking around her new surroundings. She was no longer in that horrible glass coffin or whatever it was but her new predicament wasn't much better. She was currently strapped upright to a large board. She attempted to wiggle her hands and legs but they were tightly strapped down. Looking over beside her, she saw Amy was in the same position.

Amy felt eyes on her and turned her head to look at her. "Alex!" she cried in relief.

"Amy! Thank God!" Alex looked around again before turning back to her friend. "Where are we? Some kind of laboratory?"

Amy shrugged, indicating her guess was as good as anything. She looked down at her strapped legs and hands and began to shift, trying to struggle out of them.

"Don't struggle!" someone beside Amy weakly whispered. She turned to see a man in his thirties strapped to a board as well. On her other side, Alex craned her head to get a good look at him. "Close your eyes and don't struggle."

"What?" Amy cried. "Where am I? Why can't I move my body?"

"Decontamination, they call it," the man answered. "They did it to me while I was conscious."

"Okay, you're freaking me out now," Amy whimpered.

"Amy, don't be scared," Alex said calmly, her enthusiasm and confidence acting like medicine to Amy. Alex stuck her head out farther so she could look the man in the eye. "Now, did what? Who did what to you?"

The man gulped. "Dissected me," he whispered before shifting slightly to expose a long, vertical scar on his abdomen.

Alex's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She felt horrified and truly scared. She didn't even have to look at Amy to know that her face probably looked the exact same as Alex's own. She'd done dissecting in biology, but dissecting rat turd and a goat fetus wasn't the same as dissecting an actual human being.

"No," Amy breathed.

"Amy, stay calm," Alex drilled. She was going to find them a way out of this. She would not let her best friend get dissected. Over her dead body was that happening.

There came a slight sound at the front of the room and the man looked panicked. "He's coming," he announced. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help you." The worst part was, he truly did sound it.

Alex turned to watch as a figure approached them. He had green scaly skin like some sort of reptile and he was dressed in scrubs. Alex felt herself swallow thickly as she caught sight of the wicked looking scalpel in his hand.

* * *

The Doctor and Nasreen walked down the tunnels, Nasreen stopping every few seconds to look at something. In fact, she stopped to look at something golden as the Doctor spoke. "We're looking for a small tribal settlement probably housing around a dozen Homo Reptilia. Maybe less."

"One small tribe," Nasreen repeated, still in the same spot.

"Yeah."

"_Maybe _a dozen?"

The Doctor turned back to her, curious by the emotions implied by her words. He stopped next to her and studied the sight in front of him. "Ah," he said, for no other words could really measure up.

Below them was a large vast chamber. In the chamber were several buildings and monuments, enough to be considered a city. To the Doctor's eye, it looked to be about a quarter of the size of Manhattan. "Maybe more than a dozen," he admitted. "Maybe more like an entire civilization living beneath the Earth."

A/N: Again, not very much happening in this chapter, but I promise it'll pick up when we start 'Cold Blood' tomorrow...though some of you may be furious when you find out what I did to Alex. :) I'd also like to say that after 'Cold Blood', we have an original chapter. No fighting aliens, but it does include Dalex fluff! Lots of it! :)

Notes on reviews...

**ShadowTier **- Yeah, not much in that chapter or this one, but I think the Doctor's reaction to Elliot's assumption that Alex was girlfriend made up for it. :) You're right, I can't say when they'll get together, but I appreciate that you're taking the time to try and figure it out! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Don't worry, it's cool. :) Glad you like the story! Lol, I'm glad your sister approves of the couple name. :)

**jesterlover **- Yes, a pairing name! It IS pretty funny since it sounds a lot like 'Daleks' but can you just imagine how hilarious it will be when the Doctor and Alex hear it for the first time? It'll get on their nerves! :D Glad you love this story!

**rycbar15 **- Lol, you probably should be worried, but also excited, because I try to make up for the bad parts with fluff. :) Glad you liked the New New York flashback. It popped into my head and I thought 'why not?' :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you loved that part! Yes, I will be going through to 'The Name of the Doctor'. I have to wait and see how Season 8 is before I make any definite decisions because there are some ideas rattling around in my head that involve 11 and I want to include them. I have to admit, the first thought I had when I saw Peter Capaldi was going to be the 12th Doctor was 'Oh my God, Alex is going to be kissing an old man!' Lol, but I'm sure I'll grow to like him! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you love the pairing name! Lol, I didn't even think about that! Dally...it probably would irritate Alex, especially since someone other than the Doctor would be calling her Ally. You never know though... :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Don't worry, there will be more possessiveness to come! And Alex WILL meet Jack! More than once actually, which will make for some interesting Doctor reactions. :) Alex will meet more Doctors. She'll be in the 50th Anniversary special which includes 10 and Rose, which will be funny cause 10 will see just what he has to deal with in a few years. :) I'm also working on a story in the series that involves Alex meeting almost all of the Doctors (bit iffy on 8). It's still in the planning stages but would take place after Season 6. :) Don't worry, there'll be more awesome Alex moments. She's such a firecracker and always wants to help others, which makes for an interesting combination. Glad you like the pairing name! :D

**TheUltimateGuest **- Glad you like the pairing name! And don't worry, I will keep writing! I love it too much to stop. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	36. Cold Blood Part 1

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Doctor Who, Alex would most likely be canon.

The doctor continued to approach the girls, specifically Amy. Amy fidgeted, tugging on her restraints. There was no way in hell that she was going to be dissected. "Don't you come near me with that!" she shouted as she stared at the pointy scalpel.

The doctor lowered his mask, exposing more of his green reptilian skin. He then turned on a recording device and began speaking into it. "From the clothing, the human females appear to be more resistant to the cold than the male."

"We dressed for Rio!" Amy cried.

"Leave her alone!" the man shouted. Alex was guessing that this was the Mo Nasreen and Tony had been talking about. "You've got me!"

But the scientist seemed to be done with Mo. He lifted up a device and pressed a button, causing all of the clamps on Amy to clamp down tighter. Amy yelped and Alex watched, eyes wide, as the scientist got closer and raised his scalpel.

"Commencing dissection…"

"WAIT!" Alex screamed. "Start with me first!"

Alex waited a beat, hoping that the scientist would take the bait. A second later, he lowered the scalpel and stepped away from Amy, the latter letting out a sigh of relief. Then, she realized what Alex had said and her eyes widened and she looked over at Alex in horror, praying that she wasn't actually suggesting being dissected first.

Alex waited until the scientist had stepped a good distance away from Amy before launching into what she hoped would be a convincing argument. She wasn't quite thrilled with being dissected herself but if it saved Amy, she'd gladly suffer through it. "Amy's alright, quite enough for a routine dissection, but me? I've got something a little different."

"Alex, no!" Amy cried.

Alex ignored her. "I have these crazy mental abilities. Something attacks my mind? My brain attacks it back. It literally forces several of my body systems to shut down." By this point, she could tell that she had gotten the scientist's interest peaked.

"Shut up Alex!" Amy snapped, hoping that the girl would, for once, listen to this command.

"Don't you want to see what else is different?" Alex questioned, trying to make an encouraging gleam appear in her eyes. It must've worked for the scientist began to step forward, again brandishing that pointy scalpel.

He leaned forward to speak into his recorder again. "Dissection of the first human female shall be postponed in favor of the second human female, unknown abilities."

Amy felt tears welling up in her eyes and she began thrashing back and forth, trying to break free of her restraints. She couldn't allow this to happen. "ALEX!" she screamed frightfully.

As the scientist approached her, Alex closed her eyes and bit her lip. She was doing a good thing. She was buying them some time for the Doctor to arrive and she was also saving Amy from what was probably going to be absolute pain.

Alex bit down harder on her lip as the clamps around her ankles and legs locked tighter, keeping her still as the scalpel tore into her flesh.

* * *

The Doctor and Nasreen walked through the maze of tunnels. It seemed almost impossible to find anyone in this place. "This place is enormous and deserted," the Doctor observed. "The majority of the race are probably still asleep." He whipped out his sonic and started waving it around. "We need to find Amy and Alex. Looking for heat signature anomalies."

"But Doctor, how can this all be here?" Nasreen questioned. She looked down in amazement as they went over a bridge above a sea of magma. "I mean, these plants…"

The Doctor shrugged as they came to another tunnel. "Must be getting closer to the center of the city," he guessed.

Nasreen nodded but looked around the tunnel nervously. "You're sure this is the best way to enter?"

"Front door approach! Definitely!" the Doctor smiled. "Always the best way."

Which was a nice thought until, a second later, alarms began sounding out all around them. "_Hostile life forms detected. Area seventeen._"

"Apart from the back door approach," the Doctor muttered, looking all around for an approaching force or army. "That's also good. Sometimes better."

"_Hostile life forms detected. Area seventeen._"

"Doctor!" Nasreen cried as a door in front of her slid open, revealing several armed Silurian soldiers. They rushed out through the door as more came from the tunnel behind the Doctor and Nasreen.

"_Hostile life forms detected. Area seventeen._"

_Oh, shut up!_ The Doctor thought irritably. He held up his hands in what he hoped was a non-confrontational gesture. "We're not hostile," he calmly protested as the soldiers continued to approach. "We're not armed. We're here in peace."

But the Silurian's didn't seem to care. Instead, they lifted up a strange device, gas pouring out of it. In just a few seconds, Nasreen and the Doctor were lying unconscious on the floor.

* * *

Amy bit down on her lip, keeping her eyes shut so tight you would've thought they had been screwed closed. Her skin was puffy from crying silent, agonizing tears as her best friend was dissected.

To her credit, Alex had barely made a sound during this whole process. Other than a slight gasp or yelp, she had been completely silent. Of course, Amy could hear the knife cutting and slicing quite clearly. She now knew more about the human body than she had ever learned in anatomy and more than she ever _wanted _to know. She wanted to scream as the doctor calmly and methodically made his observations and recordings.

After what felt like hours, Amy heard what sounded like thread being snipped. There was a slight yelp from Alex and then silence. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps backing up and the doctor speaking into his recording again. "Second human female surprisingly normal. Commencing dissection of the first human female."

Amy flinched. No. No way was that happening. She'd kick and swear and scream before she allowed that man to come near her. She opened her eyes, exposing her bloodshot irises, watching fearfully as the scientist stepped towards her again. Just as she was bracing herself for the worst, a voice sounded out from a speaker. "_Area seventeen incursion. Species diagnostic requested. Area seventeen incursion. Species diagnostic requested._"

The scientist sighed and placed the scalpel down. Amy watched as he unlocked their cuffs enough to where they weren't crushing everyone's wrists. He then placed the device in his pocket and turned away, but not before Amy had picked his pocket.

"Yeah!" she called after him as he raced out the door. "And stay out!"

Once the door shut behind him, Amy quickly unlocked herself before jumping down to release Mo. "How did you get that?" he asked as he hopped down and began buttoning his shirt.

"You never picked a lizard man's pocket?" Amy asked wryly, in an attempt to get Alex to laugh or make some sound. But still, there was silence and it was beginning to get alarming. Alex made her presence known. This whole silence thing wasn't like her. Hesitantly, Amy turned to her friend. Her stomach dropped and she felt like she wanted to cry and scream and throw up.

Alex's eyes were tightly shut, her cheeks red and blotchy from crying silent tears. She was biting down on her lip so hard, Amy could see blood. But that wasn't the worst part. Alex's shirt had been unbuttoned for the dissection and Amy could see the wicked looking vertical scar that stretched down from Alex's chest to her navel. The scar was actually a long series of stiches, explaining the snipped thread Amy had heard earlier. Alex's shirt was bloody in several places and her hair had completely plastered to her head from sweat.

Amy rushed forward and quickly unlocked her. "Alex!" she cried fearfully as the girl slumped down from the board. Mo rushed forward and helped Amy catch her. Alex felt limp, alarmingly limp. The two gently lowered her to the floor.

Amy leaned over her and ran a hand through Alex's hair, surprised by how damp it was. "It's okay," she murmured, trying to calm the clearly terrified girl down. "Just relax. Everything's going to be fine." She knew this was what Alex would do if their positions were reversed and that it would work on her. She could only hope it would work on Alex.

Alex stopped biting her lip and Amy winced at how deep she had bitten it. Hastily, she buttoned the girl's blouse and wiped some sweat away. "We need to get you out of here," she deduced.

Amy and Mo carefully helped Alex to her feet, each of them wrapping one of her arms around their shoulders. "How long were you weak after your dissection?" Amy asked Mo.

"A couple hours," Mo answered. "But it'll probably be different for her than me."

Amy nodded. Mo was a strong man in his late twenties or early thirties. Alex was a young twenty-year-old girl. It would be a bit harder for her to bounce back as quickly as Mo had.

The trio slowly made their way out of the laboratory, Alex occasionally trying to break free of their help but Amy and Mo pulling her back every time. Alex still hadn't spoken yet but she was probably too weak to.

Mo, however, made up for it. "That creature," he wondered, "do you think it was an alien? Any more of them, do you think? Do you think the Earth's been invaded?"

"Don't know," Amy admitted as Alex got a thoughtful look on her face. If she was seriously thinking this over, that meant she was slowly coming back to them. "But I know someone who could have some answers. We need to get back to the surface and find him." She looked around the tunnel and spotted a wall panel. "I wonder where this leads."

"Maybe it's a way out of here," Mo hypothesized.

Amy reached out and pressed a button on the panel. A screen lit up and then the actual room behind the door. It was tiny, little more than an alcove, and was cluttered with various equipment that was all hooked up to a very lifeless looking Elliot. Alex gasped and managed to break free of Amy's grip as Mo broke away to move closer to the glass. "Oh my God, no!"

"What is it?" Amy asked as she tried to grab Alex but the latter simply leaned against the wall next to the alcove and gave her a dry look.

"It's my son," Mo choked out. "It's Elliot! What've they done to him?" He ran to the panel next to the door and tried to open it. "He's in there! We have to get him out! Elliot? Elliot, its Dad!"

"_Access denied,_" the computer stated after one of Mo's attempts to open it. "_Unauthorized genetic print._" Mo's response was to start banging on the glass.

"Stop!" Amy exclaimed, reaching out to grab his arm. "Seriously, we can't get in."

"That's my boy in there!" Mo protested.

Alex sighed and began tapping on the glass with one fingernail. The two turned and followed her gaze to the various machinery hooked up to Elliot. Amy grinned once she saw her point. "Yes! Thank you Alex! These screens, they're monitoring something. I think they're vital signs. Heartbeats, pulses. Why else would he be wired up? He's alive."

Mo looked at her a little skeptically. Frankly, Amy didn't blame him. She'd probably react the same way if she were a parent. "Are you sure?"

"Trust me," Amy said. "That's what Alex over there is saying and she is one of the smartest people I know. Her word is guaranteed."

That got a smile from Alex. "Thanks Ames," she managed to croak out.

Amy let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God!" she cried, rushing forward and hugging the girl while being mindful of her stiches. "You can speak!"

"Of course I can speak," Alex retorted, albeit weakly. "I can't strain myself though. I'm trying to conserve energy." She took a shuddering breath before saying "It takes all of my energy not to fall over."

"All right," Mo said in response to Amy's previous comment. "We find weapons, get that creature from the lab and force it to release Elliot, yeah?"

Alex frowned, clearly not agreeing with this plan, but Amy nodded. "Yeah. Trust me. We'll get him out."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Doctor had just woken up but now that he knew what was happening, he'd have much rather been unconscious. He was currently strapped upright to a table and was being scanned. He cried out in pain as a female soldier in front of him conversed with the scientist controlling whatever this painful process was.

"How can they have escaped?" the female soldier angrily demanded. "This proves all prisoners should remain under military guard!"

The scientist sighed, clearly used to the soldier's ranting on this subject. "I'm sure you'd prefer to be in charge of everything and everyone Restac," he said patiently, "but we rank the same. Is there any word from Alaya?"

"No," Restac said flatly before turning to watch the Doctor wither in pain.

"It's fine to show concern, you know," the scientist gently reminded her. "She's part of your gene-chain." He looked over at the Doctor before telling him "I'm decontaminating now."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Decontamination?" he repeated. He writhed and twisted more as that very process began. "No, no, no!"

"It's all right, it won't harm you. I'm only neutralizing all your ape bacteria."

"I'm not an ape!" the Doctor protested. He nodded over at the machinery surrounding the Silurian scientist. "Look at the scans! Two hearts! Totally different. Totally not ape! Remove all human germs, you remove half the things keeping me alive!" His back arched as a new measure of pain raced through him. "Ah!" The scientist, noticing this, hurriedly shut off the decontamination machinery.

"No, complete the process!" Restac ordered. She struck the Doctor as the type who would enjoy drowning kittens or something equally cute.

"Oh, that's much better, thanks!" the Doctor sighed, leaning back against the table. "Not got any celery, have you? No. No, not really the climate. Tomatoes, though. You'd do a roaring trade in those. I'm the Doctor." He looked over to the table next to him where Nasreen was waking up. "Oh, and there's Nasreen. Good."

"Oh, a green man," she muttered, sounding startled and amazed at the same time as she looked at the Silurian scientist.

"Hello. Who are you?" the Doctor asked Restac.

"Restac, military commander."

The Doctor frowned. That wasn't good. "Oh dear, really? There's always a military, isn't there?"

The scientist then decided to jump into the conversation. "Your weapon was attacking the oxygen pockets above our city," he informed them.

"Oxygen pockets, lovely!" the Doctor nodded. Then, realizing what the scientist was implying, quickly corrected himself. "Ooh, but not so good with an impending drill. Now it makes sense."

"Where is the rest of your invasion force?" Restac demanded.

"Invasion force," the Doctor dully repeated. "Me and lovely Nasreen? No. We came for the humans you took." _Ally, you mean, _the Dream Lord in his mind corrected but the Doctor shoved that side of him away. "And to offer the safe return on Alaya." He paused, noticing the similarity between Alaya and Restac. Those two could be twins. In fact, they probably were. "Oh wait, you and she, what is it, same genetic source? Of course you're worried, but don't be, she's safe."

"You claim to come in peace, but you hold one of us hostage," Restac retorted. She motioned for some nearby soldiers to take position by the Doctor and Nasreen.

"Wait, wait, we all want the same thing here!" the Doctor cried.

"I don't negotiate with apes," Restac stated firmly. It was clear to the Doctor that her mind about apes, er…_humans _was made up and it'd be next to impossible to change it. "I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface."

"What's that?" the Doctor asked warily.

"Your execution."

"Yes…" the Doctor nodded. How the hell was he supposed to get out of this one?

* * *

Amy, Mo, and Alex slowly walked down a tunnel. Alex was still very weak. In fact, Amy worried that Alex was possibly going to pass out. She didn't know how much blood Alex had lost during the dissection but Mo had privately told her it was quite a bit by his estimate. Also, her stitches were very fragile. If Alex made any quick, jerky movements, she risked popping them.

Amy bit her lip nervously. Of course, this was just one of the two worries racing through her mind right now. The other one was how the Doctor was going to react when he learned Alex had been dissected. Amy shuddered. There were no words, at least none she could think of, to accurately describe how _pissed _the Doctor was going to be when he found out. Hell, Amy wouldn't be surprised if he ripped that alien scientist's head off. She knew he was protective of Alex and vice-versa but she didn't know how far that protection went.

Well, she was going to find out pretty soon.

"We've got to find some weapons!" Mo declared, pulling Amy back to the present. There was a huff from Alex, who was none too pleased about using weapons on these aliens. She hadn't said anything since they began moving again but she was making her displeasure very clear.

Amy looked around the tunnel they were going through. On both sides were several chambers with glass panels in front of them. She carefully eased Alex's arm out from behind her neck, leaving Mo to carry all the girl's weight. "These chambers are all over the city," she observed. She placed a hand on a sensor in the wall, causing two of the chambers to light up, revealing masked and armed warriors inside.

Alex and Amy gasped. "Turn it off quick!" Mo shouted. Amy obliged and visibly relaxed as the lights went off. Mo leaned in closer, Alex slowly following him.

"They're…not moving," Alex said slowly, taking a deep breath after she said this. She inched away from Mo and sank down against the wall. Amy watched her worriedly. There was no doubt in her mind now that Alex was very weak. They had to find the Doctor and soon.

"Maybe they're asleep," Amy suggested. She inched back over to the sensor. "Let's have another look." With that, she pressed the sensor again.

"No, Amy, don't!" Mo objected. "Don't!"

The lights came on again, the warriors as still as ever, and the doors opened as well. Amy went inside one and looked around the tight space. Again, the warriors didn't move. "Amy, what are you doing?" Mo demanded. He looked at Alex desperately to see if she could stop her.

"Stop. No. Bad Amy," Alex said half-heartedly.

Mo sighed and turned back to Amy. "Get out of there!" he tried.

Amy, of course, ignored him. She looked the warriors up and down and noticed they were standing on small round discs. "Some sort of suspended animation," she mused. "I wonder what these are. The Doctor would know. The Doctor always knows."

Mo, now convinced that the warriors weren't suddenly going to spring to life and attack them, peered into the chamber. "Hey, look!" he exclaimed, pointing upwards.

Amy craned her head. Above each warrior was a tunnel, which appeared to go a long ways upward. "Wait, I've got it!" she cried eagerly. "It's how they came up to the surface. Some sort of powered transport discs. It's our way out of here."

But Mo wasn't focusing on that anymore. "Even better, weapons," he said, reaching in and taking some kind of gun with a dish on it from one of the soldiers. "Come on, now we can fight back."

Almost reluctantly, Amy reached out and grabbed the other gun. She frowned, noticing there were only two. She gazed over at Alex, who gave her a look that translated as _Do I even look like I can hold a weapon, much less want to?_ Amy nodded slightly and came out. She and Mo carefully maneuvered Alex's arms back around their shoulders and set off.

"Which way now?" Mo wondered.

"Door at the end," Amy advised. It made sense, seeing as that was the only proper door in their immediate surroundings.

"Are you sure?"

Amy shook her head. "No."

She separated from Alex and walked ahead to open it. Once they were all through, they all stopped dead in their tracks. They were now standing on a balcony overlooking a large chamber. Warriors in glass cases stretched as far as the eye could see. Alex felt a burn go through her stomach and she was pretty sure it didn't have anything to do with her dissection.

"Wow," Mo breathed.

"Yeah," Amy said.

"We don't stand a chance," Mo remarked.

Amy looked over at Alex who, while trying to look strong, looked more exhausted and weak. "We have to find the Doctor," Amy said, more to Alex than to Mo.

* * *

Luckily for them, the Doctor was getting closer. He and Nasreen were currently being escorted somewhere. As they went through a large garden, the Doctor told Nasreen what he knew about the Silurian's.

"These must be the only ones awake," he theorized, looking around the soldiers escorting them. "The others must still be in hibernation."

"So, why did they go into hibernation in the first place?"

"Their astronomers predicted a planet heading to Earth on a crash course. They built life underground and put themselves to sleep for millennia in order to advert what they thought was the apocalypse, when in reality it was the moon coming into alignment with the Earth."

Restac and the scientist, who by now the Doctor knew as Malohkeh, stopped in their tracks and stared at him in amazement. "How can you know that?" Malohkeh asked.

"Long time ago, I met another tribe of Homo Reptilia," the Doctor told them. "Similar, but not identical."

"Others of our species have survived?" Restac breathed. Amazingly, she sounded hopeful…almost human.

The Doctor winced, not liking what he was about to tell them. "The humans attacked them," he answered grimly. "They died. I'm sorry."

Within an instant, Restac's entire demeanor changed. She glowered and spat "A vermin race!" She twirled on her heel and led them on through the gardens into a large round structure and then into an elaborately decorated circular-shaped room. A long table sat in the middle of the room with rows of benches flanking the walls.

"You're not authorized to do this!" Malohkeh argued.

"I am authorized to protect the safety of our species while they sleep," Restac calmly retorted. Apparently, she was used to others challenging her authority.

The Doctor looked around the room. It was rather impressive. "Oh, lovely place," he complimented. "Very gleaming. Ally would love this."

"Who's Ally?" Nasreen asked. "Is it that Alex girl?"

The Doctor frowned at her word choice. _That Alex girl_…those words weren't becoming of Alex. "Yes," he answered slowly.

Nasreen, sensing she had said something wrong, quickly backtracked. "Of course. Right!"

Restac, growing bored of this conversation, jumped in. "This is our court and our place of extermination."

It was utter coincidence that Amy and Alex happened to be right outside a door on the other side of the room when this sentence was uttered. Upon hearing that, Amy ran through the doorway, gun held aloft, even though she had no idea how to shoot it. "Let them go!" she shouted, aiming her gun at Restac.

"Amy Pond, there's a girl to rely on," the Doctor laughed as Mo came through the doors behind them, also brandishing a gun.

"You're covered both ways," Amy informed the soldiers, "so don't try anything clever, buster."

The Doctor almost smiled…until Alex stumbled in through the door behind Amy.

Amy didn't even have to turn around. She knew exactly who was there based on the Doctor's expression. His brow furrowed, his eyes flashed dangerously, and overall, he looked absolutely terrifying. He ran past all the guns still aimed at him and over to Alex, who had now collapsed to the ground.

"Ally!" he cried, sinking down next to her. He placed her head in his lap, noticing how damp her hair was. And that wasn't all. The skin under her eyes was puffy from crying, there was a deep gash in her lip from where she had bitten it hard, still oozing blood, her skin was deathly pale, and she was breathing heavily, as though the whole process of collapsing to the floor had been the equivalent of running a five-k.

"What happened?" he questioned, moving one hand through her hair and placing the other one to rest on her side, his fingers inadvertently touching her stitches.

Alex yelped at his touch there. The Doctor frowned and hesitantly tapped the spot lightly. When Alex's face twisted in pain, the Doctor frowned and moved both his hands to the bottom of her shirt. He pulled it up enough to see the stitches running down Alex's abdomen. Slowly, he fixed the shirt, his eyes never leaving Alex's, though a part of her wished they would. They were dark pools of black, absolutely no mercy in them.

"What. Did. They. Do. To you," the Doctor stated lowly. His entire body was shaking with rage. A burning sensation ran through his veins, filling him with enough fury to rival his one decline into madness as the Time Lord Victorious.

He gently eased Alex's head to the floor and stood. He whirled around, the ends of his jacket flapping. Everyone literally took a step back as they saw his expression. The Doctor looked _murderous_. His eyes were so black you could literally see your own terrified reflection in them. His lips were pressed into a thin line, nearly disappearing completely.

"What did you do to her?!" he shouted at Malohkeh. The scientist, thankfully, had the decency or conscience one to look apologetic and guilty.

The Doctor marched across the room. Everyone backed up out of his way, even Restac, who was watching everything with a guarded expression. Of course, Amy had no doubt she was secretly scared as well.

The Doctor backed Malohkeh into a corner of the room. Despite the multiple guns, no one attempted to stop him. In truth, they weren't sure what he would do if they tried that. "You dissected her," the Doctor spat out. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Malohkeh answered, albeit hesitantly.

"WHY?!" the Doctor roared, his voice seeming to shake the entire room.

"Scientific purposes. It was part of the decontamination."

Amy closed her eyes and hissed slightly. Oh shit. Lizard boy had just made a big mistake.

"Scientific purposes?!" the Doctor repeated. "What the bloody hell does _dissecting _a young, able-bodied girl have to do with _decontamination_?!"

But he didn't give Malohkeh a chance to answer. Instead, the Doctor slammed him back into the wall, pressing an arm over his throat. It didn't make contact, but the point was clear nevertheless. "You have no idea how much trouble you are in," the Doctor hissed in Malohkeh's ear. "You _dissected _someone I care for very much. You _tortured _her and made her suffer through something that should never have occurred."

"Doctor," Alex mumbled as she tried to raise herself up on her elbows.

"You made her _bleed out_," the Doctor continued, not hearing her. "I should really do the same to you."

"Doctor!" a faint voice cried out before the Doctor could tell Malohkeh just how long it would take the warriors to scrub the scientist's blood off the walls. The Doctor stiffened and leaned away slightly from the petrified Silurian.

Alex's breath hitched as she struggled to sit up. She winced as a wave of sudden pain hit her but she was determined to see it through. "Doctor, please!" she called. Her eyes were watery and her voice shaky. "Please stop! Before you do something you'll regret! Please!" With that, Alex all but toppled back onto the floor.

Though he was turned away from them, everyone could tell that the Doctor had been affected by Alex's words. His posture was stiff and guarded. Suddenly, the Doctor released Malohkeh, muttering an almost inaudible apology before making a beeline back towards Alex. He knelt down next to her and ran a hand through her hair. It was shocking how quickly his personality had changed all because of one girl. Instead of the mad lunatic they had seen, there was now a calmer, gentle person before them.

Amy, deciding to get things back on track before Restac had the chance to truly absorb what had just happened, called out "Now let them go, or I shoot." Restac began to move over to her. "I'm warning you!"

But Restac ignored her. Instead, she reached out and disarmed Amy, pushing her to the ground.

"Don't you touch her!" the Doctor called out.

"And you," Restac nodded at Mo. Within an instant, he was disarmed as well.

"Alright Restac," Malohkeh stepped up. Amazingly, being threatened by the Doctor had struck a chord in him. He was amazed by how much the non-human male cared for the young female. It was obvious he really loved her. "You've made your point."

Restac stepped up to him. "This is now a military tribunal," she told him. "Go back to your laboratory, Malohkeh."

The two hissed at each-other, though what they were saying had to be left up to imagination. "This isn't the way," Malohkeh said as a soldier poked him in the back with a gun. Rather reluctantly, he left, but not before giving the Doctor and Alex another apologetic look.

The second he was gone, Restac ordered "Prepare them for execution!"

Within just a few seconds, the soldiers had the whole group chained up to a pair of columns on one side of the room. Alex, however, had simply been moved to sit at the Doctor's feet. Based on the way she was acting, Restac figured she couldn't get up even if she wanted to.

"Okay, sorry," Amy apologized. "As rescues go, didn't live up to its potential."

The Doctor smiled a little at her. "I'm glad you're okay." He then glanced down at Alex, who looked she was hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Amy followed his gaze and bit her lip. "Will she be okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I think so," the Doctor said hesitantly. "When get back to the TARDIS – which we will – I'm going to have to run a bunch of tests on her and fix her up. I think she lost quite a bit of blood."

"I tried to stop her," Amy said. "But she insisted. She even told him about her mental abilities. That sealed the deal."

"She was trying to protect you," the Doctor deduced. He looked down at the girl and felt a bunch of confliction run through his mind. He liked that Alex was so willing to help others but he hated how selfless she had been at that moment in Malohkeh's laboratory.

Amy nodded, grateful that Alex had sacrificed herself to save her but also slightly mad with her too. Alex could've died after all. "So…" she said slowly, looking around the room. "Lizard men?"

"Homo Reptilia," the Doctor corrected her. "They occupied the planet before humans. Now they want it back."

Nasreen, hearing the conversation, jumped in. "After they've wiped out the human race."

Amy nodded but her eyes were a little wide in shock. "Right. Preferred it when I didn't know, to be honest," she muttered.

Nasreen looked over at Restac and the soldiers. The soldiers were all lined up in a firing squad, multiple gun barrels staring them down, but they were making no move to shoot. "Why are they waiting?" she wondered quietly. "What do you think they're going to do to us?"

The group watched as Restac turned away from them and nodded off to someone on the other side of the room. A second later, a large holographic projection appeared in front of them. On the screen, they could see Rory, Ambrose, and Tony standing around, talking quietly. "Who is the ape leader?" Restac demanded.

"It's them!" Ambrose squeaked, rushing closer to the screen. "How are they doing that? How do they know that we're in here?"

"Who speaks for the apes?" Restac repeated.

The group on screen looked at each-other, talking quietly amongst themselves again, before Rory stepped forward. "I speak for the humans," he said. "Some of us, anyway."

"Do you understand who we are?" Restac asked.

"Sort of," Rory nodded. His confident face fell slightly and he added "A bit. Not really."

"We have ape hostages." Restac calmly informed them. She apparently zoomed out the image for Rory, Ambrose, and Tony's faces turned to ones of alarm and shock.

"Doctor! Amy! Alex!" Rory shouted. He then noticed that Alex wasn't tied up like the others and was actually sitting on the floor, looking rather weak. "What happened to Alex?" he demanded.

However, before the Doctor could attempt to explain Alex's dissection – and he had no clue how to do that without making Rory become murderous as well – Ambrose jumped in. "Mo!" she cried, looking at her husband in relief. "Mo, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love!" Mo called. "I've found Elliot! I'm bringing him home!"

"Amy, I thought I'd lost you!" Rory cried, moving his focus away from Alex. He figured he'd get answers at a more appropriate time.

"What, cause I was sucked into the ground? You're so clingy!" Amy teased but she quickly winked at him.

"Tony Mack!" Nasreen cried.

Tony grinned at her. "Having fun down there?"

"Not to interrupt," the Doctor jumped in, "but just a quick reminder to stay calm."

"Show me Alaya," Restac demanded. Alex, despite nearly being out of it, was listening attentively. Under Restac's soldier persona, she caught a bit of worry and emotion in her words. Clearly, this Alaya was important to her. "Show me, and release her immediately unharmed, or we kill your friends. One by one."

"No!" Ambrose shouted. Alex frowned.

"Ambrose…" Rory warned.

"Steady now, everyone," the Doctor said, remembering how he had almost screwed everything to bits when he threatened Malohkeh. Not that the man hadn't deserved it, of course.

"Ambrose, stop it!" Tony scolded. He tried to pull Ambrose away from the screen but Ambrose wasn't having it.

"Get off me, Dad!" she cried, pushing him away. She turned to look back at Restac. "We didn't start this!"

"Let Rory deal with this, Ambrose!" the Doctor called.

Ambrose ignored him and simply glared at Restac. "We are not doing what you say anymore. Now, give me back my family!"

"Who is this chick?" Alex muttered up to the Doctor.

"Ambrose, Tony's daughter," the Doctor replied.

"I got that much," Alex said. She turned back to look at the screen and then at Restac, who was absorbing Ambrose's words. "But she certainly isn't helping matters."

The Doctor was about to ask what Alex thought of Ambrose and if she shared his suspicions about the girl when Restac's words cut through any process of thought. "No," she said, glaring at Ambrose. She turned to the soldiers. "Execute the girl!"

A/N: *jumps behind desk to avoid any sharp objects* So...I had Alex get dissected. Yes, I know, how evil of me! The idea for that came when I was reading 'Linked Through Time' by LizzeXX. I was stunned that she had her OC get dissected and I wondered what it would be like if Alex also got dissected. Poor Alex. :( And who thought the Doctor's Oncoming Storm moment was epic? If Alex had been completely out of it, the Doc probably would've ripped Malohkeh's head off and the warriors probably would've spent a while scrubbing all the blood off the walls. :( Good thing Ally calmed him down though! But, I will admit, she's not out of the woods yet...dissection on a human being? Not pretty. :( But on the bright side, the original chapter will be up on Thursday with a LOT of Dalex fluff to make up for this! :D

Notes on reviews...

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yep, Alex got dissected. :( And he IS hopeless without Alex, isn't he? You have to wonder how he spent 900 something years without her. :)

**ShadowTier **- You were right [don't you love when that happens? :)] about Alex getting dissected and the Doctor nearly losing it. Don't worry, I'm putting my all into the moment they get together. :) Glad you're looking forward to the original chapter!

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you!

**ElysiumPhoenix **- No, Alaya's still getting killed off. :( And I can promise Alex's reaction to it will be good. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Okay... *winks* Glad you like the ship-name! ;)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Glad you're excited for those bits! Though the idea about Alex meeting almost all the Doctor's is still in the planning stages, I will say that the first three Doctors will be a bit wary and suspicious of her, but also intrigued, like he is with River Song, a few of them will have crushes on her, and that the companions are going to have a lot of fun teasing their Doctors about her! :) Yes, Rory dies. :( But he comes back again, so it all works out. :) Vincent will be intrigued by Alex and don't worry, he will like her! Not very many people hate her, except the Daleks and the odd alien. Not even River, who really just tolerates her. Ooh, 'The Lodger' is a FUN episode! Out of the two of them, Alex will act the most normal, but her trying to explain the Doctor's various comments does come off a bit strange. :) No, Alex won't play soccer but there is a cute scene where she and the Doctor play ANOTHER sport! Oh, good thought...obviously can't say what happens in those episodes, but I think you'll like it. :)

**rycbar15 **- Now you know what I meant about the furious part. :{ Yeah, I don't really like 'Hungry Earth' because there's not a lot you can do with it, but I plan on tweaking it around a bunch for future stories. :)

**jesterlover **- Yeah, the Doc about killed Malohkeh, didn't he? Good thing Alex calmed him down though. :)

**pennyintheair1234 **- I'm glad you like how I fit Alex in! Oh, wow, I think that too whenever I watch older episodes. I was watching 'Let's Kill Hitler' earlier today and my mind was mostly focused on what Alex would say or do if she was there! :) Glad you adore the story!

Thank you to those that reviewed and to those who favored/followed this story. Now, I have to go study for a map quiz in history tomorrow. :( Please review and see you tomorrow!


	37. Cold Blood Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

The soldiers quickly focused on Amy. On the screen, Rory shoved Ambrose to the side and screamed "No! No, wait!"

"Rory!" Amy cried out as she was dragged to the center of the room and shoved down on her knees.

"She's not speaking for us!" Rory cried out in vain, turning to give Ambrose a brief glare.

"There's no need for this!" the Doctor protested.

"Please!" Alex begged, her voice barely audible amongst the others. She aimed to stand but the Doctor, sensing that she was probably going to try and get between Amy and the guns, shoved her back down again with the heel of his boot.

"Don't even think about it," he warned, giving her a look.

"Listen, listen!" Rory pleaded. "Whatever you want, we'll do it!"

"Aim," Restac ordered, ignoring everyone. The soldier's guns lifted.

"Amy!" Rory screamed.

"Rory!" she called back.

"Don't do this!" the Doctor yelled.

"No!" Rory yelled again right before the screen cut off.

"Fire!" Amy tightly shut her eyes and Alex did the same. She had given herself up for dissection but what had been the point? Amy was going to die anyway. Well, at least she had saved her some pain…

"STOP!" a new voice proclaimed. Alex opened her eyes and craned her head to see Malohkeh coming back in with another Silurian. This Silurian was dressed in fancy robes. _He must be higher up in command or something,_ she figured. Well, that was good. They needed someone sane here.

The elder marched up to Restac, the soldiers quickly putting their guns away and bowing as he passed them. "You want to start a war while the rest of us sleep, Restac?" he demanded incredulously.

"The apes are attacking us!" Restac cried.

The elder gave her a sour look. "You're our _protector_, not our commander, Restac," he reminded her. He nodded over to the group chained up to the columns. "Unchain them."

"I do not recognize your authority at this time, Eldane."

Eldane grinned at her. "Well then," he said, holding out his arms, "you must shoot me." He gave Restac a smug, authoritative look, making Alex instantly like him. He knew that Restac couldn't shoot him and he knew that she knew it.

Restac glowered at him before marching over to Malohkeh. "You woke him to undermine me!" she accused.

"We're not monsters," Malohkeh said calmly. "And neither are they."

"What is it about apes you love so much, hmm?"

"While you slept, they've evolved," Malohkeh explained. "They are capable of more than hate and destruction, as you seem to think." His gaze drifted over to Alex and the Doctor. The Doctor was bending down as much as his chains would allow him to check on Alex. "I've seen it for myself."

Restac narrowed her eyes. "We used to hunt apes for sport," she reminded him. "When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet."

"Shush now, Restac," Eldane ordered, growing tired of her. He sometimes wondered why she was in the position she was. It'd do them all a world of good if she was elsewhere, like grounds keeping or something. "Go and play soldiers. I'll let you know if I need you."

Restac frowned at him, her eyes flashing. "You'll need me, then we'll see." With these ominous words in the air, she stormed out.

Eldane sighed and turned to walk over to the group. "I apologize for her," he said as the group was unchained. "Restac resents that the position of commander was not passed down to her."

"Probably a smart decision," Amy said as her bounds were released and she jumped up. Once she was standing, she raced over to Alex, helping the Doctor get her up.

Amy and the Doctor carefully maneuvered Alex into a standing position. She leaned against the column wearily and nodded her thanks. The Doctor took out his sonic and started moving it in front of her eyes. "Ally, follow my sonic, okay?" he instructed, waiting until Alex nodded before he did this. Alex's eyes dutifully followed his sonic and after a moment, the Doctor switched it off.

Amy looked at him expectantly. "Well?" she demanded.

"Good news is that she doesn't have a concussion."

Amy looked at him warily. "And the bad news?"

"None so far, but I don't know whether she has an infection or not. I'll have to get her back to the TARDIS to check that." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Be proud of yourself, Ally," he smiled down weakly at her. "You've successfully taken ten years off my life today."

Alex smiled a little but her body suddenly arched in pain. She let out a strangled gasp before sinking back down. The Doctor looked like he was in physical pain as well. In an instant, he had picked Alex up, cradling her in his arms bridal style, and was carrying her across the room to the table. He carefully eased her down in a chair and pushed it right up close to the table so that she wouldn't slide out. Alex looked up at him gratefully. The Doctor smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head before moving off to fiddle with the projection.

Eldane and Nasreen watched them with thoughtful expressions. "Is he her boyfriend?" Nasreen asked Amy.

Amy visibly started at the question but sighed a second later and shook her head. "No," she answered ruefully.

"Really?" Nasreen looked genuinely shocked. "But…he went positively ballistic when she came in and he saw she had been dissected!"

"That's their nature I'm afraid," Amy said. "They both care so deeply about each-other but neither is willing to admit they love each-other."

"What a waste," Nasreen bemoaned. "They've got this interesting connection with each-other. I haven't seen it with anyone else, not even with Mo and Ambrose. It's…" she trailed off, searching for the right word, "…unique," she finally decided.

Amy nodded but she couldn't help but allow a little worry to cross her mind. Alex had confided in her that River had confessed to killing a man and almost killing his girlfriend. Alex worried that the man was the Doctor. If that was true, then who was the girlfriend? And if it was Alex, then why would River attempt to kill her? Amy shook her head. No, she couldn't focus on that right now. She needed to focus on the present. It's what Alex would do after all.

Amy crossed the room to head over to Alex just as the Doctor flashed his sonic across the projection, clearing the static and revealing Rory. "Rory! Hello!" he called.

Rory whirled around, his face relieved. "Where's Amy?" he asked worriedly.

"She's fine," the Doctor assured him. He turned to see Amy passing behind him. "Look, here she is!"

"Oh, thank God," Rory breathed.

"Keeping you on your toes!" Amy called as she hopped up to sit on the table. She sat right in front of Alex and knelt down to brush some strands of hair away from her face. "Alex is here too!"

"Hey Alex!" Rory called. Alex raised her head and nodded but didn't say anything. In fact, she actually slumped down further in her chair.

"No time to chat," the Doctor cut in before Rory could start asking questions about why Alex wasn't bouncing around or being her usual perky self. "Listen, you need to get down here. Go to the drill storeroom. There's a large patch of earth in the middle of the floor. The Silurian's are going to send up transport discs to bring you back down using geothermal energy and gravity bubble technology. It's how they travel and, frankly, it's pretty cool. Bring Alaya. We hand her over, we can land this after all. All going to work, promise. Got to dash. Hurry up!"

With that, he cut the signal.

* * *

A few minutes later, Eldane, Amy, and Nasreen were sitting at the table in the courtroom while the Doctor, Mo, and Malohkeh were standing at one end. Alex had been moved to a chair next to Amy. The girl had barely spoke and frankly, it was beginning to alarm the Doctor and Amy. Malohkeh had assured them that his dissection of Alex had gone smoothly – or as smoothly as any dissection can get – but it didn't seem Alex's body had gotten that memo. Currently, Alex was still slumped in her chair, seemingly hovering between consciousness and sleep. In actuality, she was perfectly alert but was still very weak.

The Doctor watched her for a moment before turning to the group seated at the end of the table. "I'd say you've got a fair bit to talk about," he commented.

"How so?" Eldane asked curiously.

"The Earth," Alex piped up, seeing where this was going. Everyone looked at her, surprised that she had finally spoke. There was silence for a few moments, everyone waiting to see if she would speak again, but Alex was done.

The Doctor nodded. "You both want the planet," he elaborated. "You both have a genuine claim to it."

"Are you authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity?" Eldane asked him.

"Me?" The Doctor grinned and shook his head. "No." He then nodded down at Amy and Nasreen. "But they are."

"What?" Nasreen exclaimed in shock.

"No, we're not!" Amy protested. If anyone was qualified to negotiate on behalf of humanity, it was Alex! At least, that was her opinion.

"Course you are!" the Doctor laughed. "Amy Pond and Nasreen Chaudhry, speaking for the planet? Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors. Come on, who has more fun than us?"

Amy jumped up and walked over to him, Nasreen just behind her. "Is this what happens, in the future?" Amy asked. "The planet gets shared? Is that what we need to do?"

Nasreen stared at them, completely lost. In the course of things, the Doctor had never actually told Nasreen that he traveled in time. "Er, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, Nasreen sorry," the Doctor apologized, remembering that she wasn't in the loop. "Probably worth mentioning at this stage. Amy, Alex, and I travel in time a bit."

Nasreen nodded, surprisingly taking the news well. "Anything else?"

"There are fixed points through time where things must always stay the way they are," the Doctor explained. "This is not one of them. This is an _opportunity_. A temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality. The future pivots around you, here, now. So do good, for humanity, for Earth."

"Right," Amy sighed, absorbing the information. As she went and sat back down, she winked at Alex and said "No pressure there, then." Alex responded by snickering a little.

"We can't share the planet," Nasreen argued. "Nobody on the surface is going to go for this idea. It is just too big a leap." Alex hated to admit it, but she had a point. Humanity was very single-minded. If a bunch of reptilian creatures suddenly arrived, proclaiming they were going to live on Earth too, there'd be utter chaos.

The Doctor looked at her critically. "Come on," he urged, nudging her. "Be extraordinary."

"Oh…" Nasreen started to speak before something occurred to her. She smiled at him. "You…" she said, pointing her finger at the Doctor before going to back to the table, her posture determined.

Alex couldn't help but smile. She loved how the Doctor seemed to inspire people just by uttering a few words. It really was amazing what that man could do.

"Okay!" the Doctor exclaimed, slapping the table. "Bringing things to order. The first meeting of representatives of the human race and Homo Reptilia is now in session." He grinned. "Ha! Never said that before. That's fab! Carry on." He turned to Mo and moved him towards the door. "Now, Mo. Let's go and get your son. Oh, you know, humans, and their predecessors shooting the breeze. Never thought I'd see it."

Alex turned away from the door to focus on the session. The Doctor and Mo were gone for quite some time, allowing her to watch the whole historic moment uninterrupted. Alex was absolutely thrilled and she might've been bouncing around if she could. She watched Amy and Nasreen with a new sense of respect. The two were brilliant negotiators. They completely cared about the planet and wanted the best for it. Alex doubted that she could do any better.

Despite her hesitance, Amy had surprised herself by being good at this sort of thing. A few times in the beginning, she had looked over at Alex nervously, wondering if she was doing or saying something right. Alex would respond with an encouraging smile, wink, or nod, filling Amy with more determination. Occasionally, Alex would tap on Amy's chair to get her to clarify or elaborate on something, but this soon began to cease as Amy grew more confident in her role.

Alex turned to focus on Eldane as he spoke. "We lived on the surface of the planet long before you did. Our sole purpose has been to return to our rightful place."

"And we've got a planet that can't already sustain the people who live there," Nasreen explained. "And you want to add a whole other species to drain resources."

"So, what about the areas that aren't habitable to us?" Amy suggested. She pulled up a holographic image of the Earth, pointing out various areas as she spoke. "Australian outback, Sahara desert, Nevada plains. They're all deserted.

"Yes, fine," Nasreen agreed, "but what happens when their population grows and breeds and spreads? And anyway, what benefit does humanity get and how will we ever sell this to people on the surface?"

"If I could get a word in," Eldane cut in, "maybe I could tell you. You give us space, we can bring new sources of energy, new methods of water supply, new medicines, scientific advances. We were a great civilization. You provide a place for us on the surface, we'll give you knowledge and technology beyond humanity's dreams. If we work together, this planet could achieve greatness."

"Okay," Nasreen nodded, smiling slightly. "Now I'm starting to see it."

"Oh yeah," Amy agreed. She looked over and noticed Alex beaming. In fact, she actually looked more alert than she had been before.

"Not bad for a first session," the Doctor said from behind them, where he had been watching for a few moments. Behind him, Mo and a boy Alex presumed was Elliot entered. "More similarities than differences."

A whooshing sound sounded out throughout the room. Eldane looked up. "The transport has returned," he announced. "Your friends are here."

Everyone turned to the door on the other side of the room. Rory entered first, followed by Ambrose. "Here they are," the Doctor announced happily. Alex sat up a little, not wanting Rory to worry, but she then noticed the grim look on his face. _Something's happened, _she deduced. She turned to look at the Doctor and gave him a worried expression. The Doctor, catching it, headed over to stand behind her chair.

However, it didn't seem the others were worried. "Mum!" Elliot cried, running past the duo over to Ambrose. Ambrose grasped him in a tight hug, making Alex smile slightly, but not much. She'd hadn't gotten a very good vibe off of Ambrose from the projection and she was pretty sure that whatever had just happened, Ambrose was the cause of it.

"Rory!" Amy greeted, rushing towards her fiancé.

"Something's wrong," the Doctor murmured. Right at that moment, Tony entered the room, pulling something wrapped in a blanket behind him. Alex's heart dropped.

"No," she murmured, shaking her head. "No, tell me they didn't."

Amy, hearing them, looked up and noticed what Tony was carrying. "Doctor, Alex?" she called out nervously. "What's he carrying?"

"No," the Doctor murmured darkly. "Don't do this. _Tell _me you didn't do this!"

He marched up to the blanket and pulled it back, exposing Alaya's lifeless body. He settled it back over her and turned to glare sharply at Tony. The man bowed his head, looking properly ashamed. Behind them, Alex hauled herself out of her chair and strode across the room to the Doctor's side, ignoring the stabbing pain she felt.

"What did you do?" the Doctor demanded.

"It was me!" Ambrose called. The Doctor and Alex turned to her, their faces in identical masks of fury. Alex noted that Ambrose sounded pretty confident, making her dislike the woman even more. "I did it."

"Mum?" Elliot looked up at his mother in wonder before frowning.

"I just wanted you back," she explained but Elliot wasn't having any of it. He pulled out of her grasp and backed away from her in shock. Ambrose's face looked distraught and she reached out for him, causing the boy to back up even further. He actually backed up into Alex, who quickly caught him and knelt down next to him.

"Everything's gonna be fine," she promised, ruffling his hair.

"You're the girl in the photograph," Elliot realized. "Alex, isn't it?"

Alex was surprised but then realized that the Doctor must've shown him the photo he took of her at the Statue of Liberty in New New York. "That's right," she confirmed. "And don't worry, this whole thing will be straightened out." Elliot nodded, instantly believing her, and Alex stood back up. Her eyes narrowed at Ambrose and switched from a warm honey to a dark green, making her look slightly terrifying.

The Doctor huffed and stepped towards Eldane. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," he tried. "You have to believe me, they're better than this!"

"This is our planet!" Ambrose shouted.

"Yeah, you've done enough!" Alex shouted, her words digging into the room like several million knives. She prodded Elliot over to his father and stepped towards Ambrose. "So do us all a favor and shut up before you make everything even worse!"

"We had a chance here," the Doctor agreed, stepping back over to Alex. He subtly placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, ready to catch her if she made herself too excited.

"Leave us alone!" Ambrose continued, apparently not affected by the Doctor and Alex's words.

The Doctor and Alex glowered and marched towards her. "In the future, when you talk about this," they simultaneously snapped, "you tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity!"

There was a tense silence in the room. Amy and Rory looked at each-other, unable to believe what they were seeing. They had never seen the Doctor and Alex so furious. And that simultaneous yelling…they'd seen them say things together before but never like that. It was rather unnerving.

But right then, the sound of marching sounded out throughout the room, turning everyone's attention towards the doors as the Doctor and Alex stepped away from Ambrose. Several masked Silurian's marched in, Restac entering through the main door. Her march slowed as she caught sight of the blanket in the middle of the room. She slowly approached it, Alex guessing she was probably hoping what she thought was under there wouldn't be.

Restac knelt down next to the blanket and lifted the corner to see Alaya's still face. "My sister," she mumbled before letting out a pitiful cry that made tears spring to Alex's eyes. Restac turned away from her dead sister to glare up at the Doctor. "And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?" she hissed.

"One woman. She was scared for her family," the Doctor tried.

"Please," Alex jumped in, even though she was pretty sure their argument wouldn't work. "She is not typical."

Restac looked at her in slight surprise to see that Alex was now standing upright but quickly resumed her glare. "I think she is," she snapped, standing and whirling around to stare at Ambrose.

"One person let us down," the Doctor admitted, "but there is a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there. You were _building_ something here. Come on! An alliance _could _work."

"It's too late for that, Doctor," Ambrose suddenly spoke. All eyes shot to her and Alex felt a burn in her stomach. _What has this idiot done now? _The mean side of her mind thought.

"Why?" the Doctor asked warily.

"What did you do?" Alex demanded, narrowing her eyes at Ambrose. She was pleased to see Ambrose flinch slightly.

"Our drill is set to start burrowing again in…" Ambrose trailed off and checked her stopwatch, "…fifteen minutes."

"What?" Nasreen cried.

"How _stupid _are you?!" Alex screeched. She felt like strangling the woman but the Doctor pulled her back.

"Stay calm," he whispered in her ear. "We don't want this getting out of hand."

"I think it's a little late for that," Alex retorted.

The Doctor sighed, silently agreeing with her. "Well, how about this? Don't get excited. I don't want you popping a stich or collapsing again." Realizing he had a point, Alex nodded and focused back on the conversation surrounding them.

"…choice did I have?" Ambrose was saying, trying to defend her actions. "They had Elliot!"

"Don't do this," the Doctor warned, noticing that Restac had tensed up. "Don't call their bluff."

Ambrose turned to Restac. "Let us go back," she pleaded. "And you promise to never come to the surface again. We'll walk away, leave you alone."

But Alex knew that Restac would never agree to that plan. She thought humans were vermin and filth and this one had just killed her sister. If Alex were Restac, she knew she'd want revenge. "Execute her!" she screamed.

"No!" Within an instant, the Doctor had leapt forward and grabbed Ambrose's hand, pulling her out of the way as a gun blast hit the spot where she had been standing. He pulled her behind a column and poked his head out to yell to the scattering others "Everyone, back to the lab! Run!"

Alex mentally groaned. Run? In her condition? Sucking it up, Alex began to sprint for the doors, ignoring her stitches protests. "Execute all the apes!" she heard Restac shout as she ran through a door.

Alex followed the others, eventually coming back to Malohkeh's laboratory. A second later, the Doctor rushed in behind her and sealed the doors. The Doctor marched past her, apparently not noticing how pale Alex's face had gotten, to the center of the room.

"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen," he directed. "Let me know if we get company." As the two raced over to a computer screen on the far side of the lab, the Doctor grabbed the stopwatch from Ambrose and tossed it to Amy. "Amy, keep reminding me how much time I haven't got."

"Okay. Um, er…" Amy turned the stopwatch and examined the time. "Twelve minutes till drill impact!"

The Doctor nodded. "Okay, Alex…" He looked around, not noticing her until there was a sudden cry from the front of the room. He whirled around to see Alex's eyes rolling back into her head and about to topple to the floor.

"Alex!" he cried, running to the front of the room and catching her just before she fainted.

"What happened?" Rory demanded, running over, Amy just behind him.

"Running…probably not very smart," Alex gasped before closing her eyes and becoming alarmingly limp.

"What the hell happened to her?" Rory demanded.

"She got dissected," Amy told him quietly.

Rory's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "_Dissected?!_" he repeated.

"Made her very weak," the Doctor said, cradling Alex in his arms. "But she's extremely weak now." He looked over at Mo. "Mo! Did this happen with you?"

Mo shook his head. "No! I figured it was because she was younger and not as strong."

"She may have an infection," Eldane jumped in. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory turned to him, silently demanding for an explanation. Eldane sighed and explained "The bacteria down here is very different from ape bacteria. There's a chance some of it entered her body during the dissection and now, her body is fighting it back."

"Her body doesn't recognize it and it can't fight it successfully," the Doctor realized. He swore under his breath.

"Can't you cure it?" Amy asked.

"On the TARDIS, absolutely." The Doctor passed Alex's limp body over to Rory. "Rory, watch her!" he called, running back to his original position. He suddenly stopped and turned to Tony, who was on his knees panting. "Tony Mack!" he called. "Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils. What are you hiding?"

Tony sighed and unbuttoned and parted his shirt, exposing bulging green veins on a side of his chest.

"Tony," Nasreen breathed. "What happened?"

"Alaya's sting," Tony answered as the Doctor ran the sonic over him. "She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't I?"

"You're not dying," the Doctor informed him, whirling around to one of the computers next to him. "You're _mutating_."

"Mutating?" Alex's head popped up in a startled Rory's arms. She looked surprisingly alert. "Can't you stop it?" Then, as if that question had been too much for her, her eyes closed and her head fell back down again.

While Amy and Rory studied Alex's still figure bafflingly, the Doctor answered her question. "Decontamination program. Might work. Don't know. Eldane, can you run the program on Tony?"

"Doctor, shedload of those creatures coming our way!" Mo called out. "We're surrounded in here!"

_Great. I've got an infected and barely conscious Ally, a mutating Tony, and a bunch of soldiers out for blood! What else can happen? _The Doctor shook his head, trying to concentrate. "So, question is, how do we stop the drill given we can't get there in time? Plus, also, how do we get out, given that we're surrounded?" He turned to Nasreen. "Nasreen, how do you feel about an energy pulse channeled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?"

"To _blow up _my life's work?" Nasreen said in disbelief.

The Doctor winced. "Yes. Sorry. No nice way of putting that."

Nasreen sighed, sounding resigned. "Right," she nodded, "well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in, er…"

"Eleven minutes, forty seconds!" Amy added helpfully.

"Yes," the Doctor grinned, chuckling slightly. "Squeaky bum time."

"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels," Nasreen informed him, "so we have to be out and on the surface by then."

Rory shifted Alex slightly in his arms. She was coming around a little now. "But we can't get past Restac's troops!" he reminded them.

"I can help with that," Eldane spoke up. Everyone looked over at him as he stood by the decontamination chamber where Tony was now strapped upright to a chair. "Toxic fumigation. An emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."

"You could end up killing your own people," Amy gasped.

"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac," Eldane corrected her.

The Doctor stared at him skeptically. "Eldane, are you sure about this?"

"My priority is my race's survival." Eldane sighed, seeming resigned and accepting of what he was about to say next. "The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet."

"No," the Doctor ruefully agreed.

"Ten minutes, Doctor!" Amy told him.

"But maybe it _should_ be," the Doctor mused. "So! Here's a deal. Everybody listening. Eldane, you activate shutdown. I'll amend the system, set your alarm for a thousand years' time. A thousand years to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophecy, or religion, but _somehow_, make it known. This planet is to be shared."

Everyone nodded, fully agreeing with this plan. Even Alex had gotten up enough energy to nod along eagerly. "Yeah," Elliot said, looking up at the Doctor in admiration and determination. "I get you."

The Doctor smiled at Elliot just as Amy called out "Nine minutes, seven seconds!"

The Doctor sprang into action, racing up to the controls. "Yes! Fluid controls, my favorite. Energy pulse. Timed, primed, and set. Before we go, energy barricade. Need to cancel it out quickly."

"Fumigation pre-launching," Eldane announced.

"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor," Rory commented, sneaking a look at Amy's stopwatch.

"Ah, ha! Super-squeaky bum time!" the Doctor countered, still working. "Get ready to run for your lives. Now!"

"Rory, put me down!" Alex demanded, head popping up as she struggled to get down.

Rory began to protest but Alex hopped down and shushed him. "Stop! You know it would just slow all of us down. I'll be fine. I've been conserving energy. I can make it to the TARDIS before I faint again."

At the same time this was occurring, Eldane was protesting. "But the decontamination program on your friend hasn't started yet," he pointed out, nodding over to Tony.

Tony looked at the waiting group. "Well, go!" he cried out. "All of you, go!"

"No, we're not leaving you," Ambrose argued, her first words since they escaped down here.

"Granddad!" Elliot cried, rushing over to hug the man.

"Eight minutes, ten seconds!" Amy told them.

"Now you look after your mum," Tony told Elliot. "You mustn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right."

Elliot looked up at him tearfully. "I'm not going to see you again, am I?"

"I'll be here, always," Tony assured him before hugging the boy tightly. "I love you, boy." Then, looking up at Ambrose, he said "You be sure he gets home safe."

Ambrose shook her head. "This is my fault." She looked so sad, not even the really mean part of Alex's mind could come up with something smart.

Tony shook his head. "No, I can't go back up there. I'd be a freak show. The technology down here's my only hope."

Ambrose threw her arms around him. "I love you, Dad."

Tony hugged her back before patting her shoulder, releasing her. "Go. Go!"

"Come on!" Mo waved, running for the door.

"Go on!"

"_Toxic fumigation initiated_," a computer voice announced. "_Return to cryo-chambers. Toxic fumigation initiated. Return to cryo-chambers._ _Toxic fumigation initiated_."

"They're going!" Amy cheered, watching the screen as several soldiers cleared out from the door to head back to their chambers. "We're clear!"

"Okay, everyone follow Nasreen!" the Doctor ordered. He pointed the sonic at the door. "Look for a blue box! Get ready to run!"

"_Return to cryo-chambers._"

Everyone remained in front of the doors even as they were unlocked. The Doctor turned to Eldane, Alex right behind him after noticing he wasn't following them. "I'm sorry," the Doctor apologized quietly.

Eldane nodded sadly. "I thought for a moment, our race and the humans…" He trailed off, not really needing to vocalize his thoughts.

"Yeah, me too," the Doctor admitted.

"It _will _happen one day," Alex assured the elder. "I'm making sure of that."

Eldane smiled down at her. He was quite captivated by her determination and dedication to his race despite the ordeal she had went through by a few of them. "I have no doubt that you will. Watch him, okay?" he requested, nodding to the Doctor. "He needs someone around that loves him."

The Doctor and Alex blushed brightly but right before either one of them could protest that they were not a couple, Amy cried out "Doctor, we've got less than six minutes!"

"Go! Go!" the Doctor urged, waving them off. "I'm right behind you!" He then whirled Alex around and pushed her in the direction of the door. "You too! Let's go!" He said this last exclamation to Nasreen, who was simply standing by the decontamination chamber.

"I'm not coming either!" she suddenly announced.

The Doctor and Alex stopped in their tracks. "What?" they simultaneously demanded.

Nasreen quirked an eyebrow at them in amusement but said nothing. "We're going to hibernate with them, me and Tony."

"Doctor, you must go!" Eldane urged.

"I can be decontaminated when we're woken," Nasreen continued, as if Eldane hadn't interrupted. She smiled at Tony. "All the time in the world."

The Doctor looked at her, bewildered. "But, Nasreen, you-,"

"No, this is perfect!" Nasreen beamed and Alex noted that she looked extremely happy. "I don't want to go! I've got what I was digging for. I can't leave when I've only just found it."

Amy burst into the room. "Doctor! Alex!" she snapped, glowering at the two. She pointed to the stopwatch in her hand and shook her head.

"Thank you Doctor," Nasreen said. She then turned to Alex. "And you…" She suddenly grasped the girl in a tight hug, being mindful of her stitches. "You are certainly a force to be reckoned with."

Alex laughed and pulled back. "That's me alright." She then looked over at Tony, who also looked pretty happy that Nasreen was staying. _Hmm, why's that?_ Leaning close to Nasreen, she murmured "Good luck with those…_archeological _discoveries." She looked back at Tony, making sure Nasreen's eyes followed her before turning back to the woman and winking.

Nasreen looked somewhat startled but then suddenly began giggling, her face turning red. The Doctor stared at her, not really sure what was going on, but nodded at her. "The pleasure was all ours."

"Come and look for us," Nasreen told them.

"Don't worry," Alex replied.

"We will," the Doctor finished. With that, he had grabbed Alex's hand and off they were running.

A/N: Who liked the part where the Doctor and Alex simultaneously yelled at Ambrose? I felt like she deserved to be yelled at for what she did, even if it was to try and get her son back. And did anyone else think the relationship between Tony and Nasreen was more than platonic in the original episode? I've always thought it was more, so I decided to put that element in here. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- The Doc DID react pretty bad huh? And don't worry about Alex; it wouldn't be any fun killing her off. Doesn't mean I can't mess with her a little though. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Thanks for pointing that out! I'll try to go back and change that later. :) Glad you liked the Oncoming Storm moment! And yes, poor Alex indeed.

**jesterlover **- Yeah, all that and more applies to Malohkeh in that chapter. If I were him, I'd probably run off and hide somewhere. :)

**rycbar15 **- Yes, yes I did. Glad I was able to shock and surprise you though! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yeah, an angry Time Lord is something to be very, very afraid of. And there's more of that to come! }:) Glad you liked the dissection bit. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised it doesn't happen in more OC stories. And yes, Alex won't die from the dissection. That wouldn't be fun at all. :) And thanks for that! I think I did okay. My teacher left a few countries off the map by accident, so even though I probably got them wrong, it doesn't count against me. *sighs in relief* :)

**ShadowTier **- Aw, sorry! From where I live, I update every day, but I guess it's different for people in other time zones. :( They were still talking about Amy, but I thought it would be fun to make you all sweat a little and wonder 'could she mean Alex?' Hmm, good question. So...Alex DOES remember Rory! Which is both happy and sad when you think about it. And her mental abilities will play a part in it. :) Glad you liked the Dark Doctor. Lots of people seem to like that side of him. Lol, good for you, not letting it get to your head! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks!

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yeah, no Alex WOULD be a disaster! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Yeah, I remember from my own reading of that story that a lot of people weren't happy with her when she did that to Evy. But I'm glad you love Alex so much that you don't want her to be hurt. :) And I'm glad you liked the Doctor's reaction. Hmm...good question. I will say that we won't learn anything about Alex's humanity when he scans her. The reason for her mental abilities is a little complex, but I think you'll like it :) Yes, other Doctor's will have crushes on Alex! I can say it's not going to be 1, 2, or 3 but that leaves eight more Doctors to guess from! :D

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	38. Cold Blood Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

"_Immediate evacuation_," the computer warned, forcing the group to run faster. In fact, they almost barreled into Rory, who had come looking for Amy.

"Other way, idiot!" Amy shouted when she caught sight of him. Rory skidded back around and ran with the group. They quickly came across Ambrose, Mo, and Elliot waiting for them on a long bridge.

"_Toxic fumigation is about to commence. Immediate evacuation._"

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, gripping Alex's hand tighter. She was starting to feel a little slack and he knew all of this running she was doing was not good for her. He briefly considered picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, but decided that would take too much time.

"_Toxic fumigation is about to commence._"

Right as that announcement played, the group reached the cavern where the TARDIS was. Never in Alex's life had she been so glad to see that box. She collapsed against it wearily, the wood vibrating worriedly under her fingertips as the Doctor hastily unlocked the door. "No questions, just get in!" he ordered Ambrose, Mo, and Elliot as they ran in. "And yes, I know, it's big. Ambrose, sickbay up the stairs, left, then left again, get yourself fixed up."

He turned to Amy, Rory, and Alex, the trio simply standing in front of the time machine. "Come on!" he cried. "Five minutes and counting!"

"Doctor," Alex said worriedly. She stared straight ahead and gripped the doorframe. The TARDIS buzzed, sending a warm jolt up Alex's arm in reassurance.

The Doctor looked at her questioningly and turned to look in the direction she was looking. His face paled. "Not here," he muttered.

Before the group, on the wall opposite the TARDIS, was a huge, glowing crack. It was the exact same type as the one from Amy's wall and the one on the _Byzantium_ and looked just as threatening. "Not now," the Doctor continued. He watched as the crack seemed to expand a little in size.

"It's getting wider!" Alex realized. She inched herself over to where she was standing right in the doorway, ready to make a fast getaway.

"The crack on my bedroom wall," Amy whimpered.

"And the _Byzantium_," the Doctor added, hesitantly stepping closer to the crack. Alex frowned and would've made a grab for him but he was too far away. Plus, she really didn't feel like moving at the moment. It was a miracle she hadn't blacked out yet. "All through the universe, rips in the continuum. Some sort of space-time cataclysm. An explosion, maybe. Big enough to put cracks in the universe. But what?"

Amy checked the stopwatch. "Four minutes fifty. We have to go!"

But the Doctor ignored her. "The Angels laughed when I didn't know. Prisoner Zero knew. _Everybody _knows except me."

"Doctor, just leave it!" Alex begged, hauling herself away from the doorframe to stand next to Amy and Rory.

"But where there's an explosion…" He trailed off, grinning somewhat madly as he dug a handkerchief out of his pocket. "…there's _shrapnel_."

Alex's eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do. Did he _want _to get himself killed?! _Stupid, bloody, idiot Time Lord!_ "Don't you even think about it, you bleeding idiot!" she snapped. Her stomach muscles tensed and she felt her stitches loosen a little.

"Doctor, you can't put your hand in there!" Rory protested.

"Why not?" the Doctor challenged, creeping closer to the crack.

"Common sense?!" Alex shrieked. "Because it will hurt? Take your pick!"

But the Doctor ignored their protests and stuck the hand holding the handkerchief into the crack. He shook slightly and shouted, with pain in his voice, "Argh! I've got something!"

"What is it?" Amy asked in spite of herself.

The Doctor yanked himself away from the crack, toppling to the floor on his stomach. In his hand, the red handkerchief was badly singed and wrapped around something in a similar state. The Doctor waved away the smoke coming from whatever he'd just gotten. "I don't know," he admitted, rising to his feet.

"Doctor!" Rory cried out in warning. The group turned to see a very weak but very angry-looking Restac gasping and crawling up to them, some type of weapon in her hand.

The Doctor shoved Alex behind him, but that didn't stop her from standing on tiptoe and peering over his shoulder. "She was there when the gas started. She must have been poisoned," Amy surmised.

"_You_," Restac glowered at the Doctor. She struggled to lift up her weapon.

"Okay, get in the TARDIS, all of you," the Doctor ordered lowly, keeping his eyes on Restac. Alex ran to the TARDIS doors and stood in the doorframe, waiting for the others to follow while also watching the tense scene before her.

"You did this," Restac hissed. The Doctor reached into his jacket for the sonic.

"Doctor!" Rory shouted, running in front of the man as Restac lifted her weapon and fired…hitting Rory in the chest.

"RORY!" Amy and Alex screamed. The two launched themselves at the man as he fell onto his back, screaming in pain, the Doctor on their heels. None of them noticed Restac drop her weapon and fall to the ground stone dead.

"Rory, can you hear me?!" the Doctor demanded, crouching down beside him and running the sonic over him. Amy fell down beside Rory's head, Alex right next to her. Alex placed a hand to her throbbing stitches, feeling a little lightheaded. But, in the grand scheme of things, her own pain didn't matter anymore.

"I don't understand," Rory murmured, looking up at Amy.

She stroked his face. "Shush. Don't talk," she tearfully ordered. "Doctor, is he okay?"

"We have to get him onto the TARDIS," Alex said, grasping one of Rory's hands and squeezing it.

"We were on the hill," Rory gasped out. Alex alarmingly noted that his breath was becoming frantic and each constriction of his chest took longer to happen than the last. "I can't die here."

"Don't say that," Amy begged at the same time Alex ordered "Don't talk like that."

"You're so beautiful," Rory breathed to Amy. He barely managed to choke out "I'm sorry." He cringed in pain and closed his eyes, his last action being to squeeze Alex's hand before it went limp. His chest dropped and Alex felt her heart plunge down into some deep dark space inside her as the horrifying truth emerged in her brain; Rory Williams was dead.

Amy shook her head in disbelief. "Doctor, help him!" she pleaded, not accepting he was dead. Alex reluctantly dropped Rory's hand and stood to wrap her arms around Amy's shoulders. She buried her head in her friend's flaming locks. Alex suspected that even with the most amazing medicine ever, the Doctor wouldn't be able to bring Rory back.

She looked up when she realized the Doctor hadn't replied back to Amy. Her watery eyes wandered over to him, watching as he stared at the crack with a guarded, but worried expression. Looking down, she saw that tendrils of light were pouring out of the crack and gathering around Rory's feet.

The Doctor stood and began backing away. "Girls, move away from the light," he ordered. "If it touches you, you'll be wiped from history." He looked over, the girls not having moved an inch. "Amy, Alex, move away now!"

"No!" Amy screamed back at him. "I am not leaving him! We have to help him!"

"The light's already around him," the Doctor explained gently, kneeling down to wrap his arms around Amy as Alex shifted away a little. "We can't help him."

"I am not leaving him!" Amy shot back, tears running down her cheeks.

"And I'm not leaving her!" Alex snapped.

"We have to."

"No!" the girls shrieked.

The Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized before wrapping one arm around Amy and another around Alex. He pulled them towards the door, which was easier said than done, considering he had two struggling girls screaming bloody murder in his arms.

He managed to lift Alex up slightly with one arm, sending her kicking into the air. "Let me go!" she howled.

"GET OFF ME!" Amy screeched, rivaling her in volume.

Alex tried to throw herself out of his arm but suddenly wailed in pain. A horrible snapping sound ricocheted throughout the air and Alex's abdomen clenched in agony. The Doctor looked down to see Alex's shirt turning red. She had popped a few stitches.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped, both for dragging the girls away from Rory and for unintentionally causing Alex to pop her stitches.

"Get off me!" Amy begged, too absorbed in her grief to register what happened to Alex even as her friend sobbed in pain. The Doctor continued to pull them through the door into the TARDIS. Once inside, he gently released Alex, the girl falling to the floor while he continued to struggle with Amy as he locked and sonicked the door.

"No! No! No! No!" Amy sobbed, pounding on the door. The Doctor ducked out from under her and lifted Alex up into his arms. "Let me out! Please let me out! I need to get to Rory!"

The Doctor focused on Alex, blocking out Amy's desperate cries. He gingerly placed Alex down on a chair, the girl now only sniffling a bit. He saw her eyes were that horrifying neon green again and he resolved to make them vanish somehow.

He moved to lift her shirt when Alex let out a squawk. "Shh," he eased, kissing her hairline. "It's okay Ally. I know you're mad at me but you need to let me look."

Slowly, Alex considered his words and then nodded her consent. The Doctor dug his fingertips under the cotton material and pulled it up, being mindful of the almost-medium sized bloodstain. He grimaced as he saw a bit of blood leaking out of spots that had once been home to five stitches but was relieved to see that it wasn't gushing as it had been again. He lowered her top, stood, and kissed her head again. "You're okay," he told her.

Meanwhile, Amy had moved away from the door and was now watching the porthole screen. Outside, several more streaks of light were wrapping around Rory, slowly engulfing him in a brilliant blaze. "That light. If his body's absorbed, I'll forget him," she realized. "He'll never have existed."

She turned to the Doctor, exposing her red-rimmed eyes. "You can't let that happen." She watched as the Doctor moved away from Alex and around the console. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor's response was to pull down a lever, sending the TARDIS into motion.

"Doctor, no!" Amy screamed. In a flash, she had raced up the console steps and over to the Doctor. She shoved him away from the controls and tried to reverse what he had done, even though she had next to no idea how the TARDIS actually worked. The Doctor reached around and tried to yank her away, but Amy fought him, kicking and screaming. "No! No! No!"

The Doctor finally managed to wrench Amy away from the console. "Doctor, we can't just leave him there!" Amy protested as the TARDIS dematerialized and entered the time vortex.

"Keep him in your mind!" the Doctor instructed, pushing her down to the floor. He looked over and lifted Alex down from her chair to sit next to Amy. "You too Ally, both of you! Don't forget him! If you forget him, you'll lose him forever!"

"When we were still on the _Byzantium_, I still remembered the clerics because I am a time traveler now, you said!" Amy recalled.

"They weren't a part of _your _world," the Doctor explained, hoping he could make her see reason. "This is different. This is your own history! Yours and Alex's!"

"Tell me it's going to be okay! You have to make it okay!"

"It's going to be hard, but you girls _can _do it. Tell me about Rory, eh? Fantastic Rory. Funny Rory. Gorgeous Rory. Amy, Ally, listen to me. Do exactly as I say. Girls, please. Keep concentrating. You _can _do this!"

Alex shut her eyes, blocking out the rest of the conversation. She was going to do exactly as the Doctor said and concentrate. She wasn't about to let some stupid, creepy crack rip away memories of her close friend, one who she practically considered an older brother.

Alex felt her memories of Rory pouring into her mind. The first time they met, the time he taught her to ride a bicycle because he had been aghast when she told him she'd never learned – _Come on Alex! I'm not letting you leave until you can get down the drive by yourself!_ – the various times she had advised him where to take Amy on dates – _Are you sure she'll like it, Alex?_ – when she went ring shopping with him – _Don't ever tell her what I paid for this _– and so many other memories.

Suddenly, Alex felt something in her mind. She shut her eyes tighter, concentrating on the new visitor. In her mind's eye, she saw the outline of a crack, the one currently eating Rory away. _No!_ Then, another sensation. Alex felt the bombs whizzing in her head, hurting her yes, but not as horribly now that she had gotten a little used to them. She felt what seemed like the equivalent of steel walls locking down around her memories of Rory as the bombs continued to attack the crack outline. Of course. Her mind was very strong. It was protecting her memories of Rory from the crack.

Alex eased up a little as she felt the crack's presence leave her mind. Slowly, her mental shields lifted and her memories of Rory were released back into the crevices of her mind, perfectly preserved.

Suddenly, Alex was thrown to the floor. She groaned and opened her eyes. The Doctor was lying next to her, Amy just a little ways away. The Doctor sat up and looked at her. "Rory?" he mouthed. Alex nodded in confirmation and looked down at Amy. Amy sat up and looked around. To Alex's anguish, she was no longer crying and she looked rather chipper.

"What were you saying?" Amy asked the Doctor.

_Oh God,_ Alex thought, her heart sinking. Amy didn't remember Rory. Only Alex and the Doctor could remember the wonderful man.

But before the Doctor could even begin to think up an answer, Mo came rushing down the stairs, Ambrose and Elliot right behind him. "I have seen some things today, but this is beyond mad!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to them.

Amy smiled up at him and then checked the stopwatch. Her eyes widened. "Doctor, five seconds till it all goes up!"

The Doctor jumped to his feet, Alex carefully lifting herself up as well. Everyone barreled outside, except for Alex who calmly walked to the door. Her sides burned from the popping stitches and her head felt loopy, though whether that was from the mental attack on the crack or from running all around, she didn't know. She reached the door just in time to see the drill explode.

* * *

"All Nasreen's work just…erased," Amy breathed five minutes later.

"Good thing she's not here to see it," Mo laughed wryly. "She's going to give Tony hell when they wake up."

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Alex had moved to stand on the church porch. Alex was leaning against the railing, the only thing keeping her upright, while the Doctor and Ambrose stood in front of her. "You could've let those things shoot me," Ambrose said. She looked at the two in astonishment. "You saved me."

"An eye for an eye," the Doctor and Alex recited.

Ambrose smiled a little. "Do you two practice that or something?"

The Doctor and Alex had to smile a little at that. "It's never the way," the Doctor said.

"Now you show your son how wrong you were," Alex said. "How there's another way."

"You make him the best of humanity," the Doctor finished, "in the way you couldn't be." Ambrose nodded and Alex had no doubt that Elliot was going to be a very great man when he grew up.

A few minutes later, the TARDIS gang, minus one, headed back to the time machine. Amy skipped beside a somber Doctor and Alex. Alex couldn't help but feel angry at her friend for being happy, even though she knew it wasn't her fault. "You two are very quiet," Amy observed. She turned and looked out at the hill she had seen several hours ago with Rory. "Oh! Hey, look! There I am again!" She waved madly to the now lone figure on the hillside. "Hello me!"

Amy frowned and slowly lowered her hand. The Doctor and Alex exchanged a quick look before the Doctor asked "Are you okay?"

"I thought I saw someone else there for a second," Amy said trance-like. She shook her head and snapped out of it. "I need a holiday. Didn't we talk about Rio?"

The Doctor waved them off. "You girls go in. Ally, go to the infirmary and don't argue." He turned to the door and tapped the lock. "Just fix this lock. Keeps jamming."

"You boys and your locksmithery," Amy teased. She smirked at the Doctor before waltzing inside the TARDIS. Alex remained behind, watching the Doctor's expression. It was guarded and she knew he was hiding something.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "_Go_, Alex," he ordered. Alex waited a beat, watching him, before slowly heading inside.

* * *

Alex got the sense the TARDIS was absolutely terrified about her condition for after leaving the control room, she felt a force pushing her to the first door she saw. Opening it, she felt a fast hum run beneath her fingertips as she stepped into the infirmary.

The infirmary was a nice sized room with a hospital style bed in the center. The walls were white and the floor was a white tile with black dots on it. All around the room were cabinets and shelves holding a wide variety of medical supplies, some that Alex didn't even recognize. She carefully eased herself up onto the bed, flopping back on the pillow. Oh well. Maybe some of it would be useful on her.

A few seconds later, the Doctor rushed in. He went over to a cabinet and started digging around wildly, occasionally throwing a medical instrument or a bottle of medication across the room. "We're in the time vortex now!" he announced, his voice somewhat muffled since his head was almost entirely in the cabinet. "Safest place to be! Well, not really, but safe enough."

"Where's Amy?" Alex asked.

"In her room." The Doctor pulled his head out, a few items now in his hand but from her angle, Alex couldn't make them out. "She wanted to help but I told her I could handle it."

Alex nodded, but she knew that wasn't the real reason. The Doctor felt immensely guilty for Rory's death and he probably didn't want to be around Amy's happiness right now.

The Doctor walked over to her. He carefully placed the items in his hand down one by one on the nightstand next to the bed. Alex turned her head to look at them. A bottle of pills, a syringe, scissors, and a few bottles of different colored liquid with alien labels on them. He then ducked under the bed to pull out a collapsible med scanner. Alex watched, intrigued, as the Doctor quickly set it up and turned it on.

He rolled the scanner to the foot of the bed and plugged the sonic screwdriver into a small outlet on it. "Just stay still Ally," he directed, stepping back. "The scanner will tell me exactly what's wrong with you and send the information directly to the sonic."

Alex stared up at the ceiling, wondering if the scanner used X-rays and if so, shouldn't the Doctor leave the room or not. She recalled Lola's tale of getting an X-ray after spraining her ankle tripping down the stairs. She had been all alone in a large white room and scared out of her mind, worried that the rays would kill like in some sci-fi novel she had read.

A beep sounded, interrupting her thoughts. The Doctor cheered. "Ha, ha! Excellent. Now, just hold on a sec…" Alex heard the scanner being folded back down again and being pushed under the bed. The Doctor walked back up to her, studying the sonic. She could hear him muttering to himself but couldn't make out the specific words.

The Doctor tucked the sonic into his jacket. Alex looked up at him. His face was in a calm mask, evidently one that was supposed to calm her but instead served to frighten her. What was going on?

Her face evidently looked panicked for the Doctor smiled slightly at her and started twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. "It's not that bad Ally," he assured her. "You have an infection but, thankfully, we caught it just in time. Any longer and your body could start accepting the bacteria and begin mutating." Alex's eyes widened. "But it's not going to happen!" the Doctor cried. "Trust me, it won't."

His hands moved down and grasped the cloth of her shirt. "But first..." He started to lift the shirt but Alex stopped him, moving his hands down to the buttons. He tensed slightly, unable to believe the thrill going through him at the prospect of undoing a button on _Alex's _shirt. He subtly kicked himself in the shin. God! What was he doing? He couldn't be going lustful when he was trying to heal Alex!

He forced himself to concentrate on what he would do to cure Alex as he undid the buttons, each one revealing more and more of Alex's skin. Once he was at the end of the line of stitches, he stopped. He studied the stitches. They were pretty good but not very supporting. It was a wonder Alex hadn't snapped more of them or had snapped them sooner. He reached for the scissors on the table and lifted them up. He felt Alex tense up.

"Ally, I promise you it'll be okay." He lowered the scissors and then grabbed the bottle of pills. He poured two out into his hand and held them out to Alex along with a glass of water the TARDIS had provided. "These are anesthesia pills. Remarkable really. They numb the spot you're going to be operated on but keep you conscious. They're for minor procedures like this."

Alex nodded, accepting this and quickly took them. She felt her body go slack, especially the region around her stitches. Apparently, they were fast-acting too.

The Doctor quickly set to work. He began undoing the stitches and directed Alex to look straight up at the ceiling. He didn't bother looking to see if she was doing this or not, completely focused on his task instead. After undoing the stitches, he grabbed the healing salve he had used on her back in Venice and poured it over the red skin. The salve acted quickly, restoring Alex's skin tissue and making the scar vanish. It was like she hadn't been dissected at all.

The Doctor tossed the bloody thread into the trash, feeling a deep anger well up inside him. He couldn't believe this had happened to Alex. Even worse? She had allowed it to happen to herself. He knew it had been to save Amy and he admired that, he really did, but he didn't like that she was so willing to put herself in danger like that.

The next matter was curing Alex's infection. It was the main cause of her being so weak. The Doctor set to work mixing and measuring the liquid in the alien bottles until he had a single test-tube filled with a dark, murky purple liquid. Alex watched him as he loaded the syringe with the liquid. She felt her muscles tighten as she saw him lift it up, exposing the incredibly long needle. She never liked getting shots at the doctor's office. She once screamed so much while getting one that it took two nurses to hold her down just so the doctor could give it to her. Granted, she had been eight, but still.

"Relax Alex," the Doctor said, kneeling down to aim the needle at her arm. "This won't hurt a bit." Alex relaxed a little, believing him, but let out a yelp as the needle pierced her arm, hurting a lot. _So that's where River gets it._ She stayed silent while it was in there but the second it was out, she let him have it.

"What the hell?" she demanded. Feeling her energy coming back to her, she sat up and attempted to slap him but he stepped out of her reach.

"Rule One," the Doctor smiled at her, tossing the syringe into the trash. "The Doctor lies."

Alex glowered at him and crossed her arms. "Stupid rule," she muttered. She sighed and began to get up but quickly found herself being shoved back down.

"Don't get up!" the Doctor ordered. "You aren't cured just yet! It takes time."

Alex groaned and flopped back down on the bed. Realizing her shirt was still open, she buttoned it back up. She looked at the large bloodstains and shuddered, unable to believe she had lost that much blood. She was a little surprised the Doctor hadn't given her a transfusion.

"There wasn't any need," the Doctor spoke up, sensing her thoughts. She looked over at him. He was resting in a chair beside the bed. His face was blank, like he was holding back his emotions. "The scans said you had good blood content."

Alex smiled. "Well, for future reference, my blood type is B positive." She continued to smile innocently at him but it fell as she saw that his facial muscles hadn't moved an inch. She looked into his eyes. They were dark green like always but sprinkles of black were threatening to pop up and overtake them. "Doctor?"

She reached out for his hand but he quickly pulled it away. "Doctor, please," Alex begged. She could feel tears bubbling up to the surface but she pushed them back down. He had already seen her extremely weak today; she wouldn't let him see her at her weakest. "Doctor, please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad."

"You're lying," Alex challenged.

The Doctor huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, how am I supposed to act Alexandria?" he snapped. She flinched. Bad already if he was calling her _Alexandria_. "When you practically begged to be dissected?"

"I was saving Amy," Alex said evenly. She knew that whenever they started arguing, the air would tense up until it finally snapped, launching them into what would probably be an explosive argument. "Would _you _have liked it if Amy was dissected instead?"

The Doctor's eyes flashed at her. "Of course not!" he cried. "But I certainly don't like you throwing yourself into dangerous situations!"

"Dangerous situations?" Alex repeated scathingly. "You make it sound like I willingly go looking for danger, which I can assure you, I don't!"

"And jumping over man-eating holes doesn't qualify as looking for danger?"

"I was trying to _save _Tony's life!" Alex snapped, any and all sense of calm long gone from her. "And I didn't even get sucked into that hole helping Tony anyway! You were the one that let go!"

It was a low blow and they both knew it. For a long minute, a tense silence filled the air. The TARDIS didn't even dare hum. The two stared at each-other, Alex's words echoing around in their heads. Their breath was labored and was the only sound either dared make. Finally, the Doctor let out a low growl and began to storm out the door but Alex quickly called out after him.

"Doctor, stop!" she pleaded. She heard him stop but she looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes in case he turned around. "I…I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say and I know it. It wasn't your fault. You tried your hardest. I let go. Really, it's my fault. I'm sorry."

There was another long silence and for a minute, Alex thought the Doctor had actually left but a moment later, she heard his footsteps approaching her. She continued to look down, too ashamed to look up. She felt the bed dip beside her and then his fingers begin tucking hair behind her ear. "Ally," he said, his voice gentle, holding none of his previous anger, "please look at me."

Alex shook her head and sniffled slightly in spite of herself. "I can't," she mumbled.

"Please." The Doctor's finger trailed down her jaw, making Alex shiver. It reminded her of what he did back on the _Byzantium_, how he had teased her before kissing her passionately. He traced the outline of her face until he reached her chin, tilting it up so she was forced to look at him.

Alex's eyes glimmered with unshed tears and the Doctor couldn't help but wish she wouldn't act so strong all the time. She was human, she had to let her guard down every once in a while. "Ally, I know," he said gently, moving in to kiss her hairline. "I know you didn't mean it. But it probably was my fault."

"It was the Silurian's stupid sucky thing," Alex said, resting her head on his shoulder. She subtly inhaled the scent of his tweed jacket and musky cologne, relishing in how comfortable it made her feel.

The Doctor chuckled at her word choice. "Well, regardless of whose fault it was," he began, "you went through something you shouldn't have." He pulled her to where their foreheads were touching and closed his eyes. "Ally, please promise me you won't do something so…selfless again." He had been about to say _reckless _but decided he would get slapped if he said that.

"You know I can't promise that Doc," Alex replied. He opened his eyes to gaze at her in shock. "Before you say anything," she jumped in, "just hear me out. I don't like seeing others hurt or in danger. So, if there's a way to help them avoid it, I'm going to help. And if it does injure me…" Alex trailed off for a moment but continued. "Well, I'll try to avoid that, but if it saves someone else, then so be it. And Doc, are you honestly going to tell me that you wouldn't do the same for me or Amy or anyone else?"

The Doctor was silent. He couldn't argue that because it was the truth. He would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat for Alex…er, anyone. He sighed and pulled Alex's head to rest on his shoulder again. "You're right," he said almost inaudibly, moving a hand to rest in her hair.

"The only reason I protected Amy like that was so she wouldn't be in any pain and so that Rory wouldn't flip when he saw her." Alex suddenly let out a strangled choke. "Oh God." She looked up, exposing her tear-rimmed eyes. "He's dead. I almost forgot but…Rory's _dead_."

The Doctor pulled her back into his arms and shifted her so that she was sitting in his lap. Alex buried her head in his shoulder and he ran his fingers through her hair as she let a few tears fall onto his jacket. They sat like that for a little while until Alex finally lifted her head up and said "You know what the worst part is? Amy doesn't even remember him. I can because my mind fought off the crack's force but she doesn't have that!"

She shuddered and let out a filthy swear word that the Doctor thought was both hot and wrong. "What's the point in having these bloody mental abilities if it causes you nothing but sadness?" she sobbed before burying her head back down into his jacket.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, Ally, don't say that." He raised her head back up, making her look at him head-on. "Alex, listen to me. Those mental abilities of yours are extraordinary. Don't you dare go blaming them. Because of them, you can remember Rory. Yes, it will be sad for a while but what's the alternative? Never remembering?" He kissed her on the forehead. "Alex, I _promise _you it will get easier. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it _will_."

Alex sniffled and nodded, taking in his words. She knew she was glad that she remembered Rory, the glimmer of happiness buried underneath a mound of sadness. She sighed and maneuvered herself until she was sitting next to the Doctor on the bed. "Thanks."

They were silent for a little while before Alex remembered something. "Doctor, the crack that ate Rory…you grabbed something out of it. What was it?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Oh nothing," he lied. "Space junk, that's all."

Alex quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not buying that. Come on. Spill."

"It's nothing Alex," the Doctor tried. "Just leave it!"

"No." Alex shook her head adamantly. "I'm not leaving you alone until you tell me. I swear, I will _badger _you with questions until you feel like you're on the brink of insanity."

Realizing that she would definitely follow through on her threats, the Doctor found himself reaching into his jacket and pulling out the wrapped bundle. It wasn't smoking anymore but it still felt rather warm as Alex grasped it. She quickly unwrapped it and dropped her hands. She stared at the object inside before slowly lifting it up. It was a piece of the TARDIS's Pull To Open sign, now burned and singed.

"Doctor," she breathed. "What does this mean?"

"It could mean a million different things Alex," the Doctor hastily said, not wanting to scare her.

Alex gaped at him. "It means the cause of the cracks is the TARDIS exploding!" A hum sounded throughout the room, the TARDIS apparently not liking the prospect of being blown up.

"It might not be that literal," the Doctor said. "It could be a metaphor."

But Alex wasn't buying that. Something caused the TARDIS to explode in the future, an explosion so big, these weird cracks in time appeared because of it. "Well, play devil's advocate for a minute. If the TARDIS does explode in the future…what could cause that?"

The Doctor didn't speak for a long while, pondering the subject with an intensity Alex found admiring and sexy. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "A regular explosion could cause some damage but something that causes cracks in time and space?" He shook his head.

Alex fingered the sign. What the hell could cause so much damage? Not wanting to ponder it any longer, she wrapped the sign piece up and wordlessly handed it back to the Doctor. They probably would've stayed in silence for a while but Alex let out a long yawn.

The Doctor stood up. "You've had a long day. You need to rest."

Alex yawned again. He was right. She felt completely and totally drained, physically, emotionally, and mentally. All she wanted to do was curl up under a blanket and sleep for a hundred years. Until she had become realistic, Sleeping Beauty had been her favorite fairytale.

"Alright," she agreed, standing up. She stumbled slightly. "Blood rush," she said by way of explanation to the alarmed Doctor.

"Well, to be sure that doesn't happen again…" Alex then found herself being scooped up into the Doctor's arms and being carried out of the room and down the hall. She giggled slightly and shifted closer to him. She liked being in his arms. It was relaxing and made her feel protected.

A few steps later, they were in Alex's room. The lights were dim and the bed had already been turned down. The Doctor sat Alex down on it, smiling a little as he watched her pat the wall behind her in thanks.

"Don't you need to…" He pointed to Alex's bloody and ripped clothes.

Alex glanced down. "Oh, um, I'll worry about it later," she dismissed. She kicked her boots off, not bothering to get up and put them in the closet and placed her earrings on the nightstand. She crawled under the covers, relishing in how cool and comfortable they were. They always seemed to be like that. Alex wondered whether the TARDIS temperature-controlled them or not.

She rested her head on the pillow, her eyes closing the second her head hit the freshly laundered pillowcase. The Doctor watched her for a moment. She truly was beautiful. Alex maintained beauty like one of those girls who fuss with their appearance like it's a part-time job. Of course, Alex didn't have anything to fuss over. It seemed nature did all the work for her.

The Doctor shook himself. _Yes, we get it, she's beautiful but there's nothing to drool about_, he told himself. Alex and he were not an item. They never would be.

Realizing he was still staring at Alex like some kind of stalker, the Doctor moved to leave the room. After all, he needed to figure out some way of making sure Amy never found the engagement ring Rory had brought back to the TARDIS for safekeeping or that she didn't start wondering whose aftershave was in her bathroom medicine cabinet. But before he could so much as put his hand on the doorknob, a small voice called out to him.

"Doc," Alex mumbled, half-asleep. She twisted so that she was facing him and her eyes fluttered open briefly before closing again. "Don't go. Stay…please." Her long legs tangled around the sheets and a hand fell over the side, nearly colliding with the nightstand. It looked as though she were reaching out for him.

The Doctor lowered his hand and stepped back over to the bed. How could he refuse that? _You can't…wuss,_ the Dream Lord in his mind muttered but he ignored that. After all, it was just to comfort Alex. She probably didn't want to be alone in case she started having nightmares or started crying in her sleep over Rory.

He went to the other side of the bed and sat on top of the covers. Alex turned over, flinging an arm around his waist as though she had been drawn to him. He was effectively trapped now and he really didn't mind. Instead, he eased back into the pillows and leather headboard and placed a hand on her head, running his fingers through her silky strands. He wanted to be there with her and he was going to be there if she wanted.

Several hours later, when Alex awoke, she found he was still there, asleep, an arm flung over her waist so that she was now the one trapped. And she didn't mind it at all.

A/N: Ugh, I had the majority of this typed out but then I accidentally hit the backspace button and it went back a page and now I have to type everything all over again! :( But, on the bright side, who liked the end part? :) Little bit of angst, but they made up. :) And tomorrow, we get the original chapter with all the Dalex fluff! It's like a Dalex-covered cotton candy! :)

Also, I think now's a good time to announce that I'm doing an Alex-inserted version of _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards from the Doctor Who line of books by BBC Books. It's roughly 11 parts and will take place after 'The Lodger'. I have a few other books and plan on doing them throughout this series as well. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopherroxursox** - It's been hinted that she's not _entirely _human, but I can say that I'll be taking my time revealing the truth (which I seem to be fond of doing, lol). :) Glad you love the story!

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yes, she didn't die! And the Doc fixed her up! :D Glad you like this story!

**ShadowTeir** - That's okay, I don't mind. :) Oh God, I would LOVE to write Doctor Who! Even just one episode would be a luxury! Yeah, I do like it as it is, but I do think there should be more romance in it. Part of the reason I could never get behind the Doctor/River relationship was because it wasn't very realistic. She zapped in at irregular intervals and flirted with him. If we had seen them go on dates or kiss more or something, I think I would've liked it more. I do like the Doctor/Rose pairing, but I can see why people might not like Rose. She was a bit too clingy, got easily jealous, and was a bit naïve. Still like her though. :) Lol, I would LOVE if Alex was on the show, but I doubt that'll happen, unless they have a Create-Your-Own-Companion contest or something. :) I like Donna too. She was never hesitant in giving the Doctor his two cents, a lot like Alex actually. I think Donna and Alex would really get along. :) Aw, thanks! That really means a lot!

**rycbar15** - You DID get a part where he takes care of her! Funny how things work out, huh? :) No, I don't have a Tumbler and probably won't be making one anytime soon. I'm not really into social networking (like Matt Smith actually, lol). I only have a Facebook page and I barely check that one, so I'd be horrible at Tumbler. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Yes, when WILL they get together?! Lol, glad that even when she's being dissected, you think Alex is awesome. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yes, poor Alex. :( She got better though, so that helps. :) Lol, glad you liked where Alex yelled at Ambrose. SOMEONE needed to yell at her, I think. and I'm glad you liked Alex's random moments of alertness. I was in a play where a character kept fainting and then popping up to say something before fainting again, so that was the inspiration for that. :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- I am working on a story in the Alex Locke series where Alex DOES meet 10! :) And he's in the 50th Anniversary special with 11 and Alex, which I'm really excited for. I think 10 would get along really well with Alex and his reactions to her would be pretty funny as well. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you loved the chapter and are looking forward to the original chapter with all the Dalex fluff! :)

**TimeyWimey12 - **I'll take that as a compliment. :)

**dream lighting **- Yes, poor Ally, but she's okay! :) Glad you can't wait for the Pandorica episodes! I have a few surprises in them. :)

**evilpinklollipop **- I don't know. All I can say is that if Alex hadn't stopped him when she did, the Doctor would have killed Malohkeh and anyone else that got in his way. :( Good thing she stopped him when she did though. :) Yes, Alex is way too selfless. It's really her fatal flaw, I think. It was brought up in this chapter to show good qualities can sometimes have bad effects, something I think really can happen if you have too much of something. They really do work as a couple, don't they? They really balance each-other out and look out for each-other to make sure the other doesn't go off into the deep end. :) I will definitely be doing up to 'The Name of the Doctor' so we will see Demon's Run and more of the Oncoming Storm, something that comes out when something happens to Alex...but that's all I can say about that! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	39. Rio Nights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. I only own my OC Alex.

A/N: Real quick author's note here! When you get to the part with the salsa dancing, I recommend actually listening to some salsa music while you read, just to get the full effect. :) Carry on!

Alex adjusted her thick black sunglasses, trying to block out the persistent glare of the tropical sun. You'd think being in the shade would help her _avoid _the sun, not act as a target for it.

Alex shifted slightly as she heard the wave's crash against the sand. Even though she was a good five yards away from the water, she still felt really uncomfortable. Listening to her iPod hadn't helped much so she figured losing herself in a good book would help take her mind off her worries. The TARDIS had provided her with a good one; _Catcher in the Rye_, a nice break from the somewhat haunting _Christine_.

As she turned a page, she listened to the various sounds all around her. Aside from waves crashing against the shore, Alex could also hear people laughing and having a good time. A mom nearby called out to two little boys who were getting farther out into the water than they were supposed to. One guy a few seats away was talking animatedly on his phone to a person named Kelly. Somebody was playing a Shakira song on a boom box. Ice cream vendors called off exotic sounding flavors and cheap prices. One young couple a seat away was lying on a blanket, making out ferociously. Alex had looked up to gawk more than once and had noticed the girl had a tongue piercing.

She glanced up again and grimaced. Ick. They were still going at it. Didn't they know public displays of affection like that were disgusting? Alex had half a mind to tell them to get a room but that would be rude and besides, Holden's world in _Catcher in the Rye _was so much more interesting.

She heard a loud shriek come from the water and looked up again. It was only Amy, easily spotted with her wet slicked back red hair and matching bikini. She and the Doctor appeared to be splashing each-other with water. Amy kept trying to dunk him but failed every single time.

Alex took this opportunity to stare appreciatively at the Doctor's torso. That time she had how tight his shirt was on him was nothing compared to this moment in time. That shirt had been hiding some very well developed abs, almost on the verge of a six-pack. The fact that the Doctor was also only clad in a pair of TARDIS-blue swim trunks only served to accentuate those features.

Alex felt herself blushing and adverted her eyes, even though she was pretty sure the Doctor wouldn't notice her staring at him if he happened to look over at her. God. This attraction she had to the Doctor needed to stop. He was an _alien_, for crying out loud! Why would he, a Time Lord, be interested in her, a human?

Alex leaned back in her chaise-lounge and studied her surroundings. She had to admit, Rio had nice beaches. Palm trees were spread out all along the shore, Alex herself tucked up under one of them. Various cabanas dotted the sand up and down the beach. The brilliant blue water sparkled in the sunlight. Even the huge pink-colored hotel and restaurant behind her served to remind her that Rio was a very beautiful place.

"Another drink miss?" a Latin waiter that looked an awful lot like Ricky Ricardo asked.

Alex nodded and watched as the waiter placed another glass of strawberry and kiwi smoothie on the foldout table beside her and carted off the other empty glass. She took a sip of it and smiled. She could drink a ton of this stuff. She really needed to try and learn how a blender worked again. The last time she had tried it, she and Lacey had spent three hours cleaning freezer margarita mix off of Lacey's kitchen ceiling.

She turned back to her book but didn't start reading again. Instead, she simply thought about the last few days events. There was an awful lot to process.

First off, Alex had accepted Rory's death. There wasn't anything she or the Doctor could do about it, other than try to act as normal as possible in front of Amy, who was still completely clueless about the fact that she had a fiancé and that he was dead. They had floated around in space for a few days, the Doctor claiming they couldn't go anywhere due to Alex's recovery and some repairs he had to make on the TARDIS but that was really a lie. Alex had recovered in less than a day and the TARDIS was working perfectly (or as perfectly as it could with the Doctor flying it). Neither he nor Alex was ready to face having adventures again without Rory.

Of course, after a while, Amy was getting restless and Alex could only lie in bed reading and watching _Castle _episodes on her laptop for so long. Amy had soon asked the Doctor to drop her off in Rio if Alex still needed to recover but the Doctor surprised the girls by saying they all needed a vacation and promised they would spend at least three days in Rio. Even more surprising was the fact that they had managed to make it there this time. Amy was staying in the pink hotel or Stella's Paradise Cabana to try and capture the full vacation experience but the Doctor and Alex had decided to stay in the TARDIS, which was currently parked out on the boardwalk a medium-sized distance away.

Alex shifted again as the waves whooshed in and out. God, only a day here and already she wanted to leave. She knew she could stay in the TARDIS if she wanted but she didn't want to act like a party-pooper and drag the others down.

Just as Alex was beginning to get sucked back into Holden Caulfield's world – what the heck was he doing with a prostitute? – she sensed somebody sitting down in the seat beside her. "That seat's taken," she announced without looking up. Dear God, she really didn't want to chase the tonsil-sucking couple off.

Suddenly, her book was yanked out of her hands. "Look _up_, Ally," a familiar male voice teased.

Alex popped her head up and playfully glowered at the Doctor. "Shut up," she muttered. Noticing he was still holding her book, she lunged for it but he pulled it out of her reach. "Give me that!"

The Doctor ignored her and simply studied the book. "_Catcher in the Rye_," he mused. "One of my favorites."

"Really?" Alex asked as he turned down the corner of the page she was on and set the book down.

"Yes," the Doctor replied as he reached down and grabbed one of the hotel's complimentary towels. He began to dry his hair off, a few drops landing on Alex's exposed leg. He winced as Alex quickly wiped them off with her tank-top. "Sorry."

Alex shrugged. "Not your fault. It's a beach."

Alex leaned back in her chair and watched the people nearby while the Doctor continued to dry himself off. Much to her hatred, she noticed several women staring at the Doctor like he was a piece of meat. She noticed one blonde woman in her forties wearing a string bikini licking her lips as she looked at him. Two girls who looked like they were in high-school kept glancing over and giggling. An African woman was talking to some guy who must've been her husband but Alex saw that she kept glancing over while the man spoke. Even an elderly woman in what looked like a red thong – _Seriously, no one should wear those past thirty_, Alex thought – was ogling him and was even patting her companion on the arm to get her to take a look.

Alex mentally drowned each and every one of these people.

Little did Alex know that the Doctor was also observing the scenery, or, more accurately, the people inhabiting it. Much to his burning jealousy, several of the men on the beach were ogling Alex like she was nothing more than a Barbie doll when she was really so much more. He noticed one man in a white shirt and Hawaiian style surf shorts looking over at Alex, trying to make eye contact with her. Another guy with a surfboard kept looking up from waxing it to stare at her. One guy was looking at her as his wife tried to corral two toddlers. Even the waiter who had served Alex her drink was staring over at them...oh wait. The Doctor shifted slightly to get a better look. The waiter was actually looking at _him_.

Um...moving on. The Doctor hurriedly focused back on Alex and he could instantly see why all these men were gawking at her. Alex looked pretty damn hot in her purple halter top and white short-shorts. Completing the outfit was a pair of white sneakers and large silver hoop earrings. He then noticed she was also looking around, though it was probably at the scenery.

He put his towel down, his hair mostly dry but awful messy and uneven. Oh well. Maybe it looked good on him like it did on Alex. Too bad her hair was nice and straight today. What he wouldn't give to run his fingers through it and…_oh stop!_

Alex lifted her sunglasses up, exposing rings of copper in her eyes. "So where's Amelia?" she asked, looking around.

The Doctor glanced around before finally spotting Amy lounging on a towel a little ways away from them. She was plugged into her iPod and reading a fashion magazine. "Found her," he said, nodding over at her.

Alex looked over at her friend and nodded. Since Rory had died, she and the Doctor had become sort of like parents towards Amy which was kind of weird. Amy was twenty-one and plenty able to take care of herself. But guys were often hoarding around her and it felt disrespectful to Rory to allow her to flirt with them. "Good," Alex said.

The Doctor watched as her eyes moved away from Amy and down to her lap. "Speaking of Amy," he said. He leaned back in the chaise so he could closely watch Alex's expression. "How're you feeling?"

Alex, of course, knew he wasn't speaking about her recovery from Malohkeh's dissection. "It hurts," she admitted, her expression barely shifting. "I mean, I can remember Rory but Amy can't." She sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "It feels wrong. Amy knew him so much longer than I did. She has more precious moments and memories of him. I feel like I should be the one unable to remember and she should be able to remember him."

The Doctor nodded. His expression was blank, hiding the sadness he truly felt. "Me too," he admitted. The two were silent for a moment but then, the Doctor sprang up and patted Alex's leg. "Well, enough sobbing!" he declared. "That isn't why I came over here."

"And here I thought you just wanted to bask in my utter beauty," Alex joked.

"Hush it you," the Doctor playfully scolded, lightly swatting her leg. "You'll have your chance to look beautiful as always tonight." He didn't even care that he was full-on flirting with her. The rush going through him felt, to use his Ninth Incarnation's words, fantastic.

Alex smirked coyly and arched an eyebrow at him. "What's tonight?"

The Doctor smiled at her mysteriously. "Tonight, I'm taking you somewhere."

_I'm liking where this is going. _But there was still something Alex was curious about. "Why?" she asked.

The Doctor looked around the beach. "To make up for dragging you here," he answered, waving a hand to the scenery.

Alex blushed. Was she really acting like such a Debbie-Downer? "Sorry if I'm not acting that thrilled," she apologized.

"Ally, I didn't expect you to be your usual cheerful self when I said we going to stay here three days," the Doctor told her. "Tonight, I want to make up for it and see if I can get you cheered up any."

It was a sweet gesture, one that Alex was eager to accept. She could literally feel her normal personality restoring with each word that came out of his mouth. She grinned. "Sounds great Doc!" she chirped. "Only, where are we going?"

The Doctor laughed. "Ha, ha, I'm not telling you."

"What?" Alex cried.

"I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh, come on," Alex pouted. "Please?"

"No."

She stuck her bottom lip out and made her eyes go all big like Lacey used to do when she was five and wanted a new Barbie. "_Please?_"

But the Doctor still wasn't fazed by her puppy-dog expression. "Adorable, but no."

Alex abandoned the pouting and instead began to shake his chair a little. "Please, please, please, please tell me?"

The Doctor laughed again and pressed his hands atop hers to stop her from shaking the chair. His skin felt cool on hers and Alex felt a little thrum run through her veins. The Doctor also felt one too. "No Ally. All the pleases in the world won't work on me."

Alex reluctantly wrenched her hands away and crossed her arms, turning to look out at the water. She really wanted to know where he was taking her tonight. Maybe the silent treatment would work on him.

She had been silent for less than a minute when she heard the Doctor sigh loudly. "The silent treatment? Really Alex? You forget that I've had plenty of companions who've done that. You start to get used to it after a while."

Alex shrugged and turned back to face him. "Only other thing I could think of," she admitted.

"Alex, I'm not telling you," the Doctor insisted.

"Fine, be that way," Alex sighed.

"_Although_…" the Doctor said slowly, purposefully drawing the word out to make Alex go crazy. He smiled as he saw her stiffen up, eagerly waiting for what he was about to tell her. "I can tell you this. Meet me in the TARDIS control room tonight at a quarter to nine. Wear something pretty."

Alex looked at him suspiciously as her insides started dancing in excitement. Wear something pretty? Well, he must be taking her somewhere nice. "This sounds interesting."

The Doctor chuckled and leaned in close to her. "Believe me Ally," he whispered into her ear, his breath hot against Alex's cool skin, "tonight will be very fun."

Alex's breath hitched. He was so close to her. She wondered what would happen if he happened to lick her earlobe right now. Well, she'd probably moan loudly, which was not an acceptable thing to do in public unless you just broke your leg or something. That didn't stop her from wanting him to do that though.

There came a sudden sucking sound, interrupting any romantic thoughts in Alex's brain. She and the Doctor looked over at the couple who were still passionately making out and were starting to get close to rolling around on the blanket. The Doctor grimaced. "That is disgusting," he murmured.

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed.

The Doctor leaned away from Alex a little and squinted, spotting the ring in the girl's mouth. "Is it wrong to wonder how he can kiss her with that thing in her mouth?" he asked quietly.

Alex burst into a fit of giggles. Though she hated to admit it, she'd been wondering the same thing. "Ultimate obstacle in their game of tonsil hockey," she quipped.

The Doctor chuckled quietly and leaned in to whisper "Bottom of the final inning, he's still down by two. Two more tongue rolls will have the two teams tied."

Alex came very close to losing it but managed to reel herself back in. "Yes, it's a tough game. What do you think his chances of winning are, Doc?"

The Doctor pretended to consider her question. "Well Ally, I'd say they'd be great if she didn't keep doing that strange sucking technique and if he were more experienced with tongue rings."

The two had to bury their heads into their arms to keep their laughter from being unheard. "We better stop," Alex giggled. "It's mean."

"You're right," the Doctor agreed but a split second later, the duo were giggling again. Once they had calmed down enough, the Doctor straightened back up and looked down at the couple, now no longer frolicking but just kissing slow and steady. "Still, nice to see romance is alive and well."

Alex was about to ask what he meant by that and if he had any experience in that department, aside from Rose, when her attention was captured by something down the beach. "Speaking of romance."

The Doctor followed her gaze to see a tan, very buff guy talking to Amy. Based on the way Amy was twirling a lock of hair around her finger and smiling, she was in major flirting mode. "I'm on it," he said, standing up. Just before he raced off, he pointed a finger at Alex. "Remember, control room, quarter to nine, dress nice."

"I will," Alex told him but by that point he was already halfway towards Amy. She chuckled when she saw Amy give him a sour look and the buff guy beginning to look confused.

Alex grabbed her book off the table and opened it back up. Of course, she couldn't really focus on Holden and his troubles any longer, not when all her dreams were starting to come true.

* * *

"Wear yourself out today?" Alex asked as she perched on the edge of Amy's dresser in her room on the TARDIS. Amy had decided to check out of the hotel because she felt like the guy down the hall was checking her out weirdly. That and she didn't trust hotel sheets.

Amy shrugged and started to undo her cotton bathrobe as she walked into the adjoining bathroom. "A little," she admitted. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to duck the Doctor under the water?"

Alex laughed and nearly fell off the dresser. "I saw some of the water games."

Amy snorted. "Yeah well, he won all of them." A minute later, she came out again, dressed in an oversized red shirt. "And it was exhausting. I need to go to bed early."

Alex hopped off the dresser. "I'll let you get to it then," she said casually. She hadn't told Amy of her plans with the Doctor, mostly because Amy would automatically assume it was a date and would insist on dressing Alex up in some tight outfit that she would say showed her off while Alex would feel like a hooker.

Alex softly shut Amy's door behind her and stepped a little ways away from it before taking off down the hall in a full-out run. All day her blood had been pounding and racing, exhilarated by the knowledge that she was going to hang out alone with the Doctor tonight. Alex had found it incredibly difficult not to burst through a tedious lunch with the Doc and Amy and through the Doctor's babble about the history of Rio. But now, the time had come when she could gleefully burst and get away with it.

The TARDIS seemed to already have knowledge of tonight's plans for the wardrobe room had been moved much closer and a selection of ideal outfits for Alex had been placed in the front of the room. Alex dug through the racks, dissecting and analyzing every single piece of fabric until she was finally dressed in a red short-sleeved dress that hit to a few inches above her knees, matching ballet flats, crystal drop earrings, and a topaz ring stuck over her parents' wedding bands.

Alex glanced at the clock the TARDIS had helpfully provided her. Eight forty-five exactly. She grinned and sped out of the room, pausing only to ruffle her hair a little, making it messy and disheveled. The Doctor deserved a little fun too.

Meanwhile in the control room, the Doctor nervously kept checking his watch. Alex had _seemed_ real eager this afternoon but what if it was all an act? What if she had changed her mind?

A shock ran up through his fingers, courtesy of the TARDIS console. He jumped back and glared at it. "What was that for?" he snapped.

'_Would you quit being so nervous?_' the TARDIS sighed mentally to him. '_Honestly! You're acting like a boy taking a girl to prom! Not that it's not adorable though._'

"I'm not nervous!" the Doctor retorted.

The TARDIS snorted. '_Yes, because checking your watch every five seconds constitutes as a sense of normalcy._'

"Oh, what do you know?" the Doctor shot back, leaning back up against the console, arms crossed so he wouldn't be tempted to look at his watch again.

The TARDIS hummed. '_Thief, calm down. Tonight will be great. And Ally's looking forward to it. In fact, she should be there in three, two…_'

On 'one', Alex burst into the control room. "Here I am!" she called, jogging down the stairs.

The Doctor looked up and his jaw dropped. Alex looked s_tunning_. She was wearing a bright red dress and ballet flats which made her skin glow and her hair look blonde. A topaz rung glittered on her hand, matching the current color of her eyes. She had even managed to toss on some bright red lipstick and make her hair look messy and tousled, the way he liked. He figured when he said to dress nice, she would wear skinny jeans and a cute top. Not tonight.

Alex twirled around in front of him before noticing his gob-smacked expression. "Cat got your tongue, Doc?" she laughed.

The Doctor tried to speak, but couldn't. There was some truth to her question. Thankfully, the TARDIS sent another shock up to him, causing him to close his mouth. "Oh, hush you," he scolded.

Alex giggled, knowing she had hit the nail on the head. She was kind of thrilled she could make the Doctor speechless like that. It was a very hard thing to do. "So," she said, skipping up to him. "Where are we going?"

The Doctor reached out and tapped her on the nose. If he had known it would be this fun to tease her like this, he'd have done it a long time ago. "You'll see," he promised.

"You're not going to tie your bowtie around my eyes, are you?" Alex questioned. As…_appealing _as that idea was, she was impatient and wanted to see what they were doing.

The Doctor also thought that idea was appealing but quickly dug his fingernails into his palm before he could try and put it into effect. "No, you've waited long enough." He took her hand and led her down the stairs to the front door. "Come on Ally. Let's go."

The Doctor had parked the TARDIS on a secluded section of the boardwalk, a hard task considering the amount of stuff on it. It was nighttime and bright, glittering lights stretched as far as Alex could see. Bonfires dotted the beach and the sounds of laughter and guitar strumming filled the air. Alex felt her stomach growl as the Doctor pulled her past stands selling cotton candy, hot dogs, a surprising amount of fried food, and other delicacies. And she didn't even like carnival food.

"Where are we going?" Alex laughed as the Doctor pulled her off the boardwalk and dragged her past the hotel. "You're not taking me somewhere for immoral purposes are you?"

"Alex, I'm offended you would even ask such a question."

"Well, you'd better start talking," Alex told him as they went past several tourist shops selling the kind of junk Alex herself would never buy.

"Remember when I left you and Amy alone for an hour after breakfast this morning?"

"I thought that was a subtle way for me to tell Amy to stop flirting with every guy that approaches her."

"Well, that was one of my intentions." The Doctor pulled her around a corner and then stopped, stepping back to allow Alex the privilege of stepping forward and gawking. "_This _was the other. Finding the perfect place for tonight."

Alex looked around at the sight before her. They were currently standing in a large circular area, white stucco buildings surrounding the perimeter. Alex spotted a live band currently jamming on a makeshift driftwood stage underneath a giant white awning. Several colored awnings were above doorways on the stucco buildings, which were actually little shops with apartments above them. Alex spotted a few cafes with chairs and tables set out in front and one outdoor bar. In the middle of the huge circle, several people were dancing, women being twirled around as their different colored skirts swirled around them.

Alex turned to look at the Doctor excitedly. An expression of nervousness and hope was on his face. "I love it!" she quickly exclaimed, wanting to wipe that expression off his face and because she really was thrilled to be here.

"Thought you would," the Doctor commented. He knew Alex would love this place, especially when he remembered Rory's comment about Alex loving to dance and that was why she had made them get a salsa band for his and Amy's wedding. For a moment, he thought about telling Alex this, but then realized it would probably just make her sad and he didn't want that. He wanted to see that eagerness and effortless enthusiasm on her face.

Alex, unaware of his private musings, grasped his hand and pulled him along, effortlessly leading them through the throng of people over to an unclaimed table right near the dance floor. She plopped down in a chair and gestured for the Doctor to sit across from her. He obliged.

Alex leaned back and studied the scene before her. She didn't know much about Latin dancing despite being a quarter Latina herself. She knew the styles of dancing; reggae, tango, rumba, salsa, etc. She wondered if she could dance any of them. Watching the people twirl around on the dance floor, she felt pretty confident about it. Plus, she was _spectacular _at dancing, if she did say so herself. It couldn't be that hard.

Alex turned to the Doctor, noticing his attention was also focused on the dance floor. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she looked him up and down. He was scrawny and tall, nearly a foot taller than her. Of course, she could easily dance with him. But that brought up another question…

"Do you dance?" she abruptly asked.

The Doctor jumped in his seat, startled, and turned to face her. "Are you talking to me?"

_Is there anyone else here with us? _But instead of saying that, Alex simply crossed her arms and pressed them to the tabletop, leaning forward. "You heard me. Do you dance?"

The Doctor scratched at the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "Well…I used to, a long time ago, but not anymore." He recalled dancing with Rose in the TARDIS to Glenn Miller after their WWII adventure with Jack. Though he was over Rose, as evidenced by his attraction to Alex, it still felt a little painful. Plus, he wasn't exactly sure if this incarnation _could _dance. Some of them had had horrible two left feet, his sixth one in particular.

Alex arched an eyebrow in a very mischievous way that made the Doctor feel both nervous and excited. "Want to take a twirl around the floor again?" she asked.

The Doctor laughed a little to cover his nerves. "I'm really not that much of a dancer Ally."

"Afraid you aren't that good?" Alex asked, digging into the heart of the problem.

"I'm probably not that good anymore."

Alex snorted. "Please. I'm an excellent dancer, if I do say so myself."

The Doctor smiled at her. "And so modest too," he chuckled.

Alex stuck her tongue out at him but quickly continued. "What I mean, genius, is that since I'm very good, I'll make you look good by association."

"Did you take dance lessons or something?" the Doctor inquired.

"No, unless you count dancing to Backstreet Boy CDs in Lacey's room and trying to copy the moves in the music videos as dance lessons. I mostly just danced whenever I wanted." Alex smiled, allowing a memory to pop up in her brain. "I still remember my first dance. It was some kind of Spring Social dance during my eighth grade year. Lacey and I spent two hours getting ready for it.

"I'd always expected school dances to be full of excitement; spiked punch bowl, gyrating teenagers, bored teachers, the usual. When we got there, absolutely nothing was happening. Everyone was just sitting by the bleachers gossiping like they did any other day. Lacey and I reluctantly joined them but I still wanted to do something fun. Finally, the DJ started playing my favorite song."

"Lady Antebellum?" the Doctor asked, remembering what Alex had told them during their game of Twenty Questions.

"No, that song wasn't even out yet," Alex corrected. "It was an Usher song, can't remember the name though. Anyway, I got excited and some people were already milling around on the dance floor by then, so I got up, went out, and just started dancing."

The Doctor could easily picture Alex doing that. She really didn't care what people thought of her. She excluded poise and confidence the way others excluded perfume. "What did people think?" he couldn't help but wonder.

Alex grinned. "Lacey was _mortified_. I could hear her saying _Alex, sit down_ or _Alex_ but I just ignored her. Eventually, she got up as well and joined me. That cued everyone else to get up as well."

"Well, I'm hardly like your middle school peers," the Doctor pointed out.

"Didn't say you were." Alex abruptly stood and flounced over to the Doctor's chair. "I'm making you do this whether you want to or not. You did say tonight was about making it up to me for dragging me to the beach, correct?"

Unfortunately, he had said that. "Yes," he answered slowly.

Alex smiled again and her eyes changed from dark green to copper, making them shine with a bright intensity. "Then come on then. The world doesn't end just because the Doctor dances."

_If only she knew she was repeating what Rose said, _the Doctor thought. Of course, Rose had been referring to a way different type of dancing whereas Alex wanted to see if he could do a decent paso doble or whatever. He sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get out of this. "Very well, Ally," he agreed, much to Alex's delight. "Let's go."

Alex squealed and pulled him up out of his chair and onto the dance floor. They somehow ended up in the middle of the floor just as the band was dying down. The Doctor looked around as various couples ended a soft, slow version of the tango. Slow dancing? Oh, that was easy! All it involved was standing in place, rocking back on your feet while you held your partner close. He could do that!

Just as the Doctor was reassuring himself of his slow-dancing prowess, one of the singers stepped up to a microphone. "How are you all doing tonight?" he shouted. The crowd clapped in applause, a few whistles and cheers erupting as well. The singer laughed, expecting this, and cried out "You enjoy the tango?" More cheers and applause at this. The singer looked behind him at the band before turning back to announce "Well now, we're switching it up! Let's see if you can do the salsa!"

The Doctor groaned. Salsa? All he knew about the salsa was that it involved a lot of twirling around and quick feet. The idea of him doing the salsa was laughable.

Alex caught his groan and giggled a little. "Don't worry Doc," she said, carefully moving him into position. "Just follow my lead. I've got this."

The music started, a fast beat with a bunch of phrases in Spanish being shouted over a drumbeat by the singer. The TARDIS, apparently, was choosing not to translate the singing, instead allowing the duo to absorb the music in its fullest. Alex smirked at the Doctor, the Doctor smirked back, they grabbed each-other hands, and began.

The Doctor was barely aware of what he was doing, instead focusing on Alex's bright, confident eyes. She seemed to be moving backwards, her feet doing a quick shuffle movement. Her shoulders bopped in time to the music and he confidently began twirling her around, eyes moving to focus on the fast rolls her hips and abdomen were doing.

Alex had watched enough _Dancing with the Stars _with Emmy back home to know the basics of salsa dancing. She knew what she was doing. She began shuffling backwards, her body moving in time with the music, and she led the Doctor along with her. She watched his body movements as they danced around. It certainly seemed like he could dance. He was moving along with her perfectly. Then, he began twirling her around him.

Alex's bright red skirt spun around her as the Doctor led her in numerous fast twirls around him. She wasn't aware that the band had started playing faster in time with them or that the couples around them had stopped dancing just to watch their seemingly effortless moves. All she was concentrating on was that she was dancing with the Doctor and it was amazing.

Getting a bit brave, when she came back into his arms, Alex twirled a leg around the Doctor's. Seeing what she wanted him to do, he lifted her up about the waist and quickly dropped her again. Alex landed on the ground and continued to bop back and forth. He spun her around again and just as she was done spinning, dipped her.

Alex laughed a little as he lifted her back up and began a shuffling movement forwards, forcing him to dance backwards, hands lightly on her hips. He twirled her around again and dipped her once again, bringing her back up only to twirl her back into his arms. The music stopped and Alex leaned back against his chest, panting wildly, unable to believe what just occurred. The Doctor also held her close. His breath was a little ragged as well and his hearts were beating wildly, not only from the dancing but also from the knowledge that he had just danced the salsa with Alex. He couldn't believe it.

Neither could the crowd around them, apparently. For a few seconds, they just stared in silence at the couple. But then, they started clapping, louder than they had for the band. Many began cheering and whistling and Alex and the Doctor felt their faces turn red from pride, embarrassment, and the satisfaction that dancing brings.

The band singer stepped up to the microphone again. "Well, how about that everyone!" he cried into the microphone. "Looks like we got us the next Ricky Martin and Shakira in the crowd tonight! Let's give them another round of applause!" The crowd cheered again, even louder this time. Alex bit her lip and looked up at the Doctor. She caught his eye and the two smiled at each-other.

"That was amazing!" a black-haired woman in her late twenties complimented. She adjusted her form-fitting light blue dress before saying "I wish my husband could dance like yours!"

"Oh, um…" Alex trailed off.

"W-we're not…" the Doctor stuttered.

"We're not a couple," Alex awkwardly finished.

The black-haired woman cocked her head. "Really? Sorry! I am a ditz sometimes! Shame though. You two have such incredible chemistry."

The Doctor and Alex were about to reply when the woman was pulled back off into the crowd. Chemistry? Incredible chemistry at that? Neither were sure what to make of that.

"Who wants another fast number?" the singer called. The crowd roared, one guy even crying out "Bring it on!" The singer laughed and the band quickly launched into another fast tune.

"Care to do that again Ally?" the Doctor asked, tightening the grip on her waist. "Or was that too much for you?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at him challengingly. "Oh, I wasn't even getting started Doc," she retorted, moving into position. "Let's see what you're really made of."

* * *

Three salsas, a rumba, and one paso doble later, the Doctor and Alex decided to take a break. Their foreheads were damp with sweat, their hearts were pounding, and their blood was moving in time with the music. The two stumbled off the dance floor and collapsed into two chairs. Alex propped her feet up in the Doctor's lap and leaned back, feeling the cool night air rush over her face.

"That was so much fun!" she laughed as she picked up a drink menu. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun."

The Doctor grinned. "Me neither. I had no idea I could actually move like that."

"You should be a dance teacher somewhere," Alex commented, eyes narrowing as she debated a margarita over a mai tai.

The Doctor grimaced. "Nah, too domestic for me. I'd have to have a house. With carpets. And windows. Worry about a mortgage and buying groceries."

"Isn't the TARDIS technically your home?" Alex asked quizzically. "It has carpets and windows, although I'm only assuming that last part based on the fact its exterior has them."

The Doctor couldn't exactly argue logic phrased like that so he shrugged and plucked the drink menu out of Alex's hand. "God, what is half this stuff?" he muttered.

"Alcohol," Alex answered, like it was obvious.

"I know _that_, but the names just sound ridiculous. Nihamanchi, highball, flirtini, godmother, etc."

Alex yanked the menu out of his hand and lifted it to her eyes again. "Mmm, mai tais," she murmured. The Doctor noted that mischievous look was back in her eyes. "I think I'll have that and then we'll experiment in what type of alcohol tickles your fancy."

The Doctor felt like arguing with her but decided to go along with it. Tonight was meant for Alex's enjoyment. A few drinks wouldn't be so bad. Who knew? It might actually be fun.

Five minutes later, a blonde-haired waitress who took way too long in serving the Doctor his drink, delivered Alex's mai tai and something called a hangman's blood. Alex eagerly lapped at her drink while the Doctor sniffed at his.

Alex lowered her glass and glared at him. "Quit being a baby and try it already!" she cried. Alcohol made her a lot quicker to speak her mind.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, noticing this, but lifted the glass to his lips. He took a sip and grimaced as the alcohol burned its way through his mouth. "Oh, that is foul!" he cried, putting the glass back down and sliding it away from him. "How do you humans drink this stuff?"

Alex put her empty glass down and took a sip of the Doctor's beverage. She swirled it around in her mouth before swallowing. She nodded approvingly. "Not bad," she mused. "Nice and smooth."

"It's disgusting!" the Doctor protested.

"You're just tasting the mixture of rum, gin, brandy, and porter," Alex told him, reading the drink description off the menu. "Um, what about a sidecar?"

A minute later, a sidecar had appeared in front of the Doctor. Alex was currently gulping down her second drink, a third glass by her elbow. She watched as the Doctor took a sip before spitting it back into the glass. As she made a face, the Doctor exclaimed "Ally, how can you expect me to drink that? It's sour!"

"There's lemon in it," Alex said flatly.

"Exactly!" the Doctor cried, vindicated.

Alex gulped down the rest of her drink and then took a swig from her third glass. This could take a while and she wanted to have a nice buzz going before she listened to the Doctor's complaints any more.

A little while later, after trying four offerings in the brandy section and one from the gin section, the Doctor was sipping a Dos Equis. Alex was stunned. She could've gotten him that at Bristol's beer-store for twelve ninety-nine! She shrugged and took a sip of her fifth mai tai. Oh well. It'd been worth it though to actually see him drinking something.

The Doctor finished his drink and placed several bills he had gotten from an ATM down on the tabletop. He watched as Alex slowly lifted herself up from her chair but suddenly fell again. Alex giggled. "I fell!" she laughed up at him.

The Doctor smirked at her. "Yes, yes you did," he said, helping her up.

Alex continued to giggle as the Doctor steered her through the crowd and back out onto the street. "It's so pretty!" she laughed, pointing up at a palm tree. "Have you ever seen anything so pretty?"

The Doctor couldn't help but smile. Boy, was she _drunk_. "No," he answered, hooking an arm around her shoulders.

"Too bad." Alex stumbled a little and laughed some more, her head titling back into the crook of his arm. She stumbled again and nearly fell down but the Doctor quickly pulled her upright. "I fell again! Why does that keep happening?"

The Doctor bit down hard on his lip. He hated to admit it, but he was enjoying seeing this tipsy Alex, the one that acted like a clumsy ditz. He'd never see this from her regularly. "Search me," he replied.

Alex got an impish look on her face. "Really?" she laughed. Her hand moved down his back towards his bum but the Doctor quickly caught it. Alex pouted. "You said search you. Where's the fun in stopping me?"

The Doctor didn't tell her how he actually wanted her to search him but he'd never take advantage of her intoxicated state to allow him such pleasure. Instead, he just shook his head and murmured "What was I thinking, letting you have all those drinks?"

Alex only snickered in reply and allowed him to pull her along to the boardwalk. Her brain felt like it was buzzing and like her whole world was blurred, except the Doctor. He was crystal-clear. He was the only one that mattered right now. "It's a shame though," she suddenly babbled.

The Doctor looked over at her in confusion. "Shame about what?" he asked, readying himself for more tipsy chatter.

"Shame that you've never seen anything pretty before," Alex clarified. She swung his hand back and forth as they walked past the now dark rides and closed up stands. "I mean, you've been in love right? With people other than Rose, I mean. One of them must've been really pretty."

The Doctor stiffened. Was she asking him if he had been in love with anyone before? No. She couldn't possibly be asking such a thing! He shook his head and continued walking. "You don't know what you're saying Ally."

"Yes, I do!" Alex objected. She stomped her foot a little for emphasis. "Were you in love with anyone other than Rose before?"

_Rassilon, she IS asking that!_ The Doctor grimaced and tried to think of a reply that wouldn't involve yelling at her to shut up. It probably wasn't her fault anyways. Her normally perfect mind was currently addled with various alcoholic beverages. "You're very drunk, Ally," he said instead. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Yes, I do," Alex insisted softly. The Doctor turned to look into her eyes. They were a little cloudy but were clearing up. Alex wasn't so intoxicated anymore.

The Doctor sighed and leaned against the railing overlooking the water. He pulled Alex to him so that she was leaning against his chest, facing him. "There was one girl," he admitted. "You'd like her. Sarah-Jane Smith."

Alex jumped. "The famous reporter?" she gasped. "The one who won a Pulitzer for her expose on the department store in Ealing that was also operating as an escort service afterhours?"

The Doctor hadn't heard about _that _particular story and made a mental note to look it up later. "Yes, that one," he confirmed. That story sounded like something Sarah-Jane would be all over. "She traveled with me for a while, during my UNIT days."

"UNIT?" Alex repeated.

"Unified Intelligence Taskforce," the Doctor recited. "Used to be United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, but the U.N. didn't like being associated with them so they had to change the moniker. Anyway, they're a military organization dealing with aliens."

"Military? Doesn't sound like you."

The Doctor laughed. "I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. The Time Lords had exiled me to Earth with no memory on how to fly the TARDIS. By luck, I crashed into the middle of a UNIT investigation and a little later, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart offered me job as their scientific advisor. I met Sarah a couple months later. She was a reporter and kept sticking her nose into places that it didn't belong."

"Sounds just like an investigative journalist," Alex complimented.

The Doctor chuckled in agreement. "After the Time Lords lifted the exile, I took Sarah in as my companion. We traveled together for a while but then I was called back to Gallifrey and I had to leave her on Earth. I meant to leave her in Croydon but she ended up in Aberdeen instead. Still not sure how that happened."

Alex snorted. "Sounds like something you'd do."

"Oi! You want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry." Alex wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "Continue, oh wise one."

The Doctor lightly swatted the back of her head but continued. "There was a…_connection _between me and Sarah. I saw her once for the first time in years and she pretty much implied she'd fallen in love with me. She didn't know it was the same vice-versa. I always admired her. Her strength, her curiosity, her wit, everything. But…we couldn't be together." Alex didn't say anything. She wasn't sure replying to that was even appropriate.

"Switching gears, there was Martha. Remember Martha? Shakespeare, witches, end of the world as usual? Anyway, on our first adventure, I had to kiss her. Long story, don't ask. She fell in love with me after that. She was great, don't get me wrong, but that was right after I lost Rose at Canary Wharf." The Doctor sighed. "I hate to say this, but I treated her like shit." Alex raised an eyebrow at hearing him casually admit this, but stayed silent.

"Don't look surprised Alex. It can happen. I was still obsessed over Rose. Every time I looked at Martha, I was expecting to see Rose but here was this total stranger instead." He sighed again. "The things I put her through."

"I'm sure she understood," Alex tried.

The Doctor made a noncommittal sound. "Well, she's moved on. With Rose's ex-boyfriend actually."

"Talk about a small world," Alex quipped. Sensing the conversation had reached its end, she pulled away and allowed the Doctor to lead her further down the boardwalk. Alex stumbled a little more and smiled slightly, but otherwise seemed normal.

They had gotten about fifty steps when Alex suddenly blurted "What about Gallifrey? You must've had a life there."

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and Alex bit her lip. _This is why we don't drink so much alcohol Alexandria,_ a little voice in her head scolded. She swore under her breath. "Sorry," she quickly apologized, not daring to look up into the Doctor's face, which she expected to be full of sadness and anger. "Just…ignore me. I'm still drunk. Forget I said that. I'm drunk. I don't know half of what I'm saying."

"No, no, you're alright Ally," the Doctor assured her, but Alex thought his voice sounded a little strained.

She forced herself to turn back around and look at the Doctor. To her surprise, his face seemed perfectly calm but his eyes told a different story. The dark green depths told everything he couldn't say aloud to her; the happiness of a family, the fun times, the bitter ending, a wave of sadness and anger so big that it could cause an entire tsunami to go off inside the Doctor if he let it.

She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to unburden himself onto her if he didn't want to; that he was fully entitled to having his secrets, that she was just a drunk little human who couldn't walk straight right now. She wanted him to not hate her for trying to peel back all his layers tonight.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the Doctor wrapped his own arms around her waist. He buried his face in her almost but not quite blonde locks, relishing in the calming effect the silky strands had against his hard jaw. He did want to tell her everything but he just couldn't. Even after all these years, it still ached. It had taken him a long time to recover from the loss of Gallifrey and his family, the sadness locked so deep inside him that he worried it would burst and engulf him if he allowed it to unlock.

He couldn't risk that. He didn't want Alex taking pity on him. He didn't want her feeling obligated to try and nurse him back to a sense of happiness. He'd just bring her down with him and he never wanted to do that. Maybe he couldn't open up about his family but there was someone else he could tell her about.

"Her name was Romana," he blurted. He felt Alex jump a little but she stayed silent. "Romanadvoratrelundar, to be more specific."

"That's one hell of a name," Alex commented, not being able to resist the temptation.

"I know," the Doctor agreed. "She wanted me to call her Fred, but I never would. Romana just fit her."

"How'd you meet her?"

"The White Guardian assigned her to me to construct the Key to Time," the Doctor explained.

Alex craned her head up at him in confusion. "The Key to what? And what the heck is a White Guardian?"

"The White Guardian is a force that represents peace and order in the universe. As for chaos and evil, that's the Black Guardian's domain. At the time, the two Guardians were searching for the Key to Time, an artifact that gives the owner supreme power over all of existence."

Alex nodded, understanding this. "Got it. Well, you obviously got the Key to the White Guardian, right?" The Doctor nodded and Alex continued. "So, back to Romana."

"Right." The Doctor thought for a moment and chuckled a little. "God, I could barely stand her when we first met and believe me, the feeling was mutual. She was very haughty and arrogant, assuming she knew everything just because she passed a few more exams than I did. Over time however, she loosened up a little. Her regeneration only improved that. She was a lot…sweeter, lighter, less abrasive. There was an attraction but we never acknowledged it."

_You have a habit of doing that, _Alex mentally observed, feeling a little bitter about that.

"Eventually, Romana was called back to Gallifrey. She didn't want to go back so I left her in E-Space, a parallel universe we visited. When the Time Lords were still around, you could access parallel universes quite easily and leave them easily as well.

"Then…the Time War began. Romana decided to come and help, against my arguing, and she was declared Time Lord President. She was mighty good at it but then Rassilon came back." The Doctor stopped, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say.

Alex looked up at him and mentally swore at her drinking again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she offered.

"I'm fine," the Doctor insisted, gritting his teeth. He let out a deep breath and pulled Alex even closer to him, readying himself for the words he never dared spoke to come out. "She was in an official meeting. I was there with her. We were talking and then Rassilon burst in, much to everyone's shock and awe. He declared himself President but Romana argued she had been elected and was still acting President. But…that didn't stop Rassilon though. He took out a gun…and shot her. He kept shooting until she had stopped regenerating."

Alex felt her heart break into a thousand pieces. Poor Romana! She didn't even know the girl and she already liked her. Romana did not deserve such a horrible death. No one did.

She then became aware that the Doctor was still talking. "I held her in my arms and screamed and ranted and sobbed. Rassilon and the others barely flinched though. They had already become war-harden. I had half a mind to kill Rassilon myself but I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the gun. Instead, I carried Romana out and gave her a proper burial." He shuddered and Alex felt a few drops of water land on her head. "It was the least I could do."

Alex clutched him tighter to her, wishing she could just suck the pain and misery out of him like a vacuum. Nine hundred years of time travel and what did he really have to show for it? A lot of sadness and regret and anger and betrayal and more dark emotions than she would ever experience. It was a miracle he was able to go on every day.

She felt the Doctor suck in a deep breath. The words had clearly drained him. "Well, enough of that!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed cheerfully. Alex decided not to question him about his sudden switch of emotions. "Tonight's about you, if I recall."

"Right," Alex nodded, pulling away. She averted her eyes for a moment to allow the Doctor a little more privacy but not before seeing him wipe a stray tear from his eye.

Desperate to forget the angst portion of the evening, which seemed to be a requirement whenever they were alone together, Alex tugged the Doctor back down the boardwalk and over to a side street. She was pretty sure she had spotted a small marketplace over here when she was out with Amy earlier.

Sure enough, the two stumbled upon a marketplace, a crowded one even though it was eleven thirty at night. Wooden booths and large tents with different colors were lined up in several rows, paper lanterns strung along the tops. Alex's wide eyes scanned their surroundings. She spotted several food stands selling fresh strawberries, kiwi, pineapple and mangos, jewelry carts selling homemade necklaces and rings, one stall selling fake Gucci purses, another selling fancy looking rugs, one selling exquisite china dishes, and so on.

The Doctor put an arm around her shoulders. "Now I expect you'll want to go shopping," he guessed, disdain in his voice. Alex grinned and quickly tugged him along.

"I love Rio," she said as they passed a man playing a guitar, singing something that could barely be heard over the chatter of the crowd. "I mean, other than its beaches, it's a really great place."

"Salsa dancing, alcohol, shopping, what could be better?" the Doctor joked.

Alex made a face at him but still laughed. "Come on!" she cried, pulling him off. "I'd like to get something for Lacey while we're here. She's always wanted to go to Rio."

Alex passed several stalls offering junk she knew Lacey would never like until she finally reached a jewelry stall. The woman sitting behind the counter glanced up long enough to say "Everything's half off," before turning back to her tabloid magazine.

Alex rolled her eyes and began to examine the merchandise. She looked at a few beaded necklaces before finally looking at the earrings. She smiled as she spotted a pair of bottle-cap earrings with parrots painted on them. Lacey would love those.

She continued to glance around the jewelry cart, vaguely aware of the Doctor tapping a finger on the countertop. She ignored him and continued looking. Her eyes finally traveled over to another pair of bottle-cap earrings, these made of simple Ale-8 bottle-caps. She picked them up and held one to her ear, checking to see how it looked in a small mirror on the counter. As usual, she looked gorgeous.

Alex set them down on the counter in front of the cash register, clearing her throat to get the clerk's attention. The clerk reluctantly lowered her magazine and placed it underneath the counter. She took one quick glance at the earrings before declaring "Fifteen fifty."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "That seems awfully high for a pair of earrings," she observed. "Didn't you say everything was half off?"

"A regular pair of earrings costs thirty five dollars."

Both of Alex's eyebrows rose at this. God, she could just have the TARDIS replicate the earrings if she was so desperate. She was about to tell the clerk she wasn't interested when the Doctor stepped up, a few bills in his hand. "That should cover it," he said smoothly, sliding the bills across the counter. "Keep the change."

Alex watched the clerk count the money. Based on the suddenly joyous expression on her face, the Doctor had given her _way _more than fifteen fifty. "Thank you!" the clerk chirped. She looked at him and Alex excitedly before reaching under the counter and pulling out a tray filled with fancy bejeweled rings. "If you and your girlfriend are interested, I also have a lovely selection of rings." She winked at Alex. "Get him to pop the question, my dear?"

The Doctor and Alex's faces went bright red. "No, we're not interested!" the Doctor said quickly, yanking Alex away just as she grabbed her bag.

"Why does everyone assume we're a couple?" Alex questioned as they sped away from the jewelry cart.

"Not sure, but it's happened to me quite a bit before," the Doctor confessed. "Rose, Donna, you name it."

Alex laughed. "Quite the Romeo you are!" she teased.

The Doctor glared at her playfully. "Oi! What about you, Juliet? I'm sure you had plenty boys crowding around you."

Alex chuckled a little. "Well, yes. I did have a lot of boyfriends in high-school. But…I don't know. I never felt that seriously about them." In fact, she'd never felt so serious about someone until the Doctor came along.

The Doctor made a non-committal sound. "You were young," he suggested. Secretly, he was quite thrilled that Alex had never felt very strongly for anyone before. It made him think he could change that. _Oh, stop it!_ He mentally scolded himself. _If Alex has never felt strongly for someone before, how could she possibly feel strongly for you?!_

The two continued wandering through the market, bantering and teasing each-other, steadfastly avoiding any angst or inquiries about past loves. Alex wasn't sure how long they stayed there but she was exhausted by the time they made their way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor practically had to carry her.

Alex leaned against the cool wood of the TARDIS and smiled when she felt a hum beneath her. "That was definitely more fun that I imagined."

The Doctor smirked and rested a hand against the wood over her head. "I'm glad to hear it."

Alex's eyes sparkled and she turned to look out at the ocean. The bonfires had all burned out now and the only sound she could hear was the gentle _shh ahh_ sound of the waves moving back and forth along the shore. Though she hated water, she had to admit that she liked that sound. It seemed peaceful, completely unlike the thrashing and swirling she was familiar with.

"Doc?"

"Hmm?"

"Mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Since when has that stopped you before?"

Alex made a face but continued. "You told me that you were in love before, or at least had a connection with others."

The Doctor nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this. "Right."

"Well, I'm just wondering…" Alex trailed off and took a deep breath before she launched into her question. "Do you think you could ever really love someone again?"

The Doctor was silent and Alex could tell that instead of being offended or angry by the question, he was really and truly thinking about it. Finally, after a few minutes of thinking, the Doctor let out long breath and shook his head. "No," he answered, staring out over the waves. "I'd like to, believe me, but my life is too dangerous. There's always the risk of somebody getting blown up, squished, sucked into a parallel universe, getting shot by a Dalek…you know what I'm saying. So, I can't really do that."

Alex nodded understandingly, but she felt an inner turmoil of sadness and anger begin to swell up in her. That only confirmed it. The Doctor could never be with her, even if he did have feelings for her, which he probably didn't. He just happened to get along with her better than anyone else. That should've been enough but it wasn't.

Alex swallowed a lump in her throat. She wasn't going to start crying in front of him. If she did, she might blurt out her feelings for him and then God knew what might happen. He could take her home or something and Alex didn't think she could bear that.

Instead, she attempted to control her breathing and simply nodded. "Well, thanks for the evening out Doc," she said, trying to force some cheerfulness into her voice. "Goodnight." The door behind her opened and Alex stepped in, wanting to escape to the confines of her room before she began bawling but then, she paused.

Without thinking, she whirled back around and stepped out. She stepped up close to the Doctor. He stayed still, wondering what she planned on doing. Then, Alex leaned in close and pressed her lips to his cheek. It was a quick kiss, one that somebody would give a friend or relative, but both knew that the kiss went far deeper than that.

Alex pulled back, her eyes down, slightly embarrassed. "Um…goodnight!" she called, dashing back off into the TARDIS. She raced down the halls to her room. The door opened automatically and Alex threw herself down onto the bed.

Why couldn't matters of the heart be easy?

A/N: So there was the original chapter! Lots of Dalex fluff with a bit of angst tossed in for good measure (lol, Alex really doesn't know when to shut up after she's had a few, huh?) :) And who liked the salsa dancing portion? :) Tomorrow, we start 'Vincent and the Doctor' which will be a bit more upbeat (or as upbeat as one can get with Vincent Van Gogh) than the ending of this chapter.

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopherroxursox** - Is the word you're looking for 'fabulous'? 'Fan-freaking-tastic'? I love 10 too. He's my dad's favorite Doctor actually. Hmm, I think in terms of storylines, 11 had better ones, but I liked how 10 connected with the companions families. You don't see that real much with 11. Of course, despite that, I love 11! :) Glad you love the story, even to the point of obsession!

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Lol, I'm glad this story can make you two that excited! :D

**ShadowTeir **- They would have gotten along well, wouldn't they? I can totally see them ganging up on the Doctor, or even Donna teaming up with Amy. :) Yeah, River really doesn't come around much, and because of that point and more, I could never buy her relationship with the Doctor. I LOVE the Doctor/Clara pairing, me and my dad both. They've got really good chemistry with each-other and are just so cute together! Sadly, I don't think we'll get that relationship with Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. My dad and I both predict it will be more father/daughter than romantic. *sighs* Oh, well, at least there's fanfiction. :) Hope you liked the chapter!

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! :)

**rycbar15 **- Lol, glad to hear it! :)

**JackSpicer2311 **- Sadly, the whole Bristol group won't be seen again until the next story. :( But, Marigold and Lacey do appear in 'Death of the Doctor'. :)

**dream lighting **- Glad you liked that Alex remembers Rory. It really made the most sense, with her mental abilities and all. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I know, the ending to 'Cold Blood' is so sad! Weirdly enough, I don't cry at it. I never really cry at sad movies or sad moments on TV for some reason. I did cry at some moments on 'General Hospital' though, so I guess that counts for something. :) And yes, Alex is better! Hmm, we'll have to wait and see on that kiss. Just be reassured that the Pandorica episodes are fast approaching and that's when future Doctor kisses past Alex. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, I can't stop putting her in perilous situations, can I? Fortunately, things calm down a bit in the next episode, and I always make up for the bad moments with fluff. :) Lol, yeah, the Doctor would choose Alex over Rose. I can't wait for the 50th Anniversary to air so I can write Alex into it. I think she and Rose would get along, but there would be little moments of jealousy, more on Rose's end than Alex's. :) Oh God, I'm reading that story too and I want to hit River with a baseball bat every time she insults Angel and then turn around and hit the Doctor for forgetting Angel! :) Amy won't see them sleeping together again, but she will catch them doing other things in the future. :) Yep, I'm doing 'Apollo 23'. Some crazy stuff will be going down in that, some of it not good for Alex. }:)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- I know, it's so sad! :( At least we know that he comes back though. :) Hope you liked the chapter!

**Emerald Monkey **- Thanks! :)

Thank you to everyone that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	40. Vincent and the Doctor Part 1

**Disclaimer: **Again, I don't own Doctor Who.

Alex peered out over the desert that surrounded the Trojan Gardens. The Trojan Gardens were on some planet that she could barely pronounce the name of but that didn't matter. The gardens were _beautiful_.

Alex picked up a waxy leaf and examined it. There were several types of flowers here. She had seen dozens of roses, tulips, gardenias, violets, buttercups, and even flowers that weren't native to Earth here. In addition, weeping willows and other leafy trees were spread out everywhere, offering inviting places to sit. Alex doubted she would see anything like this ever again.

The Trojan Gardens reminded her a lot of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient world. Upon saying this to the Doctor, he had told her that these gardens were actually modeled on the Babylonian ones. Alex had also caught something about how the flooding at the Hanging Gardens was not his fault, no matter what anyone said, but he had wandered off before she could pry any information out of him.

Now, she was wandering alone along the terraces. The Doctor had gone off to find Amy, leaving Alex in the rose garden. Not that she minded. Roses were her favorite flower, red ones especially.

Alex bent down to sniff a pink tea rose. As she rose back up, she caught a man in official royal robes admiring her. She tried not to think too much about it. The Doctor had said he knew the prince here. They were probably just being monitored to make sure they behaved themselves.

Alex smiled at the man and he nodded back. He then bent down and made a checkmark on a clipboard. _Plant inspector? _Alex thought a little humorously. She giggled a little and went back to observing the plants.

About fifteen minutes later, Alex had almost reached the end of the rose garden. She never knew there were so many varieties of roses. There were even alien roses in strange color combinations and patterns that she could never imagine being on a flower.

Aside from flowers, she had also encountered many other officials, male and female. She had been able to recognize them due to their fancy purple and gold robes and strange white hats that kind of looked like the ones nuns wore. Every single one she encountered seemed truly delighted to meet her. One young woman even bent down and called her 'your highness'. Alex was a little puzzled but decided to go along with it. The Doctor's psychic paper had probably told them she was the princess of France again.

Just as Alex was about to examine a yellow rose with fuchsia dots on it, she heard somebody running up the path behind her. Alex whirled around in time for her to see the Doctor sprinting towards her. He looked truly panicked. As soon as he was close enough, he grabbed her wrist. "We have to go. Now!" he said, leading her off the path and through a thicket of bushes.

"What?" Alex cried. "Doctor, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, don't worry," the Doctor dismissed.

That wasn't going to stop Alex though. Alex yanked her wrist away from him and stopped in her tracks. "Tell me," she insisted. She watched as he went a few steps further before realizing she wasn't with him and he turned around. "Tell me. Now."

The Doctor groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, but it's not that bad."

"If it's not that bad, then why aren't you telling me?"

The Doctor stepped closer to her and gripped her hands. "Alright, if I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out."

_Oh, that's reassuring!_ Alex thought. Aloud, she said "Not instilling a lot of confidence in me, Doc!"

The Doctor let out a long breath. "Okay! I sort of, maybe, accidentally…got you engaged to the prince."

Alex's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "You did WHAT?!" she screeched.

The Doctor clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shh! Keep your voice down!" he whispered. "I barely managed to lose those officials!"

Alex jerked his hand away from her mouth. "How the hell did you get me engaged to a prince who I only met for five minutes?!" she whisper-yelled. "What, did you just walk up and go _oh, here's my lovely companion Alex. Marry her!_"

"No!" the Doctor cried, offended that Alex would even consider the possibility he would do that to her. "Apparently, the laws regarding marriage have changed a little since I was last here. Now, if a man meets a woman he wants to marry, he can declare them engaged."

"And the woman gets no say in this?" Alex questioned, appalled.

"They can but the man also gets the right to have the woman and her family thrown in prison until she agrees to marry him. When I went to see the prince, he mentioned you and casually asked if you and I were an item." Alex groaned. This was the one time the Doctor should've said they were.

"Yes, yes, I know," the Doctor sighed, hearing her groan. "I should've said that. Instead, I said no and the next thing I knew, the prince was declaring that he was going to marry you straight away. I objected and he sent those officials after me, trying to throw me in prison so he could blackmail you into marrying him!"

Alex shook a little, though from anger or fright she didn't know. "That's horrible!" she cried. She pulled the Doctor into a hug, one which he was happy to reciprocate. "Wait, what are those officials?"

"They are the official Royal Marriage Consultants," the Doctor explained, pulling back a little. Alex could feel the anger and contempt in his words. "They cater to the prince's every whim on marriage. When he decides he wants to get married, the consultants make sure every wedding detail is taken care of and that the bride-to-be is happy."

Alex shook her head, remembering how excited the officials she encountered in the garden looked and how that one had addressed her as 'your highness'. It all made sense now. "B-but, I don't want to get married!" she exclaimed.

"I know," the Doctor said, gripping her shoulders tightly. "And that's why we've got to get out of here. The TARDIS is on the other side of the gardens. We need to find Amy and get there before those officials find us."

"Find the princess to be!" a voice suddenly cried out a distance away.

"And we better do it quickly," the Doctor murmured before running off, Alex tightly gripping his hand.

It didn't take them too long to find Amy. She was sitting under a weeping willow, admiring some flowers that were able to grow in the shade, no sunlight required. "Hey Doctor, Alex," she greeted, not noticing their expressions of panic or the sudden increase in voices shouting about trying to find the princess bride. "What were you-oh!"

This last part was exclaimed because the Doctor grabbed her hand with his free one and rapidly pulled her up. "Oh, nothing!" he nonchalantly said. "We just have to get back to the TARDIS right now."

"Why?" Amy questioned as she struggled to keep up.

"Ask the Doctor," Alex answered, glowering at the aforementioned person.

"I'm sorry, Ally!" the Doctor cried as he continued to pull the girls along.

"What did you do?" Amy demanded, looking at the Doctor bewilderedly as they turned a corner past some ugly topiaries.

"Got me engaged to the prince!" Alex shouted.

"What?!" Amy exclaimed. "How'd you manage that?!"

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor said, skidding to a stop as they came upon the TARDIS. Alex ran over and yanked on the door handle, surprised to find that the Doctor had locked it for once. As if sensing her plight, the door unlocked and Alex rushed in. The Doctor pushed Amy inside and stood in the doorway for a moment, listening to all the clatter and alarm being raised at Alex's absence.

Hearing a bush rustling nearby, the Doctor stepped inside and closed and locked the door. "Alright girls!" he cried, running up to the console. "How about a museum?"

"How about the Musee d'Orsay?" Amy suggested. "I've never been and I hear they have a new Van Gogh exhibit."

The Doctor grinned. "Very well, Pond. Musee d'Orsay, 2010, here we come!"

* * *

A little while later, the group were in the Van Gogh exhibit at the Musee d'Orsay. Alex leaned closer to the Doctor as they walked behind a tour guide and group. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her.

"I love the impressionists," Alex murmured, pausing to examine _Café Terrace at Night _a little closer. "They're my favorite paintings. Monet's _Water Lilies_ is my favorite."

The Doctor was surprised by this. "_Water Lilies_?" he repeated.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Alex is afraid of water and would hate that. But I actually don't. Monet managed to make water look peaceful and beautiful and I like that." Alex probably would've added more but she then became aware that the tour guide ahead of them was speaking again and she promptly began listening.

"…so this is probably one of the last paintings Van Gogh ever painted," the tour guide, in thick Clark Kent style glasses, a tweed jacket, and bowtie explained. He nodded to the painting _Wheatfield with Crows_. "Those final months of his life were probably the most astonishing artistic outpouring in history. It was like Shakespeare knocking off _Othello_, _Macbeth_, and _King Lear _over the summer hols. And especially astonishing because Van Gogh did it with no hope of praise or reward. He is now…"

The tour group headed off but the Doctor and Alex stayed where they were. Amy turned around and smiled at the Doctor. "Thanks for bringing me."

"You're welcome."

"You're being so nice to me," Amy observed. "_Why _are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm always nice to you!" the Doctor cried defensively.

"Not like this," Amy protested. "These places you're taking me. Arcadia, the Trojan Gardens-,"

"Which I'm still mad at you about," Alex interrupted, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at the Doctor.

"I _said _I was sorry!" the Doctor cried.

"-now this," Amy quickly added. "I think it's suspicious."

Alex bit her lip. She wasn't surprised Amy had come to this realization. The Doctor wasn't exactly being subtle in taking her on these exciting trips as an unspoken apology for Rory's death. They'd been to a whirlwind of places since Rio and the Musee d'Orsay was only the latest stop.

"What? It's not," the Doctor replied, pulling Alex back to attention. "There's nothing to be suspicious about."

"Okay, I was joking," Amy revealed. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Why aren't you?" She then turned to Alex. "And why are you being so quiet? You'd have usually jumped in and told me to stop being so paranoid by now."

Alex shrugged and turned away so she wouldn't have to meet Amy's eyes. "The flippant side of my brain is taking a day off."

Amy snorted. "There's a miracle."

Thankfully, the tour guide chose that moment to start talking again. "Each of these paintings now is worth tens of millions of pounds," he informed his captive audience. "Yet in his lifetime, he was a commercial disaster. Sold only _one _painting and that to the sister of a friend. We have here possibly the _greatest _artist of all time, but when he died, you could've sold his entire body of work and got about enough money to buy a sofa and a couple of chairs…"

The audience laughed at the tour guide's attempt at a joke but Alex smiled sadly. It really was sad. Van Gogh was a brilliant artist but he never got any respect because people thought he was mad.

The group headed off, Alex and the Doctor about to follow them. "Who is it?" a young child asked behind them.

"It's the doctor!" another child cried.

The Doctor and Alex whirled around, curious to see what child would recognize the Doctor and why but then they saw two boys in private school uniforms examining _Portrait of Dr. Gachet_. "He was the doctor who took care of Van Gogh when he started to go mad!" the second child explained.

"I knew that," the first child argued.

The Doctor and Alex looked at each other and smiled, both a little embarrassed by their suddenness and paranoia. But before they could say anything about it, Amy came running up. "Look!" she cried, pulling the Doctor – and by extension, Alex – towards a specific painting on the wall. She held her Van Gogh exhibit brochure up to the painting for a side-by-side comparison. "There it is! The actual one."

She lowered the brochure, allowing herself to fully absorb the beauty of _Church of Auvers_. "Yes," the Doctor agreed, noticeably marveled by the painting before them. "You can almost feel his hand painting it right in front of you, carving the colors into shapes…wait a minute."

The Doctor frowned and stepped closer to the painting, closer than Alex thought was probably allowed. She expected alarms to blare or security to step up and haul him back, but surprisingly, nothing happened. Either the Musee d'Orsay was getting a little lax on its security or she had just seen _Ocean's Eleven _way too many times.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Well, just look at that," the Doctor urged, making the girls look closer at the painting.

Alex narrowed her eyes but then widened them in surprise. "Oh," she breathed.

Amy continued to squint at the painting. "What?" she demanded, still not seeing what was wrong.

"Something not very good indeed," the Doctor murmured.

"What thing not very good?"

"Look there." Alex pointed to a section of the painting. "Right in the window of the church."

Amy turned and looked where Alex had pointed. Sure enough, there was something in one of the windows of the church that was not meant to be in the painting. It appeared to be a gray alien-type of face.

"Is it a face?" Alex questioned. "It kinda reminds me of a giant parrot."

The Doctor shook his head briefly at her words but quickly focused back on the matter at hand. "Yes," he confirmed. "And not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window." Suddenly, the Doctor had grabbed Amy and Alex's hands and was dragging them across the room over to the tour guide, who was now standing in front of _Still Life with Twelve Sunflowers_.

"It has changed hands for something in the region of twenty-,"

"Excuse me!" the Doctor interrupted, rushing up. "If I can just interrupt for one second." He pulled out his psychic paper and held it up to the guide. "Sorry, everyone, uh…routine inspection, ministry of art and…artiness. So, er…"

Alex mentally rolled her eyes as she tried to look official. _Smooth, Doc,_ she thought.

"Dr. Black," the tour guide introduced himself when the Doctor trailed off.

"Yes, that's right," the Doctor said, shaking Dr. Black's hand. "Do you know when that picture of the church was painted?"

"_The Church of Auvers_," Alex clarified.

"Ah, well, ah, well, what an interesting question," Dr. Black mused. "Most people imagine-,"

"I'm going to have to hurry you," the Doctor interrupted. "When was it?"

"Exactly?"

"As exactly as you can," the Doctor confirmed. "Without a long speech, if poss. I'm in a hurry."

"Don't be rude!" Alex hissed.

"Well, in that case," Dr. Black thought, not having heard Alex, "probably somewhere between the first and third of June."

"What year?" Alex asked.

"1890," Dr. Black answered. "Less than a year before…" He trailed off and Alex thought the man actually looked pained. "Before he killed himself," he finished somberly.

The Doctor, barely noticing this, smiled broadly. He'd gotten some very helpful information, sparing them from hopping all over Vincent Van Gogh's timeline. "Thank you, sir. Very helpful indeed." He then noticed Dr. Black's bowtie. "Nice bow-tie," he admired. "Bow-ties are cool." Alex and Amy only looked at each-other and rolled their eyes.

"Thanks," Dr. Black nodded before lowering his gaze to look at the Doctor's own. "Yours is very…"

"Oh, thank you. Keep telling them stuff." The Doctor turned to Amy and Alex and grabbed one of each of their hands. "We need to go!"

"What about the other pictures?" Amy squeaked, looking back over her shoulder at the artwork.

Alex shook her head. "Amy, honey, get some perspective okay?"

"I thought you said your flippant side was taking the day off!" Amy cried.

Alex shrugged. "It got bored."

"Art can wait," the Doctor jumped in, interrupting the girls' bantering. He pulled the girls in front of him and pushed them ahead out of the exhibit. Alex turned back to glare at him but he ignored her. "Thisis _life _and _death_. We need to talk to Vincent Van Gogh!"

* * *

A few minutes later, the three were in the TARDIS. Alex leaned up against the railing while Amy stood right next to the Doctor, watching as he maniacally flew the TARDIS through the time vortex.

Alex loosened her black leather vest, re-tying it so that it clung tighter to her slim frame. She had paired it with a black floral print dress, black tights, combat boots, and a pair of birdcage earrings. As she adjusted it, a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Doctor, why do they pronounce it that way?" she abruptly called out.

The Doctor and Amy looked up at her, identical expressions of confusion on their faces. "Why does who pronounce what in what way?" the Doctor asked. He made a face and looked at Amy. "That wasn't confusing to just me, was it?" Amy shook her head.

"I mean why was Dr. Black pronouncing Vincent's name that way?" Alex clarified. She scrunched up her face. "Van _Gogh_." She shook her head. "It sounds like he was throwing up!"

"Alexandria!" the Doctor and Amy scolded, both looking disgusted at the image that had popped in their brains based off Alex's words.

"Well, it does!" Alex cried adamantly.

Amy shook her head at her friend while the Doctor just sighed. "That's the proper way to pronounce it, Ally."

"Not where I come from," Alex argued.

Amy snorted. "We know that. Do you know how many people in Leadworth couldn't understand your accent when you first arrived? All that _ya'll _and stuff." Alex only stuck her tongue out at her.

Thankfully, the TARDIS chose that moment to land. The Doctor jumped away from the console and over to Alex. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him to the doors, Amy just behind them.

Alex gazed around in wonderment at the scenery. They were actually in Arles, France. It was early evening and the moon was just peeking out over the roofs of the houses. They were in a small cobblestoned alleyway and the air smelled of salt-water from the nearby Rhone River, freshly baked bread, and tulips from a window box above them.

Alex smiled a little. She'd always wanted to go France. Paris, specifically, but Arles was still lovely. _Maybe I can get the Doctor to take me sometime, _she thought. She shook her head. Ever since Rio, she'd been trying to keep an emotional distance from the Doctor, but it wasn't working. She was drawn to him in ways she couldn't explain, and no amount of will power could change that.

"Right, so here's the plan," the Doctor announced, interrupting her thoughts. He led the girls down the alley, Amy scampering up to walk on his other side, her nose buried in the pamphlet from the museum. "We find Vincent and he leads us straight to the church and our nasty friend."

Amy nodded approvingly. "Easy peasy!"

Alex winced, remembering what she had learned about Vincent Van Gogh in art history. The word 'easy' was not one generally associated with him. "I don't think it'll be that easy," she murmured kindly, an undercurrent of sadness beneath her words.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "I suspect nothing will be easy with Mister Van Gogh."

"_Gogh_," Alex muttered, pronouncing it as 'go'.

The Doctor continued, either not hearing her or choosing to ignore her. Alex suspected the latter. "Now, he'll probably be in the local café," he guessed. "Sort of…orangey light, chairs and tables outside."

Amy held up her pamphlet, showing him _Café Terrace at Night_, one of Alex's favorite paintings. She used to have a poster of it hanging in her room back in Bristol. "Like this?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's the one," he confirmed.

Alex happened to look away from the painting for a brief moment and caught a glimpse of the orangey light the Doctor had described. Craning her head out further, she spotted a café that looked identical to the one in the painting. Grinning, she tapped the Doctor's shoulder. "Or indeed like that," she nodded.

The Doctor and Amy looked up and grinned. "Yeah," the Doctor hummed, wrapping an arm around Alex's shoulders and leading her forwards. "_Exactly _like that."

Alex observed the goings-on at the café as they approached. A few waitresses in long black dresses and white aprons and caps were cleaning the tables. A few patrons lingered on one side of the porch, smoke from their pipes drifting upwards into the deep dark sky. A man in fancy clothes was leaning in the doorway, observing all this.

"Good evening," the Doctor greeted as they approached. "Does the name Vincent Van Gogh ring a bell?"

"Don't mention that man to me!" the man in the doorway sighed in utter exasperation before heading inside.

Alex frowned. "Pardon us," she muttered in barely concealed anger. Reluctantly shifting away from the Doctor, she hopped up onto the porch, planting herself directly in front of one of the waitresses. "Excuse me. Do you know Vincent Van Gogh?" she inquired.

The waitress dropped her rag onto the tabletop and fixed her with a disdainful expression. "Unfortunately," she replied, putting her hands on her hips.

"Unfortunately?" Amy repeated as she made herself comfortable at a table near the door.

The waitress turned to address her. "He's drunk, he's mad, and he never pays his bills," she retorted irritably.

"Good painter though, eh?" the Doctor commented. However, the waitresses began laughing mockingly.

Alex glowered at them. "You know your faces could freeze like that," she said coldly. The waitresses abruptly stopped laughing and scurried off as they saw Alex's arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, dark green hurricanes whirling in them.

Alex crossed over to the Doctor as the latter sat down in a chair. The Doctor had watched Alex's standoff with the waitresses with a mixture of pride and a slight bit of doubt, wondering if he should have stopped her from scaring them like that. Quickly though, his sense of pride and his respect for Vincent crushed that doubt into tiny little pieces.

He reached up and rubbed a hand on her shoulder. "Good job Ally," he complimented.

Alex looked down at him in surprise. "Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'd have thought you'd frown on that sort of thing."

"Protecting someone? How could I frown on that?" The Doctor moved his hand up to twirl a lock of her hair. "Just remember that-,"

"I _know_ Doc," Alex cut him off before he could go into what she already knew. "I'm not going to change history or anything. But that doesn't mean I'll let such verbal mockery take place while I'm here."

The Doctor nodded. "I know." And he did know. Alex was actually the first companion of his not to show a desire to change history. She already seemed to know that history was full of good and bad parts and that the two parts often equaled each-other out. It only made the Doctor like her more than he knew he should.

"Come on! Come on!" a voice suddenly cried out from inside the café. The Doctor dropped his hand from Alex's hair and readied himself for the person about to come out the door. "One painting for one drink. That's not a bad deal."

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any _good_," the man from earlier retorted as he came out, a small painting in hand. Behind him, his hopeful customer, a man with bright red hair and wearing raggedy clothes, followed.

The man in the fancy outfit, who Alex guessed was the owner, held the painting up to compare it side by side with his customer. "I can't hang _that _up on my walls!" he protested. "It'd scare the customers half to death. It's bad enough having you here in person, let alone looming over the customers day and night in a stupid hat!"

The Doctor looked over at Amy, on the other side of the two men, and pointed excitedly at the red-headed man. Amy had a huge grin on her face, her eyes as wide as saucers. The Doctor looked over at Alex and noticed that her eyes were also wide and rapidly changing colors; topaz and light green swirled by in half a second before going to honey-colored, then dark green. She was also clutching the top of the chair tightly with one hand, as though she were about to fall.

"About to faint Ally?" the Doctor said lowly, chuckling a little. "Don't worry. I'll catch you if you do."

Alex looked down at him and smirked. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she said in a similar voice. The Doctor shivered slightly. Her voice that low was incredibly sexy.

But before either of them could take this extreme flirting a step further, the owner spoke again. "You pay money or you get out!" he snapped to Vincent.

"I'll pay if you like," the Doctor spoke up. Alex arched an eyebrow but her gaze was focused on Vincent, who had now turned to look at the Doctor with a bewildered expression.

The owner was also looking at him bafflingly. Alex could practically hear the unspoken question running around in his head; _who is this idiot and what does he think he's doing?_ "What?" he questioned aloud.

"Well, if you like, I'll pay for the drink," the Doctor explained. "Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink."

"Exactly who are you?" Vincent questioned, staring at him, Alex, and Amy with a confused expression.

"Oh…" The Doctor thought real quickly as he hooked an arm around Alex's waist. "I'm new in town."

Vincent nodded, watching the interaction between Alex and the Doctor. "Well, in that case, you don't know three things," he shot back. "One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you." This statement caused a roar of laughter to go around the café, quickly ceasing as Alex glared sharply at them, her hurricanes turning copper.

Vincent looked at her with slight amazement as everyone around them quickly ceased laughing. He watched as Alex's glare fell and her eyes switched to a calm light green. "Two," he continued, "no one ever buys any of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town. So if you want to stay in town, I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three, your friends are cute, but you should keep your big nose out of other people's business."

Alex giggled at being called 'cute' by Vincent Van Gogh, causing the Doctor to frown. _No! I'm the only one who gets to do that to her, _he thought sourly. He quickly pulled Alex down to sit in his lap. Alex was surprised, but very quickly complied. Best of all, she stopped giggling.

Meanwhile, Vincent turned back to the café owner. "Come on, just one more drink. I'll pay tomorrow."

"No," the owner said firmly.

"Or, on the other hand, slightly more compassionately, yes?"

"_Or_, on the other hand, to protect my business from madmen, no!" The owner, now irate, shoved the painting _Self Portrait with Straw Hat_ towards Vincent, trying to get him to take it.

Vincent started to beg again but by this point, Amy had had enough. "Oh look, just _shut up_, the pair of you!" she cried loudly, causing all attention to shoot to her. The Doctor smirked at her proudly while Alex clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing as Amy sashayed her way up to the owner. "I would like a bottle of wine, please, which I will then share with _whomever_ I chose." This last part was said to Vincent, who Amy gave a little wink.

"That could be good," Vincent smirked as he gave Amy a wink of his own.

"That's good by me," the owner agreed.

Amy smiled. "Good." She turned to enter the café to find a table as the owner followed her.

Alex waited until Amy was out of earshot before turning to the Doctor and blurting "She's flirting with Vincent Van Gogh! Can she do that? Is she allowed to do that?"

"What, you think the universe will collapse because Amy Pond winks at Vincent Van Gogh?" the Doctor asked, smirking at her, while also noticing Alex was still pronouncing Vincent's last name as 'go'.

"Well, I don't know," Alex sputtered. "Just…didn't seem right, is all."

"Not jealous, are you Ally?" the Doctor asked, hoping with every cell in his body that she wasn't. He didn't mind that she liked Vincent as an artist but as a crush? If that part was true, he'd need to do something. Lock her up in the TARDIS to keep her away from him, maybe.

Alex made a face. "No!" she snapped. How could she be when she really only had eyes for the Doctor? Feelings that she really wasn't supposed to have?

The Doctor nodded in reply, not trusting his mouth to not blurt out how fantastic that was. God help him if he did that and Alex rebuffed him.

A few moments later, the group were seated inside the café. Alex sat in the Doctor's lap, finding the spot quite comfortable. The Doctor's arm was loosely wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. Alex took a sip of wine but, finding it sour, placed it back down next to the Doctor's untouched glass. She then looked over at Amy, who was sitting across from Vincent, talking.

"That accent of yours," Vincent commented to Amy. "You from Holland like me?"

Amy looked confused. "No," she replied at the same time the Doctor said "Yes." Amy and Alex looked at him, puzzled. "She means yes," the Doctor said.

Alex relaxed back into the Doctor's chest, feeling him tense up beneath her in excitement and his hearts begin to beat faster. _It must be something to do with the TARDIS translation matrix, _she privately mused, remembering how on a trip to an alien planet in the 51st century she had asked him how come she could hear English. _If we're hearing a Scottish Vincent Van Gogh, then he must be hearing a Dutch Amy_. She giggled under her breath a little, wondering if her American accent was playing or not.

Vincent, noticing her giggling, turned to her. "And you are from America. Strange that you are traveling so far from home."

Alex shrugged. "I like traveling!" she chirped. "And there's too much industrialism at home. Chokes the lungs." Vincent nodded, accepting her words.

"Show-off," the Doctor whispered lowly in her ear, unknowingly making a flash of heat race through Alex. He turned back to Vincent. "So, start again. Hello, I'm the Doctor," he introduced himself, lifting a hand to Vincent.

"I knew it!" Vincent exclaimed as the others frowned at him.

"Sorry?" the Doctor asked, lowering his hand.

"My brother's always sending doctors," Vincent explained before taking a nervous sip of his wine. "But you won't be able to help."

"Oh, no, not that kind of doctor!" the Doctor laughed. His gaze moved from Vincent over to a painting leaning against the wall next to him. He grinned and his eyes lit up as he pointed at it. "That's incredible, don't you think, Amy, Ally?"

Alex leaned over the table and squinted. She could barely make the painting out in this dim lighting. _Someone really oughta complain about that_, she thought absently as she made out the painting. It appeared to be of two workers sleeping at the foot of a haystack. Not wanting to hurt Vincent's feelings, she happily nodded. "Oh, yes, marvelous!" she cried, settling back against the Doctor's chest.

Amy, who could see it better, also nodded. "Absolutely!" she agreed. "One of my favorites!"

"'One of my favorite' what's?" Vincent snapped, causing Amy's face to go pale as she realized what she said. "You've never _seen_ my work before."

"Ah, yes," Amy said slowly as she wracked her brain for an excuse. "One of my favorite paintings that I've seen…generally."

"Then you can't have seen many paintings," Vincent said ruefully, staring into his wine forlornly. "I know it's terrible. It's the best I can do." He took a sip of wine before leaning forward to look at Amy. "Your hair's orange," he observed.

Amy leaned forward as well. "Yes. So's yours."

"Yes. It was more orange, but now is, of course, less."

Alex and the Doctor looked at each-other. This was just getting…weird. Alex arched an eyebrow in a silent question to ask the Doctor to do something. The Doctor nodded and quickly opened his mouth. "So, er, Vincent!" he cried, attracting the artist's attention. "Painted any churches recently? Any churchy plans? Are churches, chapels, religiousy stuff like that, something you'd like to get into?"

"Fairly soon?" Alex added before turning to the Doctor and saying "And as a christened Catholic, I'm offended you would use such a term as _religiousy_, which is not, in fact, a real word."

The Doctor shushed her to allow Vincent the chance to reply. "Well," he said slowly, "there is this one church I'm _thinking_ of painting when the weather is right."

The Doctor and Alex smiled. "That is very good news," they said together, surprising Vincent, who looked at them with startled eyes while Amy just rolled hers.

Right at that moment, the sound of a woman screaming echoed throughout the café, causing everyone to jump. The group looked over at the doors just in time to see an older, plump woman run in. "She's been murdered!" she shrieked. "Help me!"

"That, on the other hand, isn't quite such good news," the Doctor reflected as people began running past them to see what was going on outside. Alex hopped up and was halfway across the room by the time the Doctor jumped up and cried "Come on Amy, Vincent! Alex, wait up!"

Alex impatiently waited for the Doctor as instructed. As Amy and Vincent went past her, the Doctor came up and grabbed her hand. "I'm not letting you out of my sight with a murderer around," he said in explanation as he pulled her out the doors onto the street.

Alex nodded in understanding. "Can I do the same with you?" she requested.

"Don't worry about me, Ally," the Doctor said as he pulled Alex around a corner into an alleyway. Along the wall in the alley was the body of a young woman, a large crowd gathered around her in a half circle.

"She's been ripped to shreds!" one man exclaimed. Alex peered over the Doctor's shoulder. She winced and averted her eyes. That part was definitely true. It looked like the woman had been killed by some sort of beast.

"Please, let me look!" the Doctor called out, pushing his way through the crowd as Alex followed him. "I'm a doctor!" He knelt down next to the girl while Alex stood behind him. "Oh no, no, no," he murmured.

Another woman began pushing her way through the crowd. "Away, all of you vultures!" she screamed. "This is my daughter!" She knelt down next to the dead girl. "Giselle," she breathed. "What monster could have done this?"

She looked up and noticed the Doctor and Alex next to her, Vincent kneeling next to the Doctor. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Get away from her!" she yelled, waving her arms at them.

The Doctor and Vincent jumped to their feet and backed away. "Okay, okay," the Doctor agreed, holding his hands up in a non-confrontational gesture, all the while making sure that Alex was safely behind him.

But the woman still wasn't satisfied. She reached and grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it at Vincent. "Get that madman out of here!" she screamed as the crowd began following her lead and throwing rocks at the four. "You bring this on us! Your madness! You!"

The Doctor grabbed Alex's hand and ran off, Amy and Vincent hot on their heels. The group continued running until they felt they were far enough away from everyone. They leaned against the walls, panting heavily. The Doctor managed to catch his breath first and quickly examined Alex. If any of those stones had injured her… Luckily, Alex was perfectly fine and the Doctor turned his attention to Vincent, who had suffered the brunt of the attack.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," Vincent sighed nonchalantly. "I'm used to it."

"Barbarians," Alex sneered. She brushed some rock dust off her dress and vest. "The lot of them!" Then, a thought occurred to her. "Has anything like this murder happened here before?" she wondered.

"Only a week ago," Vincent revealed. He shook his head sadly. "It's a terrible time."

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "As I thought. As I thought. Come on!" He grabbed Alex's hand and began leading her along. "We'd better get you home."

"Where are you staying tonight?" Vincent wondered as he followed them, Amy just behind him.

"Oh! You're very kind," the Doctor grinned, stopping to pat Vincent's shoulder.

Alex giggled as she took in Vincent's resigned expression, knowing that hadn't been what he meant at all. "Sorry," she mouthed over her shoulder as the Doctor pulled her off down the street.

Vincent chuckled a little and began to follow them, Amy next to him. "So, who is this Doctor and Ally?" he asked.

Amy smiled a little. "They're just the Doctor and _Alex_," she replied. "Don't let the Doctor or Alex hear you calling her 'Ally'. Only the Doctor is allowed to do that."

"A shame," Vincent said. "Such beauty and charisma and optimism. She looks like an Ally."

Amy absorbed this. It was kind of true. Alex did have the outer appearance of an Ally. But Amy had known her by Alex for so long, that it was hard to really make this Ally stick into the person she knew.

Ahead of them, the Doctor and Alex were whispering to each-other. "That's Vincent Van Gogh!" Alex cried excitedly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her continuing pronunciation of 'Gogh' as 'go'. "It's 'goff' Ally."

"It sounds weird!" Alex insisted.

He shook his head. "Just _drop _it Alex!"

* * *

A little while later, the group were walking through a dark courtyard. Alex wrapped an arm around the Doctor's, getting closer to him. She was getting a weird feeling that something bad was about to happen. Alex couldn't explain what exactly she was feeling. Maybe it was one of those sixth senses they said some people had. Or she could be overreacting. Seeing that girl's mutilated body had set her on edge.

"Dark night," the Doctor commented to Vincent, who was still walking behind him with Amy. "Very starry."

Alex grinned as she caught the Doctor's reference to one of her favorite Van Gogh paintings, _Starry Night_. "It is," she noticed, looking up at the night sky. "Just makes you want to capture the fleeting moment on canvas."

Vincent looked at her, surprised by this. "That's exactly how I feel when I paint," he revealed. He had to admit, this Alex girl was growing on him.

Alex looked back at him and grinned. "I think that's how all the Impressionist painters feel."

Vincent nodded, accepting this, and hurried to catch up with the Doctor and Alex as they neared the front door. "It's not much," he warned, opening it and stepping inside. "I live on my own. But you should be okay for one night. _One _night."

Alex giggled. "I think that was directed at you, Doc."

The Doctor was about to reply when Amy stepped up. "We're going to stay with him?" she whispered excitedly.

"Until he paints that church," the Doctor confirmed.

"Or until he kicks us out," Alex quipped. "Whichever comes first."

"Watch out!" Vincent called ahead of them. "That one's wet!"

"What?" Amy asked as they looked at him in confusion. Vincent nodded to something behind them before turning away and heading further into the house.

The group turned, finding themselves facing a long clothesline hanging by the door. Various things were hanging from it, including Vincent's hat. But now, the group found themselves face-to-face with _Bedroom in Arles_, just painted and still, like Vincent said, wet. The group grinned at each-other before heading into the house.

Inside, Vincent lit a lamp. "Sorry about all the clutter!" he apologized.

Amy and Alex looked around at the so-called clutter. It was actually several of Vincent's paintings. Alex spotted _Starry Night_, _Portrait of Dr. Gachet_, _Café Terrace at Night_, and several others. "Some clutter," the Doctor observed, pulling Alex to his side and smiling as he saw her look around eagerly at everything.

"Wow," Amy breathed as she looked around, trying to take in everything all at once. "I mean, really. Wow."

"It's incredible," Alex said.

"Yeah, I know it's a mess!" Vincent cried, sounding exasperated, as though he'd heard similar reactions to the state of his house before. "I'll have a proper clear out. I must, I really must."

Vincent left them in the living room and headed to the kitchen. "Coffee anyone?"

"Not for me actually," the Doctor said.

Alex looked at him in surprise. "You don't like coffee?" she said incredulously.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not really. Too…jittery and it tastes disgusting."

Alex just shook her head. "Wow. First alcohol, now coffee? We really need to work on broadening your horizons, Doc."

"My horizons are already broad enough!" the Doctor argued.

Alex gave him a doubtful expression and twirled around to head into the kitchen. The Doctor followed her, the two stepping in just in time to see Vincent setting the coffee kettle on one of his paintings. Alex's face paled. "A hundred art historians just started crying and they don't know why," she whispered to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded in agreement, cringing a little as he watched Vincent move the kettle to the table and wipe away the coffee ring it left behind on the painting. "You know, you should be careful with these," he suggested gently. "They're precious."

"Precious to me," Vincent clarified. "Not precious to anyone else."

"They're precious to me!" Amy called, suddenly popping into the kitchen.

"Me too," Alex added, moving closer to the painting and carefully dabbing the coffee stains away with the sleeve of her dress.

"Well you're very kind," Vincent nodded to both girls. He handed Alex a cup of coffee, which she sipped at eagerly. "And kindness is most welcome."

"Right, so, this church then," the Doctor began as Vincent went over to the fireplace and reached for some firewood in the cabinet next to it.

Alex blew on her coffee. It was no Starbucks or Blondie's, but it would do. "It's near here, isn't it?" she finished. She and the Doctor smirked at each-other, realizing they had finished each-other's sentences again.

"What is it with you two and the church?" Vincent wondered.

"Oh, just casually interested in it, you know," the Doctor muttered.

Vincent snorted. "Far from casual. It seems to me you never talk about anything else."

Alex shrugged. "Well, I'm Catholic. Being interested in churches is in the job description."

Vincent chuckled. "_You _I don't mind," he said, nodding to her. He tilted his head at the Doctor. "Now, him? He's a strange one."

"Tell me about it," Alex joked. She moved over to a chair in front of the fireplace and sat down, turning to watch Amy play with a paintbrush she had picked up. Instead, she saw the slightly stormy gaze of the Doctor.

The Doctor could feel his hearts racing and his blood thrashing around inside him. It felt like it was trying to break through his skin. Here were Vincent and Alex, calmly getting along, laughing about him. Vincent and _his _Ally. The Doctor couldn't help it. He was feeling jealous, incredibly jealous, more jealous than he had felt with Rose and all her pretty boys. He had to stop this little flirt-fest. He had to get Alex back to him.

"Okay, so, let's talk about you then," he said in what he hoped was a casual voice. He went over and stood behind Alex's chair, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. He was pleased when Alex automatically relaxed into his palms. "What are you interested in?"

Vincent, not noticing or choosing to ignore his obvious jealousy, waved an arm around the room. "Well, look around," he replied, looking at other paintings hung or stacked around the room. "Art. It seems to me there's so much more to the world than the average eye is allowed to see. I believe, if you look hard, there are more wonders in this universe than you could ever have dreamed of."

Alex smiled. Vincent had no idea how right he was. Looking up, she saw the Doctor smiling as well and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

The Doctor looked down at her. "You don't have to tell me," he said, moving a hand through Alex's hair as he contemplated one wonder of the universe before him.

* * *

"It's color!" Vincent shouted, making poor Alex jump. She watched, slightly awed with his passion and slightly disturbed with the madness that came with that passion, as he inched closer to the Doctor. "Color that holds the key! I can hear the colors! Shh…_listen _to them. Every time I step outside, I feel nature is shouting at me. 'Come on! Come and get me! Come on!'"

Okay… Alex inched her way out of her chair and out the room as Vincent grabbed the Doctor's jacket lapels and pulled him closer so the man could fully grasp Vincent's crazy connection with nature. Realizing Amy had been absent for much of Vincent's lecture, Alex headed outside. Sure enough, there Amy was, admiring several of the paintings hanging from various clotheslines around the yard.

She looked away from one painting and smiled. "Hey," she greeted. "I heard shouting in there. What's up?"

"You're missing Art 101 as taught by Professor Van Gogh," Alex quipped. She shivered a little in the cool night air, wishing she had thought to bring along a jacket.

"Too bad," Amy mused, turning to look at another painting.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I wish my old art history lectures were that entertaining." She sighed a little, knowing that Vincent's passion for art was really more sad than entertaining. "I hate to say it, I really do, but I think there's a bit of truth to that 'crazy genius' thing."

"Mmm," Amy murmured, not moving her eyes away from a painting but Alex knew that she agreed with her. "Let's see, there's Mozart, Virginia Woolf…"

"Sylvia Plath, Tchaikovsky," Alex added. "Edgar Allen Poe…anyone else?"

Amy was about to reply when she was suddenly thrown to the ground. Amy's eyes widened and she scrambled to get up. "Alex!" she cried weakly.

"Amy!" Alex dove to her side and helped her up. "Are you okay? What-," But before Alex could finish her sentence, a force hit her in the side, sending her flying across the yard, nearly banging her head into the stone fence lining the property. She sat up, her head spinning a little, and watched as Amy was knocked onto her knees again.

Alex looked around, trying to see what was attacking them. Then…she saw it. Her face paled and her eyes widened. At the same time Amy let out a shriek, Alex screamed. "DOCTOR!"

"ALEX! AMY!" the Doctor's voice called out. A second later, he came barreling out of the house, Vincent right behind him. Looking around, the Doctor hurried to Amy first and helped her up, before sprinting over to Alex. Before Alex knew it, she was being pulled upright into his arms.

The Doctor clutched her close. If anything had happened to her…no, he had to concentrate. "Girls? What happened?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Amy gasped. "I didn't see it. I was having a look at the paintings out here and talking to Alex when something hit me from behind."

"And then it hit me to the side," Alex explained to the tweed material of the Doctor's jacket.

"It's okay," he assured her, pulling Alex even closer to him and planting a kiss on the top of her head. What he really wanted to do was kiss her on her beautiful pink lips and make her forget the terrifying thing that had just happened to her, but he couldn't for so many reasons. Instead, he maneuvered her behind him, keeping himself in front of her as he surveyed the yard. "He's gone now and we're here."

"No! No!" Vincent suddenly shouted, looking off into the distance at something.

Alex peeked around the Doctor's shoulder and immediately jerked her head back. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Take it easy," the Doctor implored calmly, stepping towards Vincent slowly as the girls nervously backed away. "Take it easy."

"What's happening?" Amy demanded. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know!" the Doctor called back. _Is he having some sort of fit or something?_

Right at that moment, Vincent picked up a discarded pitchfork and held it in front of him like a weapon. Only problem was that he was pointing it straight at the Doctor, Amy, and Alex. "Oh, dear," the Doctor muttered.

_Oh, shit!_ Alex thought as Vincent began running straight towards them.

Vincent shouted as he ran towards them, pitchfork aimed like a sword, forcing the group to scatter in various directions as he ran towards the other side of the yard. "Run! Run!" he yelled at them.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the Doctor breathed, pushing Amy and Alex towards the door. "That's not a bad idea. Girls, get back! He's having some kind of fit." This seemed to be pretty accurate as the Doctor watched Vincent stab at…something near the stone wall. "I'll try to calm him down."

"Doctor!" Alex called but the Doctor didn't listen, already heading across the yard.

"Easy, Vincent, easy," the Doctor softly crooned as he jumped in front of Vincent and whatever he was stabbing at. "Look. Look, look, look. It's me, it's me, it's me. It's the Doctor, look. No one else is here. So, Vincent-,"

Alex's eyes widened in horror. "Doctor!" she shrieked, pushing past Amy as she ran towards the Doctor.

"Look out!" Vincent also shouted.

Alex let out a tiny scream as she watched a large scaly tail bang into the Doctor's side, sending him flying and tumbling across the yard. She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the Doctor start to get up but her attention quickly became distracted as a loud roar sounded throughout the property, courtesy of the huge monster in front of her.

Alex allowed herself to very quickly study it. It was the monster from the window of the church in the painting. Like she had originally thought, it kind of looked like a parrot mixed with a rhino mixed with a gecko. Or something like that.

"I can't see anything!" Amy shrieked. "What is it?!"

"That is a good question." The Doctor reached down and grabbed a stick, running up to join Vincent. "Let me help you!"

Vincent stared at him. "You can see him, too?" he wondered.

"Yes…ish," the Doctor replied. Alex watched with a mixture of outrage and amusement as the Doctor ran to a completely different section of the yard and began waving the stick around. "Well, no. Not really." A split second later, another roar rang out and the Doctor was thrown over a table to Vincent's feet.

"You couldn't see him?" Vincent guessed.

Alex let out a low growl and grabbed a nice, stout stick at her feet. "Damn right he can't!" she cried, rushing over to Vincent's side. She aimed the stick towards the monster before her. "But I can!"

Vincent gawked at her. "You can?!" he cried.

"Giant rhino with a little bit of a parrot mixed in?"

"Yes!"

Alex nodded. "Just checking." Glancing back at the Doctor, she shook her head as she watched him wave a stick around in a completely different area of the yard. She turned back and readied her stick at the monster.

Amy watched as Alex and Vincent continued to struggle with the invisible monster. As they took a few well-placed aims at the creature, Amy determined that they were trying to scare it off. A few seconds later, there was a loud roar and then the sound of retreating footfalls. As the creature ran away, it knocked down a couple of scarecrows. Then, it was gone, the only evidence it had even been there being a few ripped paintings, the fallen scarecrows…and the Doctor still swinging loudly, unaware that the threat was gone.

Alex turned to him and shook her head. "He's gone!" she cried.

The Doctor whirled around, looking mildly embarrassed. "Oh, right. Yes," he panted, dropping his stick. "Of course."

Alex released her stick and flew forward into his arms. "Idiot," she muttered into his jacket as she tightly wrapped her arms around him. She was too exhausted from fighting a monster only she and Vincent could see to bother slapping him.

The Doctor pulled her close to him. "Says the girl who willingly fought an _invisible _monster."

"Not to me," Alex retorted.

She felt the Doctor stiffen beneath her. "You could see it too?" he breathed. Alex nodded.

The Doctor felt a swirl of emotions run through him. Alex could see the monster? And she had _fought _it? He felt proud of her and thrilled but also scared and nervous and angry. What if Alex got hurt? He'd never forgive himself if Alex got hurt and he couldn't protect her because they were battling a monster only two out of the four of them could see.

He pulled her closer to him, if such a thing was even possible based on how close they already were. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Come on," he murmured, releasing her and pulling her along back to Vincent's house.

A/N: Aw, the Doctor's jealous of Vincent! And who liked the beginning part where Alex almost got married? :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Lol, I should say something about how you shouldn't procrastinate on homework, but I'm doing the same thing right now with AP European History, so it would be hypocritical. :) Glad you liked the original chapter, even if it did have enough fluff but, at the same time, not enough at all! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Fan-freaking-tabulous, yes! I think that sums 10's hair up quite perfectly. :) I'm so glad you love this story, especially the original chapters! :D

**jesterlover **- Glad you loved it and that you're caught up! :)

**royslady51 **- Yeah, we American Southerners are tough. :) But Alex does loosen up when she meets the Doctor and starts getting to know him and falling for him... :)

**rycbar15 **- Lol, I think most everyone was expecting a way different kiss than the one Alex gave him! Yeah, poor Ally at the end. We saw her thoughts here about trying to keep an emotional distance from the Doctor but it not working. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

**NunquamAlius** - Yeah, at least Rory comes back. :) Lol, the Doctor kinda acts like a teenager sometimes, doesn't he, 11 in particular! :)

**ShadowTeir **- I know! Poor Alex! :( Just hang onto the knowledge that they will get together eventually. :) I'm still kinda hoping for a 12/Clara romance, but I'm sure whatever they do will be good. :) Aw, I'm glad you like the story so much that you're re-reading it! Hope it's good the second time around as it was the first! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Lol, that describes these two to a tee! :) Thanks!

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- It IS an addictive story, isn't it? I want the Doctor to remember Angel so bad...and then push River out into a black hole when he realizes how cruel she's being to Angel. :) Lol, don't worry, they will get together eventually! I like 'Vincent and the Doctor', mostly because I like Vincent Van Gogh too and his work. Like Alex, I'm a big Impressionist fan. :) Hmm...good question! I can't say but I will go to my stock answer and say that all will be revealed eventually! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yes, I had to do it. What can I say? I'm evil. :} But I'm glad you loved the chapter though! :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

**Guest **- Glad you love the original parts! In answer to your question, there will be some original add-ins in Season 6, but probably not as much as there are in here, as Season 6 has a _lot _going on in it. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	41. Vincent and the Doctor Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Once they had entered the house, Vincent and Amy right behind them, the Doctor exclaimed "Right! So he's invisible. What did he look like?"

"Like a giant rhino with the face of a parrot," Alex promptly replied.

The Doctor shook his head and sighed. "That doesn't give me a lot to work with Ally," he said not unkindly.

Vincent also sighed at Alex's description. "_I'll_ show you," he said. He grabbed a nearby painting detailing a bunch of irises, placing it on the table in front of him, before proceeding to slather white paint over it.

Alex and the Doctor's jaws dropped and Amy just covered her mouth, too shocked to say anything. "Oh, no, no!" the Doctor cried, rushing up to him. "No, no!"

Vincent frowned at him. "What?"

"It's just…er…" the Doctor stuttered, not really sure what to say.

"That was a really good painting," Alex finished, her face pained. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of future priceless artwork and back onto the matter at hand. "Go on."

A few minutes later, the sketch was complete. Vincent sat in a chair next to the fire, Amy across from him, while the Doctor hovered over him, Alex by his side, as usual. The Doctor studied the sketch Vincent had just handed him. It showed a wicked-looking beast with a beak, a crest, and sharp claws. It was, like Alex said, a rhino mixed in with a parrot.

"Okay, okay," the Doctor murmured before clearing his throat. "Right, Amy, Ally, make Mister Van Gogh comfortable. Don't let any invisible monsters in through the front door."

Amy sprang out of her chair and Alex just looked at him incredulously. "But it could be outside, waiting!" Amy protested.

"Well, don't worry. I'll risk it." The Doctor smiled at them in what Alex guessed was supposed to be a reassuring manner. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Alex narrowed her eyes. "You could get torn to pieces by a monster you can't see!"

The Doctor cocked his head, acknowledging her point. "Oh right, yes, that. Don't worry. I'll be back before you can say 'where's he got to now?'" With that thought ringing in their heads, the Doctor rushed out the door.

Alex and Amy turned back around, reluctantly heading back towards the fire. "Not that fast!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, poking his head back through the doorway, his abrupt arrival causing everyone to jump and Amy and Alex to shriek in fright. He chuckled. "But _pretty _fast. See you around." With that, he was gone.

Alex lifted a hand to her rapidly beating heart. "If that monster doesn't kill him, I will," she declared.

Amy snickered a bit before suddenly going serious. "Why aren't you following him?" she asked. "I'd expect you to and I'm sure he's out there waiting to see if you will or not."

"This time, I'm giving him a time limit," Alex decided. "If he's not back in two hours, I'm going after him."

From behind them, Vincent chuckled a little. "I must admit," he said when they turned to look at him, "I've never seen anyone so protective over another person before."

Alex shrugged. "He's our ride home," she replied before crossing the room to study a painting.

Amy rolled her eyes. Alex would never in a million years admit, even to herself, that she was falling for the Doctor. She didn't understand why. As far as Amy thought, Alex and the Doctor were perfect together.

One hour flew by, during which time Alex uncomfortably listened to Amy and Vincent flirt a little. Knowing it wouldn't do much good to try and dissuade Amy, she mentally recited every Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift song she knew, tried to remember how many Barbie movies she had when she was little, and thought about what the Doctor was doing. That last one wasn't very hard since it was the one her thoughts drifted to every few seconds.

Alex glanced at the tiny clock on the wall. Fifty-five minutes left. _Please hurry, Doc,_ she thought. Hearing no conversation behind her, Alex turned around, fleetingly wondering what she might do if she found Vincent and Amy kissing. She shuddered at the thought.

Thankfully, Amy was asleep in her chair, Vincent sketching on a notepad. He glanced over and saw Alex watching him. "Irises," he explained, holding the pad up to show a charcoal sketch of the same irises he had painted over. "Since you seem to like them so much."

Alex smiled. "Actually," she said, sitting down in the chair next to him, "I like red roses the most. They're my favorite. Irises are just a close second."

Vincent nodded. "Red roses," he mused. "A beautiful, hardly complex, flower." He flipped the paper over to a new sheet and began sketching a simple rose.

Alex giggled a little. "It's beautiful," she said honestly.

Vincent watched as she studied the drawing, her eyes switching from chocolate brown to copper. "It's rather intriguing how your eyes change colors like that," he commented.

Alex shrugged. "They've always been like that. I'm not sure where it comes from." Apparently, Alex hadn't spent much time studying the photo of her parents in her bedroom.

"They're very beautiful, my dear. A special mixture of different earth-inspired hues."

Alex giggled, slightly glad that the Doctor wasn't here. No doubt he'd think Vincent Van Gogh was flirting with her. Alex hadn't missed the way his disposition soured when she giggled at one of Vincent's remarks. Strangely, she liked that he felt so jealous. It made her feel like he really cared for her.

She tucked her legs up underneath her and examined the clock again. Forty-five minutes remaining. If the Doctor really didn't make her two hour window, she was going to have to find some way to pass the time. What better way than grilling Vincent Van Gogh? She had longed to do this when she had to do a report on him in art history and now she had a really good opportunity.

For the next forty minutes, Alex and Vincent discussed art. He liked that she was a fan of Claude Monet and Rembrandt. Alex discovered Van Gogh was more than the crazed genius the art world of her day thought of him as. He was passionate, caring, and curious about so many things. He reminded her of the Doctor.

Vincent soon went to bed, leaving Alex to watch the clock. Only five minutes before she went out looking for the Doctor. She felt her eyes drooping. It was, after all, almost one o'clock in the morning. She sighed and closed her eyes. There was nothing wrong with a little light dozing, right? A little eye-resting and then she'd go look for the Doctor.

* * *

Alex jolted with a start, her eyes popping open, as an almighty sound came from Vincent's bedroom. She groaned and rubbed her eyes before looking at the clock. She groaned again as she saw it was five thirty in the morning, long past the time she had allotted for the Doctor to figure out what the monster was. Right then, another loud noise came from Vincent's room. Alex grimaced as she listened to his horrible snoring.

"I was wondering when you'd get up!" a voice cried. Alex looked up to see Amy standing in front of her. "Honestly, I'm surprised you slept so long. His snoring kept me up half the night!"

"Is the Doctor back yet?" Alex asked.

Amy shook her head. "No. I was just about to wake you up so we could go look for him."

Alex nodded and stood. She stretched her arms over her head, relieved to feel the tense muscles relax. "Good idea. Let's go."

The two crept out the door, even though they were both pretty confident that nothing could wake Vincent up. They walked down the streets in silence, still in the process of waking up, until they reached the TARDIS. Alex opened the door and stopped in her tracks as she saw a bunch of items littering the control room floor.

"God, what happened in here?" she cried, stepping inside and kicking a box aside. "It looks like a tornado hit!"

"He must've been looking for something," Amy deduced. She crept over to a storage chest that had been yanked out of an alcove out in the hallway.

Alex stepped up onto the central platform and craned her head. "Doctor!" she called out. "Doctor! Doctor, are you here?" Not hearing a reply, she frowned. "I don't think he's here. He must've found whatever he was looking for."

"He can't have gone far," Amy figured, heading back towards the doors. "Come on!"

Alex raced after Amy, pausing only to shut the TARDIS door. The girls continued on but their pace slowed as they encountered a bunch of debris littering the street. _Well, we know the Doctor was here,_ Alex thought.

The girls continued down the street, stepping over rubbish every few inches, before finally coming upon a pillar at the end of the alley. Just before they stepped in front of the pillar, Alex caught a glimpse of a shirt. Someone was there. But just as the girls were about to turn the corner, the person turned as well, nearly running into them. Alex, Amy, and the Doctor all screamed and jumped back in fright.

"Don't do that!" the Doctor shouted when he noticed it was Amy and Alex. "You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry, we got bored," Amy apologized.

Alex nodded in agreement. "Yeah, as much as you can admire his command of shape and color, it is pretty hard to get fond of Vincent Van Gogh's _snoring_."

"That bad?" the Doctor asked as he adjusted a knob on the machine he had strapped to him.

"Think of a freight train but two times as worse," Alex said dryly.

The Doctor chuckled a little. "You don't need any rest, do you girls? Otherwise, you'll miss all the fun!"

Amy made a face. "No chance in that," she answered for both her and Alex. Her eyes then drifted down to the machine strapped to the Doctor. "By the way, what is that ridiculous thing you have on?"

"Other than the bowtie, you mean?" Alex said cheekily, grinning impishly as the Doctor turned to frown at her.

"Alexandria!" he mildly scolded but Alex knew he wasn't really irritated. "Bowties are _cool_! And, to answer your question, Amy, it's a device I've used to identify our little friend."

Alex snorted. "I'd hardly call that thing _little_."

Again, the Doctor ignored her. "Come on girls!" he called, walking off. "Let's go get Mr. Van Gogh!"

"It's 'go'!" Alex protested but her objections continued to fall on deaf ears.

* * *

"Don't you think you've gone a little overboard?" Alex asked a little later as she surveyed the dozens and dozens and _dozens_ of sunflowers Amy had managed to collect and arrange all around Vincent's yard. Everywhere she looked, she could see a bunch of drooping black and yellow flowers.

Amy shrugged and sat down at a table. "Well, he paints sunflowers, doesn't he?" she asked, reaching over to rearrange the flowers she had placed in a vase on the table. "Have you seen any sunflower paintings in that house?"

"No," Alex admitted.

Amy smirked, feeling perfectly vindicated. "Well, then."

The girls' attention was then diverted by the banging of Vincent's upstairs window. The Doctor stood in Vincent's room, squinting in the oncoming sunshine. "What a morning," he marveled. He moved out of sight, only to be replaced by Vincent as he added "Come on! And Amy's got a little surprise for you."

_Hardly little,_ Alex thought.

"I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving me last night," Amy explained as Vincent took in all the flowers decorating his once barren courtyard. Alex was a little worried that Amy's plan wasn't going to work, but then she saw that Vincent was smiling.

"I thought you might like, you know, possibly to perhaps paint them or something?" Amy added. She shrugged sheepishly. "Might be a thought."

"Yes, well," Vincent started, reaching out to examine a flower placed next to the windowsill, "they're not my favorite flower."

Amy and Alex just gaped at him. How could Vincent Van Gogh, creator of countless sunflower paintings, _not _like sunflowers? To Alex, this was even more shocking than discovering her own freaky mental abilities. She turned to give the Doctor an incredulous look as he approached with a breakfast tray in his hands. He just arched an eyebrow and shrugged at her, indicating he really didn't know what to make of this latest revelation.

Breaking the silence, Amy cried "_You _don't like sunflowers?"

"No, it's not that I don't like them," Vincent corrected her. He continued to finger the flower as he explained. "I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying. Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting. But, you know, they are a challenge."

"And one I'm pretty sure you'll rise to," the Doctor replied, trying not to laugh at the irony of Vincent Van Gogh not liking sunflowers. "But, moving on, there's something I need to show you and Alex."

* * *

Just a few moments later, they were back in the house. Alex stood behind Vincent's chair as the Doctor pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and passed it to Vincent. Alex got up on her tiptoes to better see the paper and visibly started at the same time Vincent did.

"That's him!" he and Alex confirmed. The Doctor frowned at this. Great. Now she was speaking in synch with Vincent? This whole monster thing better be worth him seeing all this flirting.

"And the eyes," Vincent continued, him and Alex not noticing the Doctor's jealousy, "without mercy."

"What is it?" Alex asked, unconsciously leaning in as the Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He needed to keep her close to him. He knew it was wrong to feel so possessive of her when he really had no reason to, but he couldn't help himself.

"This is a creature called the Krafayis," the Doctor explained. "They travel in space. They travel as a pack, scavenging across the universe. And sometimes, one of them gets left behind. And because they are a brutal race, the others never come back."

Alex shuddered. She'd seen that creature and she was pretty sure she knew what it was capable of. "So, all around the universe are abandoned Krafayis," she summarized. "Isn't that dangerous though?"

The Doctor nodded, glad she could see this. "Yes. And what they do is, well, kill, until they're killed. Which they usually aren't." He felt Alex tense up beneath him and he felt that longing to comfort her and kiss her come back again. He hesitated before revealing the next part. "Because other creatures can't see them."

"But we can," Vincent said, nodding to himself and Alex.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, moving to sit in a chair across from Vincent and tugging Alex down to sit in his lap. "And that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to end this reign of terror. So, feeling like painting the church today?"

"What about the monster?" Vincent wondered.

"Take my word for it. If you paint it, he will come."

Vincent considered his words for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I'll get my things," he said as he stood and headed towards his room.

"In your own time," the Doctor called after him. "And I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow."

Alex's eyes followed Vincent, who she now noticed had paused in the doorway. She frowned a little as he glanced between the three but before she could do anything, he was hurrying out of the room. _Is it because the Doctor said we'd be leaving soon?_ She wondered. Up until this point, Vincent hadn't really had any friends and Alex could only imagine the heartache he might be experiencing right now.

Alex turned around, hoping to pose her worries to the Doctor, but it quickly became apparent that she didn't have to. His face was grim and Alex knew he had noticed Vincent's actions as well. "This is risky," the Doctor abruptly said.

"Riskier than normal?" Amy asked.

"Well, think about it," the Doctor whispered so that Vincent wouldn't hear, but his voice was very harsh. "This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting. If we're not careful, the net result of our pleasant little trip will be the brutal _murder _of the _greatest artist who ever lived_. Half the pictures on the wall of the Musee d'Orsay will disappear."

Alex bit her lip, leaving back into the Doctor's chest as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "And it will be our fault," she murmured nearly inaudibly, but the words still carried their weight amongst the small group.

* * *

Half an hour later, Alex and the Doctor were starting to get worried. "How long does it take to gather up a bunch of paints, a brush, and an easel?" Alex questioned after twenty-nine minutes had passed, prompting the Doctor to go up and see what was going on. Alex followed along behind him. She knew she had a calming effect on people. Maybe it would work on Vincent as well.

They came upon Vincent's closed bedroom door, the sound of crying vaguely audible beyond. Alex and the Doctor exchanged a look before the Doctor began rapping on the door. No reply. Exchanging another look with Alex, the Doctor reached out, grasped the knob, and opened the door.

"Vincent? Vincent!" the Doctor gently called as he entered the dark room. Alex stayed a little ways behind him. She knew that Vincent could go into one of his rages at any moment and she knew that the Doctor would rather take the brunt of it than her. But that didn't stop her from peeking around the Doctor to see Vincent lying face-down in his bed, weeping. "Vincent, can I help?"

"It's so clear you cannot help," Vincent bitterly replied. "And when you leave, and everyone always leaves, I will be left once more with an empty heart and no hope."

"My experience," the Doctor gently replied, "is that there is, you know, surprisingly, always hope." And there was. Rose was a good example of a light in the darkness but then there was Alex, who effortlessly penetrated his barriers and left him feeling reinvigorated and desperate to impress her.

"Then your experience is incomplete!" Vincent shot back. He clenched his pillow tightly as if it were a stress ball. "I know how it will end. And it will not end well."

Alex stood there, feeling helpless. He wasn't wrong. It wouldn't end well. In just a short while, he'd slice off one of his ears, thus beginning a decline into the dark madness that was destined to take him. She stepped forward a little so she was next to the Doctor. The Doctor reached down and squeezed her hand.

Not knowing what else to say, the Doctor decided to try a different tactic. "Come on," he urged. "Come out. Come on, let's go outside-,"

But Vincent cut him off. "Get out!" he screamed, lifting his face to expose the redness under his eyes. "You get out! What are you doing here? What are you doing here?!"

"Very well," the Doctor complied, quickly pushing Alex behind him and backing up. "We'll leave. We'll leave you." The last thing Alex saw before the Doctor shut the door was Vincent's shaking, quivering body, racked with the mental disease that would soon prove too powerful to fight.

Amy, having heard all the shouting, was waiting at the foot of the stairs. "What's happening?" she demanded.

The Doctor leaned against the railing of sunflowers in thought, pulling Alex to nestle in his side. "We're leaving," he announced, his voice low, but Alex couldn't find it in her to consider it sexy. It was now melancholy and resigned. "Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just months from now he'll…" He trailed off, not able or willing to say the words.

"He'll take his own life," Alex finished, feeling tears bubble up to her eyes. She wiped them away quickly before anyone could see.

"Don't say that," Amy begged. She looked distraught. "Please."

The Doctor said nothing, instead turning to head back into the house, pulling Alex along behind him. Inside, they each studied the paintings with a new intensity, knowing they'd never see them in this way again. The Doctor took a moment to examine _Prisoner's Exercising_ before sighing deeply.

"Come on," he urged the girls, gently prodding Alex ahead of him. "We have to do this on our own. Go to the church at the right time and hope the monster still turns up."

They were just about to head out the door when a shadow fell over them. They all turned, pleasantly surprised to see Vincent standing before them, dressed and wearing a straw hat. "I'm ready," he announced calmly, fetching a brush from a pot on a table next to him. "Let's go."

* * *

A little while later, they were all walking along a dirt road to the church.

"I'm sorry you're so sad," Amy said to Vincent. The Doctor and Alex were walking behind them, bickering over what sounded like the correct pronunciation of Vincent's last name. Amy caught a bunch of 'Van Goff's' and 'Van Go's', at least.

"But I'm not," Vincent argued. "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now." He lifted and squeezed Amy's hand. "If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh."

The Doctor looked over and gave an _I told you so_ look to Alex, whose expression had soured significantly upon hearing Vincent pronounce his name the same way the Doctor had been pronouncing it. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Three words, Doc," she murmured in his ear. "TARDIS. Translation. Matrix." It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the TARDIS was translating Vincent's words to come out in the British vernacular.

"I'm not _soldiering _on," Amy laughed, attracting the Doctor's attention before he could make a retort. "I'm fine!"

Vincent sighed. "Oh Amy," he breathed, "I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone, I think." The Doctor and Alex tensed up automatically, their thoughts instantly going to Rory.

"I'm not sad," Amy continued to protest.

"Then why are you crying?"

Amy touched her cheek and frowned as she pulled her hand back to examine the water now gracing her fingertips. She looked up and stared at Vincent in confusion while he just looked at her with utter sympathy and possible empathy. "It's all right," he said gently. "I understand."

"I'm not sure I do," Amy muttered.

"Doctor," Alex murmured. "What's going on? I thought you said she couldn't remember him."

"Nothing is ever truly forgotten Ally," the Doctor whispered. "I'm working something out right now. I don't quite have it but I promise when I do, I'll tell you. Alright?" Alex nodded, accepting this.

"Okay! Okay!" the Doctor suddenly called before Amy could really start wondering on why she was so sad. "So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns-,"

"Then we shall fight him again!" Vincent enthusiastically interrupted.

"Well, yes, tick. But last night we were lucky. Amy and Alex could have been killed. So this time, for a start, we have to make sure I can see him too."

Amy frowned. "And how are we meant to do that, suddenly?"

"The answer's in this box," the Doctor answered, lifting the box containing his weird gizmo and patting it. "I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother."

Amy and Alex frowned and Alex was about to ask what exactly he meant but the Doctor suddenly held out a hand to stop her. He was standing still and looking straight ahead. Looking ahead, her curious mood quickly sobered as she saw the funeral procession heading towards them.

"Oh, no," Vincent murmured as the procession came closer. "It's that poor girl from the village."

The group shifted to the side of the road, standing aside respectfully as the funeral procession began to pass them by. Alex stood next to the Doctor and somberly watched as the light wooden coffin was carried by the pallbearers, bright sunflowers decorating the top, contrasting sharply with the solemn event.

Alex shuddered slightly. She hated funerals. She could still remember her parents' funeral so clearly. The dark cherry caskets, the bundles of violets and Irish ferns on top of each, the countless people around her that she didn't know, all crying and talking softly, the black velvet dress someone – she could never recall who – forced her into, and then, the gathering in the tiny office at the back of the funeral home where the will was read. Alex vaguely remembered shares of G-Locke being given out to men and women in dark clothes and then, the lawyer looking straight at her and saying that she inherited everything else, but she wouldn't receive it until she was twenty-five years old.

Funny. When he read the trustee's name, Alex could've sworn he looked almost disgusted.

Now, Alex shuddered again as she pulled herself out of those memories. Remembering her Catholic heritage, she crossed herself and muttered a little of her rosary. The Doctor, noticing this, listened closely as he kept his eyes on the casket. It sounded like Alex was speaking Spanish. Apparently, the TARDIS had decided not to translate this.

Alex stopped when the procession passed them. Still, she and the others continued to watch. "You do have a plan, don't you?" Amy asked hurriedly, as if she was being rushed to say these words in order to prevent another death which, she actually was.

"No. It's a thing," the Doctor admitted. He grasped Alex's hand and pulled her along down the road. "It's like a plan, but with more greatness."

Alex mentally groaned. _This _should go well.

* * *

"And you'll be sure to tell me if you see any, you know, monsters."

Vincent sighed, making Alex giggle a little. The Doctor sure was hyped up about this Krafayis. He had been pestering Vincent for a good ten minutes now. "Yes," Vincent now answered. "While I may be mad, I'm not stupid."

"You're not mad," Alex jumped in.

Vincent smiled at her in thanks while the Doctor added "No. Quite. And to be honest, I'm not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex-,"

"Shush!" Vincent interrupted, beginning to sketch out the church. "I'm working."

"Well, yes. Paint. Do painting! I remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. Wow! What a whiner! I kept saying to him, look, if you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job then."

"Shush." Amy this time.

The Doctor did shush and, to his credit, it lasted for almost half an hour.

"And Picasso," he started up again. "What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, concentrate, Pablo. It's one eye, either side of the face."

"Quiet," Amy and Alex both scolded.

Amy suddenly had a hilarious thought, guaranteed to shut the Doctor up for a good long while. "Hey Alex," she said so the Doctor could hear, "maybe you should snog him. That'd shut him right up!"

Alex's jaw dropped and the Doctor's face reddened. Vincent pressed his lips together tightly to keep from laughing as the Doctor hurried off to a tree on the other side of the lawn, far away from Alex. After a moment, Alex closed her mouth and whirled around, crossing her arms as she intently focused on the church.

An hour or so passed. Alex wasn't really sure. The Doctor hadn't piped up in all that time, which was pretty impressive. Her face reddened as she thought of Amy's snogging comment. _That actually would be a good way to keep him quiet,_ Alex mused before quickly snapping out of it. She couldn't be thinking things like that!

Little did she know that the only reason the Doctor had been so quiet was because he was also thinking over Amy's comment. _Keep me quiet, ha! I don't need Alex's help for that! Although…it would be fun to swirl my tongue around her mouth and make her gasp…NO! STOP THAT!_ But even these self-scolding's couldn't stop him from considering the possibility for very long.

He groaned. He had to think of something else. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't be thinking of Alex that way. "Is this how time normally passes?" he asked. "_Really_ slowly. In the right order." He stood and crossed back over to the group. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack!"

"Are you okay?" Amy asked, noticing Alex and Vincent were still consumed by the church. "You seem a bit, if I didn't know you better, I'd say nervous."

"Yes, there's something not right and I can't quite put my finger on it," the Doctor continued, ignoring Amy's inquiry.

"There!" Vincent suddenly cried, pointing his paintbrush to the window facing them.

"He's right!" Alex called, rushing over to stand next to the Doctor, his arm automatically wrapping around her waist and pulling her close. "He's at the window!"

"Where?" the Doctor demanded.

"There!" Alex cried, pointing. "On the right!"

The Doctor nodded. "As I thought. I'm going in."

"Well, I'm coming too," Vincent declared.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, looking at the artist with wide eyes. "You're _Vincent Van Gogh_! No."

"But you're not armed," Vincent argued.

"I am," the Doctor countered.

"With what?"

"Overconfidence, this, and a small screwdriver," he replied, patting the case. "I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosactic setting and stun him with it. Sonic never fails. Anyway, Amy, Alex, only one thought, one simple instruction: Don't follow me under any circumstances."

"I won't," Amy vowed.

Alex frowned and Amy and Vincent could see that she was itching to follow the Doctor. However, she only got one step when the Doctor called over his shoulder "Don't even _think _about it, Alexandria!" Reluctantly, Alex stepped back.

Vincent looked over at Amy. "Will you follow him?"

"Of course!" Amy smirked.

"I love you," Vincent smiled at her, prompting Amy to smile back in response. He then turned to Alex, who was still watching the church with a wistful eye. "And you?"

Alex nodded and pulled an arm out from behind her back. "You're damn right," she replied, revealing her crossed fingers.

Vincent smiled at her. Though the Doctor and Alex might've been blind to it, he could easily see the love they had for each-other radiating off them. They felt so strongly about each-other and they fit together perfectly, like they had been designed by God himself. "You really love him don't you?" As expected, Alex didn't respond.

Amy paced up and down across the grass. "Has he moved?" she called.

Alex shook her head. "No, just shifted to the next window." She turned to begin pacing herself. _I'm going to kill him, _she decided. _Why wouldn't he take me in there with him? I can see the Krafayis! He can't!_

"But wait!" Vincent cried, interrupting Alex's pacing. "He's turning now!"

"DOCTOR!" Alex screamed, taking off in a run. Behind her, she was vaguely aware of Amy rushing after her and Vincent calling Amy's name, but she didn't focus on that. All she could focus on was the fact that her Doctor was in trouble and she needed to help him. Wait, HER Doctor? _Focus Alexandria!_

Amy caught up with her just as Alex made it to the doors. Though the doors were thick and heavy, Alex somehow mustered up enough strength to force them open. The second there was a wide enough crack, Alex threw herself through it, Amy just behind her. However, Alex didn't anticipate nearly running into the Doctor as he also headed for the doors.

"Doctor!" Alex cried.

"Argh!" the Doctor shouted, startled. "I thought I told you…never mind. We'll talk about it later." Of course, he knew now that nothing he said was going to get through to Alex. Alex was, like she said, her own person who made decisions for herself. Didn't mean he couldn't try though. He looked behind her and spotted Amy. "_And _you brought Amy!" he groaned. "Quick, in here!"

He grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her towards a confessional box. He and Alex got in on one side, Amy on the other. As soon as they shut the doors, they were plunged into total darkness. The Doctor sat on the narrow bench and maneuvered Alex so that she was in his lap.

"Absolutely quiet," the Doctor told both of them. Alex nodded, even though she could only just make him out. She then realized something…she was alone in the dark with the Doctor. That thought sent warm tingles running throughout her body.

The Doctor also thought this. If they weren't being chased by a murderous monster, he'd have happily pulled Alex closer to him and grazed his lips against hers. Just imagining the moan she'd let out when he did this was enough motivation to make him consider doing it right now, Krafayis be damned.

Of course, there was also Amy to consider and her loud breathing. The Doctor scooted over to the small window on the divider separating his compartment from Amy's and nudged the curtain aside. "Can you breathe a little quieter, please?" he asked.

"No!" Amy hissed back. There was total silence as they heard the Krafayis growling and walking past the confessional. "He's gone past."

The Doctor shushed her again and dropped the curtain. His attention then turned towards Alex, currently cowering in his arms, completely terrified. "Don't worry," he whispered lowly, his voice only audible to Alex. "Nothing's going to hurt you. Not while I'm here."

Alex grinned up at him. "I know," she replied in an identical voice. She shifted slightly so that she was perched right up close to him.

The Doctor felt her cool breath against his suddenly hot skin. Oh God, he wanted her. He wanted her like he couldn't breathe and she was oxygen. But he couldn't have her. She wasn't his to have or own. Still, that didn't stop him from leaning in closer to her, his lips just centimeters from hers.

"Doctor," Alex mumbled, seeing where this was going and not wanting it to stop.

"Shh," he whispered. "Don't want the Krafayis hearing us, now do we?"

Alex giggled a little and leaned in closer as well. She still vividly remembered their kiss on the _Byzantium_ and how he had known exactly what he was doing, not a surprise considering he was 907 years old. She opened her mouth, ready to accept his, wanting to explore his mouth again. She still had it memorized like a map and she was ready to chart it again.

But then, there came a loud roar and the distinct sound of the smashing and splintering of wood. Amy screamed as the Krafayis hit her side of the confessional with his tail.

The Doctor growled and pulled back from Alex. _Why _did things have to keep interrupting them just as they got close?! If he really wanted to, he'd lock Amy in her room on the TARDIS and lock Alex in his with him until he was finished giving her his exquisite torture.

Alex was also bitter as well. Amy, the Krafayis, what else could interrupt them?! "I think he heard us," she grumbled.

Right then, the beast smashed a hole into the Doctor and Alex's door.

A/N: Stupid Krafayis, interrupting them! Lol, I'm SUCH a tease dragging all this out! Cruel, I know, but it will make THE moment that much greater when it happens. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I know, the way they pronounce it is so weird! All my life, I've heard 'Van Go', even from my art teachers. And as we see, the argument over his name continued in this chapter. Lol, Alex doesn't concede to the Doctor that much, does she? :)

**rycbar15 **- Glad you liked the beginning! I figured that if the Doctor accidentally got himself engaged, why couldn't he accidentally do the same to a companion? It also stemmed from wondering what the Trojan Gardens were and from a personal liking of the Babylonian Hanging Gardens. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yeah, he doesn't visit America much, does he? I wish they would do more episodes set in America, although considering production costs, I doubt that's going to happen. But at least we Americans can defend ourselves! :) And yes, I agree with you about the whole Van Gogh pronunciation thing. Some accents are hard to understand. Today, I was watching a special that recapped the first two seasons of _Torchwood _and at one point, I couldn't understand what Gwen or Rhys were saying because of their accents. It actually sounded like they were speaking Welsh. Glad you love this story! :)

**TimeyWimey12 **- Ugh, I hate grammar errors and ESPECIALLY spelling errors! I've actually stopped reading stories because I finally had enough of the errors. I try not to do the same in my stories. Glad you love this story! :)

**TNTDynamite1999 **- Aw, I'm sorry you're so unhappy with you AP US History class. :( My teacher last year was fantastic and he really made you learn in that class. European History is pretty fascinating. In my class now, we're almost finished with the Renaissance, one of my favorite time periods. :) I think if you really are interested in the subject and are dedicated to doing all the work, you should take it. Glad you love the story and fast updates! :)

**ChessieKittie **- Glad you like jealous Doctor! He gets jealous of pretty much any man within spitting distance of Alex. :) Alex and Vincent do make good friends. They like similar things and are very curious about the world around them. :) Yeah, it is sad they didn't make a huge difference, but at the same time, they did bring him some joy, giving him some comfort in those dark days. :) Thank you! That means a lot! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! And yes, he really should do that! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Four times huh? I'm flattered you like the story so much! :) Glad you love jealous Doctor! There's more of him to come! Lol, glad you liked the beginning! Seems like something that would happen at some point! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Lol, yes, I am quite the tease with these two! If they were real, they'd probably sick a Cyberman or Dalek on me. Glad you liked the holiday though and the part where the Doc almost got her married! Yes, you'd think he'd say they were a couple THEN! :) Yep, Alex can see the Krafayis. Glad you liked the chapters! :)

**newbeth **- Thank you! That really means a lot! :)

**mayfire21 **- Lol, yeah, I love her, but Hillary does have a high voice. :)

**jesterlover **- Lol, glad you liked the marriage part! And yes, she can see the parrot rhino! I have to admit, I burst out laughing when I read that. I was wondering if it would catch on... :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Glad you like those parts! And yes, the Doc is jealous of Vincent. He IS always like that, isn't he? Let's hope that when Jack appears, he doesn't flirt too heavily with Alex, or the Doctor might throw him into the sun. :) Yeah, they are starting to see them as that. We know that's what they're known as in the future, so the fact that the pairing name is starting now is pretty big. I can say that them being paired like that will be a big part of Season 6. :) Hmm, I like Van Gogh alright, but my favorite Impressionist painters are Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir. I like Dali too. His paintings are so strange and interesting, like snapshots of a dream. :) OMG, my jaw dropped when Amy told him Angel was his Mate! Yay, yay, yay! Only question is, will he ponder it some more, or dismiss it? :{

Thank you to everyone reviewed (OMG, we've gotten over the 300 mark!) and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	42. Vincent and the Doctor Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. Doesn't stop me from dreaming though...

Alex screamed and clutched the Doctor closer, burying her face in his neck. Despite their current predicament, she still felt a strange desire to lick the Doctor's neck and taste that musky cologne she loved so much.

The Doctor wanted this too but he pushed his growing desire for her aside to focus on their current problem and possible oncoming death. "That is impressive hearing he's got," he commented, wrapping his arms around Alex comfortingly. "What's less impressive are our chances of survival."

_Thanks for the encouragement, Doc! _Alex thought.

Amy continued to scream as the box began shaking around. Alex's nails dug into the Doctor's back and she bit back her screams. The Doctor was just starting to get worried, until… "Hey! Are you looking for _me_, sonny?!"

Alex looked up in awe as the box suddenly stilled. She and the Doctor shared a thrilled _I'm-so-glad-to-be-alive_ look as Vincent continued to shout at the Krafayis. "Come on, over here! Because I'm right here waiting for you!"

The Doctor eased Alex off his lap and opened the door. Poking her head out, Alex could see Vincent holding the Krafayis off with a chair. Seeing them, Vincent waved them over. "Come on! Quickly!" he urged as Amy's door opened as well. "Get behind me!"

The group wasted no time in doing this. The Doctor kept Alex behind him as he held up his screwdriver, trying to stun the Krafayis. "Doing anything?" he called.

"Nope," Alex answered before the four ran towards the door behind them.

"Where is he?!" the Doctor demanded as Vincent continued to stand in front of them, holding the upturned chair in front of him like a sword.

Alex could've slapped him. "Where the bloody hell do you think he is, you idiot?!" she cried, whacking the back of his head for emphasis.

"Use your head!" Vincent added.

The Doctor ignored the two's insults and instead buzzed the sonic screwdriver over Vincent's shoulder. "Anything?"

"Nothing," Vincent answered as Alex nodded her head in agreement. "In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it." He then whirled around as the creature circled its way over to the Doctor. Alex and Amy stayed behind Vincent as he aimed the chair at the Doctor. "Duck! Left!"

The Doctor quickly obeyed, hurling himself to the left but the Krafayis's tail sent him flying towards a wall on his right. He slammed into it hard, wincing as he made contact. That was going to leave a mark.

Alex screamed and dashed forwards, getting down on her knees to make sure he was alright. As she gingerly tapped his shoulder to make sure nothing was broken, Vincent spoke. "Right, sorry," he apologized. "Your right, my left."

"This is no good at all," the Doctor wheezed. "Run like crazy and regroup."

"Ah, come on!" Amy cried, directing everyone to another door. "In here!" Alex hurriedly helped the Doctor up, straining underneath his weight, as Vincent dropped his chair and rushed after Amy. They all ducked through the door and rushed to try and close it but something was forcing it open.

Looking down, Vincent saw that the Krafayis had its foot stuck in the door, keeping it open for about a foot or two. Acting swiftly, he stomped on it, the creature jerking its foot back and allowing them to close the door.

"Right, okay," the Doctor panted, leaning back against the door as everyone else did the same. "Here's the plan. Amy, Ally, Rory-,"

"Who?" Amy questioned.

"Sorry," the Doctor said hastily, quickly backtracking. "Er, Vincent…"

"What?" Alex cried, trying to save him before Amy could really start questioning him on who Rory was. "What is the plan?"

"I don't know, actually," the Doctor admitted. "My only definite plan is that in future, I'm definitely just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws."

"Oh, it does that too?" Alex asked, not being able to resist asking this cheeky question even in the midst of danger.

"Not now, Ally," the Doctor mildly scolded.

"Give me a second," Vincent jumped in. "I'll be back."

"I suppose we could try talking to him," the Doctor proposed once Vincent had walked off.

"Talking to him?!" Amy repeated incredulously.

"It's actually not a bad idea," Alex admitted.

The Doctor nodded approvingly at her, knowing she'd see his point. "Exactly! No harm trying! Might be interesting to know his side of the story." The Krafayis then screeched outside the door, making the Doctor wince. "Yes, though, maybe he's not really in the mood for conversation right at this precise moment."

The beast then began hammering at the door, desperate to get in and destroy them all. Alex cringed and positioned herself so that she was closer to the Doctor. "No harm in trying," she pointed out.

The Doctor nodded, conceding, and turned to face the door. "Listen!" he called out. "Listen! I know you can understand me, even though I know you won't understand _why_ you can understand me. I also know that no one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but please, listen. I also don't belong on this planet. I also am…alone. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then, and then, who knows?"

Alex noticed that the alien had been quiet for a pretty long stretch. Huh, maybe the Doctor had gotten through to him. But then a window crashed on the other side of the room, little glass shards flying in all directions. The girls screamed and Alex clutched onto the Doctor's arm.

"I'm guessing it's not so understanding!" Alex shrieked as the Doctor pushed her fully behind him.

"Over here, mate!" Vincent shouted, suddenly appearing before them, now brandishing his easel, the three legs pointing upwards. The three ran towards him, the Doctor and Alex ducking behind a stone column while Amy crouched behind a stone monument.

"What's it up to now?" the Doctor asked.

"It's moving round the room," Vincent answered, taking cover next to Amy. "Feeling its way around."

"What?" the Doctor frowned.

"It's like it's trapped," Alex elaborated, cautiously poking her head out from behind the column. "It's moving around the edges of the room." Suddenly, something dawned on her. Holy crap, how had she not seen that? She looked at the Doctor to propose her theory, only to see he also had a look of realization on his face.

"I can't…see…a thing!" Amy hissed.

The Doctor and Alex ignored her. "How did we miss that?" Alex whispered excitedly.

The Doctor nodded. "I am really stupid," he muttered.

"Oh, get a grip!" Amy snapped, not knowing what they were talking about. "This is not a moment to reevaluate your self-esteem!"

"No, I really am stupid, and I'm growing old," the Doctor insisted. "Why does it attack but never eat its victims? And why was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? And why is it feelings its way helplessly around the walls of the room?"

"It can't see!" Alex revealed. "It's blind!" She felt a stab of sympathy for the creature. No wonder he was so violent. Blind and abandoned by his pack? That was the ultimate sign he was unwanted.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, his voice a little louder than before. "And that explains why it has such _perfect _hearing!"

"Which unfortunately also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight for us!" Vincent shouted as everyone came out of their hiding places.

"Girls, get out!" the Doctor ordered, pushing Alex towards the doors while he remained behind with Vincent. "Vincent! Vincent, what's happening?"

"It's charging now," Vincent reported. Alex whirled around just in time to see this very occurrence and she felt her heart tense up. "Get back! Get back!"

The Krafayis then screamed and everyone watched, stunned, as Vincent was lifted up into the air, still clutching his easel. Alex watched as Vincent held on for a few moments before letting go and dropping to the floor. She watched, her heart heavy, as the Krafayis wailed in pain because of the easel now stuck in its chest, blood oozing out. A moment later, the Krafayis fell to the floor, the easel seemingly floating sideways in the air.

"He wasn't without mercy at all," Vincent realized as the group slowly approached the dying Krafayis. "He was without sight. I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant to-,"

"It's alright. We know," Alex assured him as the Doctor knelt down next to the creature and held up his hand, indicating for everyone to be quiet.

"He's trying to say something," he revealed.

"What is it?" Vincent asked as Alex moved over to the Doctor's side. She kneeled down and hesitantly reached out to touch the Krafayis. She felt the alien tense up beneath her but slowly relax as she began to pet it.

"I'm having trouble making it out," the Doctor admitted, "but I think he's saying…'I'm afraid. I'm afraid.'" He reached out and copied Alex's petting of the creature. "There, there," he soothed. "Shush, shush. It's okay, it's okay."

"You'll be fine," Alex murmured. "Shh. Just go to sleep. Go to sleep. Just relax…and go to sleep." With that, the Krafayis breathed his last. Alex felt a huge wave of sorrow wash over her.

"He was frightened, and he lashed out," Vincent realized as the Doctor stood, pulling Alex up with him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly as Vincent continued. "Like humans who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me."

As Amy looped an arm through Vincent's in an attempt to comfort him, the Doctor and Alex headed to the doors. "You know," Alex said suddenly, looking up at the Doctor and exposing the tears in her eyes, "sometimes winning…winning is no fun at all."

Alex looked down, embarrassed, as some tears leaked out. The Doctor gently tilted her head up and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away. "Oh, Ally. I'm so sorry you had to do that," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hairline. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

A few minutes later, Alex was curled up next to the Doctor. The grass beneath her tickled her neck but she didn't mind. Instead, she concentrated on the feeling of the Doctor's chest moving up and down beneath her head and the way Vincent, who was lying next to them in a circle with Amy, was currently describing the night sky above them.

"…are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue. And over there, lighter blue. And blowing through the blueness and blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through, the stars. Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."

"I've seen many things, my friend," the Doctor murmured, lifting a hand to smooth Alex's hair out of her eyes. "But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see."

Vincent smiled, knowing that the Doctor's words were also describing the young almost but not quite blonde-headed girl lying next to him. "I will miss you terribly."

* * *

"I only wish I had something of real value to give you," Vincent apologized the next morning. The only response he received was Amy and Alex's mad giggling as they stared at the object in the Doctor's hand, the painting _Self-Portrait with Straw Hat_.

"Oh, no, no, no," the Doctor grinned. "I could never accept such an extraordinary gift."

Vincent shrugged, not really surprised by this. "Very well," he said, taking back the painting. "You're not the first to decline the offer." He set the painting down and then held his arms out to Amy. "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful."

Amy grinned and stepped towards him. They kissed each-other's cheeks in that weird British way Alex still wasn't used to before hugging each-other. "Be good to yourself, and be kind to yourself," Amy told him before pulling away.

"I'll try my best," Vincent assured her.

"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone," Amy advised.

"I will, I will," he smiled. "And if you tire of this Doctor of yours, return, and we will have children by the dozen!" Alex bit back explosive laughter as she saw Amy's smile become more forced and she let out a little squeak of disgust.

Luckily, Vincent didn't notice for he was already turning to the Doctor. "Doctor, my friend," he said, shaking his hand, "we have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do so well."

The Doctor decided not to say anything, instead drawing Vincent into a tight hug before releasing him. Alex felt tears brim up to her eyes but pushed them down. Vincent was turning to her now. It was her turn.

"Alex, my dear," Vincent smiled at her before hugging her. "I don't think I'll ever be forgetting you."

Alex giggled, not seeing the Doctor's jaw tighten behind her. "I have that effect on people," she laughed. "It's been amazing meeting you, Vincent. I'm really going to miss you."

"Well, since it seems Amy will most likely not return, is there any chance I could snatch you away from the Doctor instead?" Vincent smirked at her as Alex's eyes went wide.

The Doctor crossed his arms to keep himself from reaching over and socking Vincent in the nose. _No, no, no, don't say yes, Alex!_ What would he do if Alex did say yes? He'd probably go ballistic and wrench Alex away from Vincent before locking her in her room on the TARDIS, away from the temptations other men provided. He turned and tried to focus on something, anything, else. _Ooh, lots of paintbrushes, Alex and Vincent are still hugging…this carpet needs to be cleaned, what's Ally thinking right now? Maybe I can tell her Vincent is a fixed point! Oh, look, Starry Night!_

Clearly, it was easier said than done.

"Thanks," Alex said slowly, her voice grabbing the Doctor's attention. "But…I'm not really ready to marry right now. I'm still young and…I want to see as much of the world as possible before I even _think _about settling down."

The Doctor let out a noticeable sigh of relief at this. Yes! She wasn't marrying Vincent Van Gogh! _Alexandria Van Gogh…_ The Doctor bit his lip to keep from laughing. He could just see Alex married to Vincent, forever pronouncing her last name wrong.

Now, Vincent shrugged. "I had to try, didn't I?" he asked, knowing that Alex would never leave the Doctor. It was such a shame, he thought, to be so captivated and in love with the person beside you and never share it. He couldn't understand why the Doctor and Alex tortured themselves so and he hoped that someday, all their acts and pretending would end, and they would be united together as it seemed they were supposed to be.

A few moments later, they were walking out through the courtyard. The Doctor slung his arm around Alex's shoulders as he asked "Are you two thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I was thinking I may need some food or something before we leave," Amy answered.

The Doctor looked at her strangely. "Well, no, you're not thinking _exactly _what I'm thinking." He turned to Alex. "What about you, Ally?"

Alex nodded. "I think so, but I really don't believe it's possible or something we're allowed to do."

"And why do you say that?"

"Won't it cause a paradox or something?"

He smiled down at her. "Sometimes, there are exceptions to rules. This is one of them." Before Amy could ask what they were talking about, the Doctor turned to the window. "Vincent!" he called, summoning the artist, who appeared at the sill…shirtless. The Doctor hoped that Alex was diverting her eyes. "Got something I'd like to show you! Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first." Vincent nodded and ducked away out of sight. He appeared a few minutes later, now properly dressed.

The group headed out the courtyard and down the streets. "Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there _might _be _more_ to life than normal people imagine?" the Doctor said as they came up upon the TARDIS, the blue exterior now completely hidden under advertising posters. The Doctor groaned when he saw this, sending Alex into a fit of giggles.

"Yes," Vincent answered as the Doctor pointedly looked at Alex to get her to stop giggling.

"Ha, well, brace yourself Vinny."

The Doctor pulled out his TARDIS key and used it to cut through the posters, beginning where the door started to unlock. Once he was done, he pushed the door open and ushered Vincent to take a step inside. Vincent obliged but quickly stepped out to look at the time machine's exterior, baffled on how the seemingly tiny box could hold such a vast interior. He walked all around the box trying to figure this out for a good five minutes before he looked over and saw the others leaning against a wall, all bored.

"How come _I'm _the crazy one and you three have stayed sane?" Vincent wondered, heading back inside as the others followed him.

"Oh, the Doctor is far from sane," Alex informed him, taking his hat as Amy shut the door. "He's a madman in a box."

"Thank you Ally!" the Doctor called down from his place on the central platform.

Vincent laughed at her description and headed up to the platform. "What do these things all do?" he asked, frowning at the controls.

"Oh, a huge variety of things," the Doctor answered as he ran around the console. "This one here, for instance, plays soothing music." He pressed the button he was pointing at, sending the sound of flutes and clarinets playing a cheery tune out into the control room. Amy swirled around while the Doctor grabbed Alex and dipped her low to the ground.

"Fancy a dance, Ally?" he asked.

Alex chuckled. "Only if it's the salsa, Doc."

The Doctor laughed and pulled her back up. Keeping her next to him, he reached over and pulled a lever down, sending various taking off sounds out into the room, mixing strangely with the music. "While this one makes a huge amount of noise," he added as he reached for something else. "And _this _one makes everything go absolutely tonto."

Alex frowned at his word choice. "Is that even a word?" she asked, but her question was lost as the TARDIS began shaking, forcing three of the occupants to lunge forward and grip the console while the Doctor ran around piloting.

"And this one?" Vincent asked as the TARDIS began to settle. He reached out to press a certain button but the Doctor hurried up.

"That's the friction contrafibulator!" the Doctor shouted in warning, causing Vincent to jerk his hand back.

"And this?" he asked, pointing to a red light.

"Oh, that's ketchup," the Doctor answered, making Alex look at him, then at the console weirdly. He then pointed to the yellow light next to the red one. "And that's mustard."

"Why is that on the console?" Alex questioned, reaching over to tap the lights hesitantly.

The Doctor shrugged, either not knowing or just dismissing her question. Meanwhile, Vincent grinned. "Nice," he complimented. "Come on. Back to the café, and you can tell me all about the wonders of the universe."

"Good idea," the Doctor replied, giving Amy and Alex a quick wink before directing Vincent down the stairs to the door. "Although, actually, there's a little something I'd like to show you first."

The Doctor stepped out first, Alex right behind him, leaving Vincent and Amy to follow them out. Alex shut the door while Vincent stared around in shock, seeing that they had completely moved at some point. "Where are we?"

"Paris, 2010," Alex answered as she noticed the absence of posters on the TARDIS exterior. She looked around the side and smiled as she noticed a few remainders slowly burning off.

"And this," the Doctor continued, motioning towards the great building in front of them, "is the mighty Musée d'Orsay, home to many of the _greatest_ paintings in history!"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Vincent marveled before he caught sight of a group of people who were carrying handheld radios with music coming out. He frowned in wonder and confusion.

"Oh, just ignore that," the Doctor said quickly, following Vincent's eyes. He ushered him towards the museum. "We've got something more important to show you."

As they went through the museum, Vincent paused to look at a few of the paintings and sculptures, but every time he did so, Alex came and yanked him on the arm, dragging him further into the building. It wasn't long until they were in the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. Once they stepped across the threshold, Alex released his arm, allowing Vincent to step in and stare at the paintings and the crowds of people admiring them in shock.

"Dr. Black," the Doctor called to the familiar tour guide. "We met a few days ago. I asked you about the _Church of Auvers_."

"Oh, yes," Dr. Black recalled as he stepped over to the Doctor. Amy and Alex pushed Vincent closer to the Doctor, his back to Dr. Black. "Glad to be of help. You were nice about my tie."

"Yes," the Doctor said, smiling. As the girls stepped up beside him, he added "And today is another cracker, if I may say so. But I just wondered, between you and me, in a hundred words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"

Alex bit her lip nervously as Dr. Black considered the question. She really hoped Dr. Black said something nice. If not…she shook her head, not allowing herself to think of the dreadful possibilities.

"Well, big question," Dr. Black said. "But to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly, the most _popular_ great painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of color the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world…no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's _greatest _artist, but also one of the greatest _men_ who ever lived."

Right as he finished speaking, Vincent burst into tears.

The Doctor quickly turned around, noticing this. "Vincent. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Is it too much?"

"No, they are tears of joy," Vincent assured him. He turned and approached Dr. Black, hugging him and kissing him on both cheeks. "Thank you, sir. Thank you."

"You're…you're welcome," Dr. Black stuttered in confusion as Vincent released him.

"Sorry about the beard," Vincent added before abruptly turning and heading out of the exhibit, the Doctor, Amy, and Alex following him as Dr. Black just stared at the group in confusion. He'd forever wonder who exactly they were.

* * *

"This changes everything!" Vincent exclaimed as he walked out of the TARDIS, now back in the yard of his Arles home. "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man. I still can't believe that one of the _haystacks _was in the museum. How _embarrassing_."

"It's been a great adventure and a great honor," the Doctor told him, shaking hands and hugging him again.

Vincent grinned. "You've turned out to be the first doctor ever to actually make a difference to my life!"

"I'm delighted," the Doctor grinned back. "I won't ever forget you."

The Doctor headed back towards the TARDIS doors, anxious to leave, while Vincent turned to Amy. "And you are _sure _marriage is out of the question?"

"This time," Amy affirmed, leaping forward and grasping him in a hug before adding "I'm not really the marrying kind." Alex bit the inside of her cheek, afraid her smart mouth might let something slip.

Once Vincent and Amy separated, Amy skipping back to the TARDIS, Vincent turned to Alex. "And I know there is no point in asking you," he said.

Alex smiled, not really sure what to say. "Well, I'm not really the marrying kind either."

"You mean, you are waiting for the Doctor?" Alex's face paled. "It's alright," Vincent assured her. "I understand. It would be wrong to try and separate you two."

"I-I d-don't…"

"But remember," Vincent interjected, interrupting her babbling, "love can only happen if it's actually spoken aloud. Not if it is danced around."

Alex nodded, her eyes a little unfocused and dazed as she processed Vincent's words. "Right," she said slowly. "Thanks."

"I'll never forget you Alex."

"The feeling's mutual," Alex smiled before giving him a quick hug.

Alex headed back to the TARDIS, her head still spinning from Vincent's words. The Doctor stood in the doorway, eagerly awaiting her presence. He smiled at her but then noticed the slightly befuddled expression on her face. "Are you okay?" he asked. "What did he say to you?" He was fully prepared to defend Alex if he learned Vincent had said something upsetting to her.

"Nothing bad," Alex quickly assured him. "Just…puzzling."

"Define puzzling."

"It's nothing," Alex insisted, pushing past him. "Shall we head back to the gallery?"

"Yes!" Amy cried from her place up by the console.

The Doctor sighed, reluctantly resigning himself to not knowing what Vincent said to Alex. "Very well," he agreed, stepping inside and shutting the door. "Off we go."

Alex had never seen Amy more excited than she was as they headed back to the museum. She frowned as Amy bounded out the door. She looked to the Doctor for explanation but he only let out a sharp sigh and grasped her hand, pulling her along after Amy.

"Time can be rewritten!" Amy called over her shoulder as they headed towards the museum. "I know it can!"

"She doesn't actually think…?" Alex questioned.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed.

"Is it?"

"No."

"Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh!" Amy cheered, darting up the steps towards the exhibit. "There'll be hundreds of new paintings!"

"I'm not sure there will," the Doctor cautioned but Amy didn't hear this, instead continuing on, racing to the Van Gogh exhibit.

The Doctor and Alex reached the exhibit just in time to see Amy stop in the center of the room, stunned as she took in the same paintings they had seen already, Dr. Black informing a tour group a little ways away that Vincent had committed suicide at the age of 37. Alex felt her heart sink, even though she knew this was coming. There had been a small silver of hope but ultimately, it wasn't meant to be.

"So, you were right." Amy stepped towards them, her eyes red and filled with tears. "No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all."

"I wouldn't say that," the Doctor objected, releasing Alex's hand to step forward and grip Amy in a tight hug. "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things. But, vice-versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant." He let go of Amy but kept an arm around her shoulders as he added "And we _definitely _added to his pile of good things. And if you look carefully…"

He trailed off, pulling Amy and Alex towards _Church of Auvers_. "Maybe we did indeed make a couple of little changes."

"No Krafayis," Amy realized as she saw the now empty window.

"No Krafayis," the Doctor agreed.

The Doctor released Amy and Alex watched as she wandered towards one of the paintings tucked into an alcove. The Doctor, noticing this, pulled her along and they stopped next to Amy, who was now staring at _Vase with 12 Sunflowers_. On the vase was written _For Amy, Vincent_. The Doctor whistled, impressed.

"If we _had _got married, our kids would have had very, _very _red hair," Amy quipped.

"The ultimate ginger," the Doctor chuckled.

Amy laughed softly. "The ultimate ginge. Brighter than sunflowers."

The Doctor and Amy stared in silence at the painting for a moment. "You're being awful quiet, Ally," the Doctor realized after almost a minute had passed. He turned, but Alex wasn't there.

Amy whirled around as well. "Where's she gone off to?" she wondered. It wasn't like Alex to wander off. She usually stayed right by the Doctor's side. The two looked around for a moment before finally spotting Alex standing in front of a painting, arms crossed and her head cocked, as the tour group talked behind her.

The Doctor and Amy crept closer but stopped upon seeing the painting. "I've never seen that before," Amy whispered.

"Neither have I," the Doctor agreed, shushing her so they could listen to Dr. Black.

"And here we have a truly beautiful painting, one of Van Gogh's finest," he was saying. "This painting is often considered to be one of Van Gogh's best and prettiest. In fact, despite a few interests, Van Gogh refused to sell the painting, saying that he was saving it for a friend. The friend, as some critics believe, was someone called Ally, as the painting is titled _Ally's Roses_."

The Doctor and Amy turned to each-other, stunned. Ally? Vincent only knew one Ally…

The second the tour group moved on, the two hurried forwards to look at the one new painting in the gallery. It was 74 cm by 94 cm, the same size as _Church of Auvers_. The painting showed a vase of brilliant red roses in a hazel colored vase on a table somewhere, sunshine coming in from a window in the background. Alex stood completely still, staring at the beautiful masterpiece before her.

"He remembered I like red roses," she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.

The Doctor smiled down at her and gently put his hand on her shoulder, comforting her. He studied the painting, feeling a sense of euphoria creep over him that Vincent had managed to capture something Alex – and by extension, the Doctor himself – loved perfectly.

"Not bad at all, Mr. Van _Gogh_," he beamed, pronouncing the last name as 'Van Go'.

Alex looked up at him in shock before grinning and leaning back into him as his arm wrapped around her waist.

A/N: Aw, the end! He said it in the _correct _way! And Vincent made a painting for her! Double aw! AND he gave her relationship advice about the Doctor! Basically a chapter full of aw's huh? Sorry for the later update, but I had to do communications homework and then I got caught up in a book I was reading: _Vampire Kisses _by Ellen Schreiber. If you haven't read it, get it. Just to warn you, this will probably be the first of many book/song/TV shows/movie recommendations from me. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yes, darn that Krafayis! How dare he interrupt them! The polite thing to do would've been to wait a minute or two before attacking... :) And did you like the part where the Doctor pronounced 'Van Gogh' in the correct way? :) Good luck with your homework! Hopefully it wasn't as bad as the homework I had to do last night: writing down the title, artist, medium, date completed, and location today of _twenty-four _works of Renaissance art for A.P. European History. :(

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Lol, good to know I'm not hated! I know, so close! Lol, sorry about the blood vessel! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox** - *blushes like mad* Thank you! That really means so much! :)

**ChessieKittie **- Ooh, the mind boggles at that...hopefully Jack will have enough sense not to flirt with her TOO heavily! :) Don't worry, they'll get a kiss...eventually! :) I am planning on doing all of Season 6 and Season 7 and also the 50th Anniversary Special, but anything after that is up in the air. There are some ideas rattling around in my head regarding 11 and I want to wait and see what I think of the 12th Doctor before I go ahead with them. And since I am doing Season 7, Alex will meet Clara. I haven't got Season 7 written yet, but I will say that Alex and Clara will be good friends and Alex will be curious about her. :) Lol, that is something likely to happen with those two!

**Gwilwillith **- Yes, yes I am cruel. Thanks! :)

**Percabeth Jackson** - Sorry, only one update a day! :( Glad you like the story so much that you want more though! :)

**NunquamAlius **- She does have a habit of doing that or interrupting them, doesn't she? Maybe the Doctor should invent that companion muzzle he was thinking about back in 'Amy's Choice'... :)

**ShadowTeir **- Oh God, I didn't even think of THAT! I just thought 'exquisite torture' sounded good, lol! But you never know... :) Yes, damn the aliens for interrupting them! I can't damn Amy, she's one of my favorite companions, but everything else we can damn! :)

**JackSpicer2311** - Sorry, Marigold and Lacey are only going to appear in 'Death of the Doctor'. :( Ooh, that is a good idea. Sadly, since almost all of this story is already written, that won't be in here. I will have to save it for future reference though... :)

**jesterlover **- Yes, WHY?! Lol, I laughed so hard reading that! A prino...I think I just got an Alex line for the future! :D

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Oh, don't worry about that. :) Glad you liked the chapters! And yes, I do love torture... :)

**TheGirlBehindTheRayBands **- When will the interruptions stop?! Lol, glad you love the story! Oh yes, Jack better watch what he says around the Doctor to Alex. And I will say that Jack flirting with Alex might not be the only thing that could potentially get him thrown into the sun... :) Yes, they do need a huge make-out session and guess what? They WILL have one! :D Can't say when though, but rejoice in the fact that it WILL happen! :D

**Ahsilaa** - Glad you like River's reaction to Alex. There are a lot of OC stories out there where they have this fun sisterly bond, and while I'm not opposed to it, I wanted to do something different with this story. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- No one's dying! I promise! Unless you count the Krafayis, but he was going to die anyway. No, I could never kill Alex off. It would be too sad. Glad you're psyched for Jack! :) Hmm, good question...I never even thought of that. No, I don't think Craig is going to see that. The way I interpreted that scene was that the Doctor was only giving Craig enough information about him and Alex to let him know that he was an alien and that they were time-travelers and that they came to investigate the upstairs flat. But I might use that in a future story... :) Oh my gosh, it would! Definitely more teasing and flirting going on than there is already! Yes, I keep interrupting the Dalex moments. I'm so evil! :} And no, HE REMEMBERED! Kovarian better start running as fast as she can! Glad you liked the chapter and don't worry about telling me. I could already tell. :)

**rycbar15 **- Glad you liked the chapter! Yes, they can't stay away from each-other can they, no matter how hard they try. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed (I think last chapter hit a new record high!) and to those that followed/favored this story. Tomorrow, we start 'The Lodger'. What fun shenanigans will our favorite time-travelers get into? :) Please review and see you tomorrow!


	43. The Lodgers Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

The Doctor poked his head out the TARDIS door. He sighed. "No, girls, it's definitely not the fifth moon of Cindie Colesta," he reported. "I think I can see a Ryman's."

Alex poked her head out as well. "Yep, that's definitely a Ryman's and this is definitely Earth," she agreed. She squinted out a little into the distance. "Oh, there's a House of Fraser!" She glanced down ruefully at her outfit. She was still dressed in 80s era clothes from their previous trip to an Ian Dury concert. While pretty, her short black dress, black tights, pink leather jacket, low black-lace-up heels, and octopus earrings didn't exactly blend in with modern-day England.

"No shopping, Alex," the Doctor shuddered. He hated anything with the word 'store' in it.

But before Alex could come up with a witty retort, they were suddenly thrown forwards onto the ground as the TARDIS doors slammed shut and the engines started up. "Amy! Amy!" the Doctor shouted, rolling over onto his back. Alex lifted her head just in time to see the blue box fade away, Amy still inside.

"Amy!" Alex shrieked, her eyes wide as she watched the box disappear completely.

"This is not good," the Doctor murmured beside her. "This is not good at all."

Alex shot to her feet. "Oh, you think?" she cried, pulling him up. "Now what are we supposed to do since the TARDIS has apparently decided to mutiny against you?"

"Oi!" The Doctor glared at her. "Mutiny against _me_?! What about you, eh?"

"The TARDIS loves me!" Alex cried. "You said so yourself! I'm always nice to her! You were probably messing with something you weren't supposed to, as usual!"

"As usual?!" The Doctor stepped towards her, forcing Alex to take a step back. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're always tinkering and _fixing _things you shouldn't!" Alex retorted. "Like that microwave you made explode last week?"

"That was a freak thing!"

Alex snorted. "Yeah, it might've been if you weren't crossing two different colored wires together!"

"Oi!" a voice came from across the street. The two turned to see a man walking a tiny Pomeranian, the man glaring at them. "Keep the domestics inside or I'll call the cops!" the man shouted at them.

"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" the Doctor and Alex screamed. The Pomeranian started yapping, anxious to get away from all this yelling, and the man shot another dark glare at the time-travelers before being led off by the dog.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, we need to stop arguing. It's getting us nowhere."

"Agreed," the Doctor seconded. "Sorry."

Alex nodded, accepting his apology. "What caused the TARDIS to go off like that, assuming she wasn't mutinying against either one of us?"

The Doctor began pacing, running a hand through his hair as he tried to work out the problem. "Not sure. Could be any number of things. The TARDIS is sensitive. It'd have to be something pretty big to scare her off."

"So, we find out what it is, stop it, and then get the TARDIS back?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's about right." He reached over and grabbed her hand. "Come on. Let's walk. Standing around here is making my brain go dull."

Alex laughed as he pulled her down the road, dodging cars and random pedestrians. After passing a bunch of tenement houses, they came to a small shopping district. Alex found a small coffee shop and sat down at one of the outdoor tables while the Doctor ducked in and grabbed two cappuccinos. He soon joined her and watched as Alex sipped at the coffee gratefully.

Alex nearly moaned. This coffee was _delicious_. "So much better than Vincent's," she murmured.

The Doctor snorted a little. "Okay, we need to figure out what's going on."

"But how long could that take, since we don't even know what _is _going on?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Could be a few hours. Might possibly be even a few days."

Alex groaned. "Then we'll need a place to stay then." She looked around the street, as if the answer to this problem would suddenly pop up. However, all she saw was a newspaper stand, a bunch of posh looking women in heels stepping out of a boutique, a young teenager at the table next to them talking loudly on his cell-phone, and a bunch of pieces of paper taped to the window inside the coffee shop. Suddenly, Alex's eyes fixed in on one note in particular.

She jumped up, startling the Doctor, who nearly spilled his drink on himself. Alex ignored him though, instead dashing inside the shop and over to the window. The Doctor watched as Alex examined the pieces of paper for a moment before ripping one near her eye-level off.

"Look at this," she announced as she came back outside. She handed the small piece of paper to the Doctor. "Read it."

The Doctor squinted at the almost illegible handwriting. _Doctor, Alex – this one, no 79A Aickman Road, Amy XX_.Underneath this was the official advertisement for the flat.

"You're sure this is our Amy?" the Doctor asked.

Alex let out a wry laugh. "How many other 'Doctor's' and 'Alex's' could there be?" she rhetorically asked. "Plus, that's definitely Amelia Pond's handwriting." Alex could remember the many times where she had tried to decipher Amy's penmanship on the grocery list back in Leadworth and failed miserably.

The Doctor nodded and took a quick sip of his drink before tossing it in the trash-can. "Come on, Ally!" he cried, tossing her drink into the trash and pulling her out of her chair. "Let's go meet our new landlord!"

"Wait!" Alex cried, skidding to a stop and jerking him back. "We need money! Don't you see here? It requires four hundred pounds a month!"

"Right!" the Doctor winced. "Money. Where do we get that?"

Alex was about to wryly suggest a job until she spotted an ATM just around the corner. "Over there!" she directed, pointing to the machine.

The two hurried over to the machine. "You've got money, don't you?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, but certainly not four hundred pounds!" Alex bent down and studied the machine. "Don't you have any money from your days at UNIT?"

"I told them I didn't want to be paid."

Alex let out a loud groan. "Great, that's a big help!"

The Doctor sighed and reached into his jacket. "Hold on," he said, withdrawing his sonic and passing it to her. "Hold that for a minute. I'm pretty sure there's a bag in here somewhere."

Alex watched him, fascinated, as the Doctor rummaged through his jacket pockets and started pulling out various things and setting them on top of the ATM. There was a yo-yo, a feather pen, the psychic paper, an Abraham Lincoln bobble-head, a tennis racket, and, stranger than that, a Barbie doll.

Alex frowned as this last one was passed to her. "Bloody hell, where is it?" the Doctor muttered.

"Doc, do I want to know why you have a Barbie doll in your jacket?" Alex asked, fingering the doll's blonde hair.

The Doctor ignored her, sort of answering that question for her. "Aha!" he cried as he finally pulled out a large brown paper bag and unfolded it. He passed it to Alex and took back the Barbie, stuffing it and everything else back in his pockets. "Okay Ally, use the sonic and buzz the machine. Then, collect all the money that comes out."

Alex got down on her knees and placed the bag in front of the slot. She fingered the sonic and frowned. Though she'd seen the Doctor use it many times, she wasn't exactly sure how it worked. It didn't really have that many buttons. Alex had always assumed it was mainly operated through some sort of psychic programming.

The Doctor watched her as she attempted to work the sonic. "For Rassilon's sakes Ally!" he cried. "It's not rocket science!"

"No, it's _Time Lord _science," she retorted. Alex pressed a button and aimed it at the machine. However, this only resulted in a bunch of dogs nearby spontaneously howling.

The Doctor grimaced and yanked the sonic away from her. "Never mind," he muttered, waving the sonic around, causing whatever Alex had done to end, the dogs now silent. He looked around, making sure no one was watching them, before aiming the sonic at the machine and using the device on it. The sonic issued its familiar buzzing and Alex gasped and nearly staggered backwards as a bunch of notes flew out of the machine.

Alex hurriedly gathered the notes and put them in the bag. "This is way more than four hundred," she reported as she stood up.

The Doctor shrugged and pocketed the sonic. "We need to get in there. Amy wouldn't write a note if it wasn't important."

"What are we going to call ourselves?" Alex asked as they headed back towards the street they had originally come from.

The Doctor stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't say you're the Doctor and I'm your companion," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't normal! It sounds weird."

"Alright then, what do you suggest?"

"I don't know," Alex shrugged. She thought for a moment. "We need some kind of relationship with each-other. Friends? Cousins? Brother and sister?"

The Doctor quickly shook his head, shuddering as she said 'brother and sister'. The way he treated and looked at Alex was _not_ in a brotherly way. Honestly, he didn't know what he was thinking suggesting they be father and daughter or siblings back in Venice. "No, no, that's too…"

"Too weird," Alex finished, shuddering also.

They walked on in silence for a moment, fastly approaching the intended house. Then, the Doctor spoke up. "Well, we are friends, right? We can just be that."

"Absolutely," Alex agreed. She had secretly been thinking about possibly pretending to be a couple like everyone they encountered thought they were but she was pretty sure the Doctor would never go for that.

The two climbed the steps up to the house. As the Doctor rang the doorbell, Alex felt a pounding start in her head. She winced and looked up. Strangely, that only made the pounding worse.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked after hearing her wince.

Alex cringed and rubbed her forehead. "I'm fine. It's just a headache."

Right as she finished saying that, the door opened, revealing a young rotund man holding a set of fluffy pink keys. "I love you," he cried to a person he had been expecting to see on the doorstep instead of the Doctor and Alex.

Alex arched an eyebrow while the Doctor grinned. "Well, that's good, because we're your new lodgers," he said without missing a beat. Grabbing the keys from the man, he added "Do you know, this is going to be easier than I expected."

The man frowned at them. "But I only put the advert up today," he protested. "I didn't put my address."

"Well, aren't you lucky we came along? More lucky than you know." The Doctor glanced back down at the advertisement before adding "Less of a young professional, though Alex here could probably qualify as that. More of an ancient amateur, but frankly I'm an absolute dream."

"Hang on a minute, mate! I don't know if I want you staying." The man reached out and grabbed the keys from the Doctor. "And give me back those keys! You can't have those."

"Yes, quite right," the Doctor mused while Alex stood there, wondering why he was behaving so oddly when he had behaved almost normally in Bristol. "Have some rent."

He thrust the paper bag of money at the man and Alex watched as his eyes grew wide as he saw the large amount inside. "That's probably quite a lot, isn't it? Looks like a lot. Is it a lot? I can never tell." Before Alex knew what was happening, the Doctor was pulling her past the man, through the doors, and into the small entryway. She managed to let out a little yelp and send an apologetic smile over her shoulder before the Doctor began blabbering on again.

"Don't spend it all on sweets," the Doctor advised over his shoulder. "Unless you like sweets. I like sweets. Ooh…"

Alex, whose attention had been focused on a series of flickering lights above them and the fact that when she looked at the staircase her headache got worse, turned just in time to see the Doctor give the man, for whatever reason, air kisses on either side of his face.

"That's how we greet each other nowadays, isn't it?" the Doctor asked no one in particular. "I'm the Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor. I don't know why. I call me the Doctor, too. Still don't know why."

Alex shook her head. What happened to Dr. John Smith? "Ignore him," she spoke up. "That's what I tend to do."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her. "Ah, yes, feel free to ignore her as well, at least when she's being annoying."

"I'm _never _annoying, Doc," Alex smiled sweetly. "I'm the living definition of _perfect_."

The Doctor snorted and muttered something under his breath about Alex having a big head. Alex merely ignored him, hardly bothered, and stepped up to their potential new landlord. "Hi. I'm Alexandria Locke, but you can call me Alex."

The man nodded and shook her head, liking her already. "Craig Owens," he introduced himself but his attention quickly went back to the Doctor. "The Doctor?"

"Yep," the Doctor confirmed.

Alex shook her head. "Again, ignore him," she said in a low breath, knowing she needed to explain the Doctor's bizarre behavior in a way that would make sense. "He just got off some very, _very _powerful medication. Withdrawal side effects include everything you see here, plus a tendency to invade personal space and dress oddly." She was pleased to see Craig nod along, evidently believing her.

"Who lives upstairs?" the Doctor abruptly asked, his attention going towards the stairs and to the door at the top. Alex followed his gaze, her head pounding as she did so. Before she lowered her gaze, she saw that the door at the top was an exact copy of the front door, right down to the cat flap.

Craig shrugged. "Just some bloke."

Alex looked at him, puzzled. How did you not know anything about your roommate who lived just upstairs? It was practically impossible, not to mention a little disconcerting. "What's he look like?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual voice.

"Normal," Craig shrugged, which didn't really provide anything useful. "He's very quiet." Right as he finished saying this, there was a loud crash from the floor above.

Alex raised an eyebrow as she looked up at the ceiling. _Yes, that's very quiet!_ She thought snippily.

Craig blushed, as if sensing her thoughts. "Usually," he added.

The Doctor shrugged, seemingly accepting this, though Alex was sure he suspected something was going on, same as her. Still clutching her hand, he pulled her along through the door on the left of the stairs.

"Sorry, who are you again?" Craig called after them. "Hello? Excuse me?"

"Ah," the Doctor hummed as he abruptly stopped in the living-room/kitchen area. Alex followed his gaze up to a large gray stain on one corner of the ceiling. She stared at it, wondering what exactly it was.

"Is that dry rot?" she asked Craig, releasing the Doctor's hand to step a little closer to the stain.

"Or damp. Or mildew," Craig suggested as the Doctor followed Alex. He wasn't sure what that stain was but he didn't want Alex getting too close to it. Who knew what might happen.

"Or none of the above," the Doctor added.

But Alex was still preoccupied with what Craig had said. "You don't know?" she asked, whirling around to look at him disbelievingly. How could anyone not know what a stain on their ceiling was? And why didn't Craig get it fixed?

As if sensing her thoughts, Craig quickly assured her "I'll get someone to fix it."

"No, I'll fix it," the Doctor jumped in. Like Alex, he didn't trust that stain or some common repairman to try and work on it. "I'm good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister. No, I'm the Doctor, don't call me the Rotmeister."

"Good," Alex smiled. "It sounds like the name of some vicious Rottweiler. Or a shock collar for dogs."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her, much to Craig's amusement. The two really seemed to enjoy teasing and bantering each-other, trying to rile the other up. "This is the most beautiful parlor I have ever seen," the Doctor said suddenly, in an attempt to break the silence. "You're obviously a man of impeccable taste."

Alex looked around the parlor. It was all right, not as fancy as the ones she was accustomed to were. There were a few well-worn chairs and a leather couch, along with some outdated green shag carpeting and a few bookshelves with books and knick-knacks on them. Opposite the sofa was a decently sized flat-screen. At least if she got bored while they were here, she could entertain herself by trying to figure out what was happening on _Coronation Street_.

She smiled at Craig and watched as his eyes widened a little as he saw her eyes change colors. "We can stay, can't we?" she asked, skipping up to him. The Doctor smirked, knowing hardly anyone could resist Alex's charm. "Please, please, please, please, please?"

Chuckling a little in spite of himself, Craig said "You haven't even seen the room."

"The room?" the Doctor repeated, mostly focused on the fact that there was only _one _room for rent. He'd have to share with Alex, which oddly, wasn't such a horrible thing.

"Your room," Craig confirmed. Suddenly, something dawned on him. "Wait, what are you two exactly? Married?"

"No, no," the Doctor and Alex said simultaneously, shaking their heads. Craig noticed that their faces were getting a little red as well.

"Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" he tried.

The head-shaking got faster, Alex's hair nearly creating whiplash. "No, not a couple," she corrected.

"Friends," the Doctor added.

"Just friends," Alex stated, feeling her heart-rate speed up. Why that was happening, she didn't know. She and the Doctor _were _friends, so they weren't really lying. Sure, she had a crush on the Doctor but no one, not even the Doctor himself, knew about that. So why was she so nervous?

Craig looked at them a little weirdly but nodded all the same. "Okay, it's just down here." He led them back out through the living-room out into the entryway. Alex tried to ignore the increased pounding in her head as she followed Craig to a door just opposite the stairs.

"Yeah, this is Mark's old room," Craig explained as he pushed the door open, revealing a room that perfectly matched Alex's 80s outfit. "He owns the place. Moved out about a month ago. This uncle he'd never even heard of died and left a load of money in the will."

Alex arched an eyebrow. _Awfully convenient,_ she thought, wondering whether she and the Doctor had something to do with that.

The Doctor nodded, thinking this as well. "How very convenient," he said aloud, echoing Alex's thoughts. He stepped into the room as Alex hesitantly sat down on the bed. "This'll do just right. In fact-," However, he was cut off as a loud crash sounded above their heads, followed by a bunch of banging before going quiet again.

Alex frowned. "Good lord," she muttered, standing on the bed so she could try and listen at the ceiling. "What is he doing? Moving furniture?"

Craig shrugged, indicating he didn't know while the Doctor reached over and wrapped his arms around Alex's waist. "Alex, get down from there," he said, lifting her down and setting her on the floor next to him. "You're making me nervous."

Alex smirked at him as she regained her balance, noticing he still had his arms wrapped around her waist. "What, would a simple _Ally, please come down_, not suffice?"

The Doctor smiled down at her, almost forgetting Craig was in the same room with them. But before he could truly get lost in his fantasies of kissing Alex, another bang came from upstairs. Frowning, he released Alex and licked his finger, holding it up. "No time to lose," he muttered, before turning back to Craig with a big smile.

"We'll take it!" he declared. "Ah, you'll want to see our credentials." He pulled the psychic paper out and flashed it quickly in front of Craig before putting it behind his back and holding it out with his other hand each time he came to a new reference. "There! National Insurance numbers, NHS numbers, references…"

Craig's eyes widened at one particular reference. "Is that a reference from the Archbishop of Canterbury?!" he cried.

"He did my christening," Alex lied smoothly while the Doctor looked at the paper, baffled as to why it showed that.

"Yes," the Doctor said slowly, tucking the paper back into his jacket. "Ally's family here is practically a reference itself." Not seeing that Alex looked pretty embarrassed, he mouthed _G-Locke _to Craig.

Craig's eyes widened again as he took in the young heiress standing in the shabby room. "Really? Cool!" he exclaimed.

Now noticing that Alex's face was slowly turning beet red, the Doctor grasped her hand. "Are you hungry, Alex?" he asked before pulling her out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen, giving her no time to reply. "I'm hungry."

"I haven't got anything in!" Craig informed them, coming in just in time to see the Doctor rummaging through the refrigerator while Alex hopped up on the countertop next to the stove.

"You've got everything I need for an omelet," the Doctor assured him, shutting the refrigerator and grabbing a pan from somewhere to set on the stove. Grabbing an egg out of a carton, he expertly cracked it into the pan. "Fines herbes, pour trois!" On this, he ruffled Alex's hair, causing her to giggle.

Craig watched them, wondering if they really were friends or not. They certainly _acted _like a couple. No friends of his would worry that much if he stood on a bed to try and listen at a ceiling, except perhaps Sophie. He watched as Alex craned her head to see what the Doctor was doing while the Doctor tried to keep her back, saying she'd get hurt from all the steam.

"You're _sure _you're not a couple?" he couldn't help but ask again.

"Positive," Alex and the Doctor simultaneously replied, not even looking up at him.

Craig raised his eyebrows at their continued synched speech. "You do that a lot?" he asked.

"Yes," they both answered, before looking up and grinning at him, Alex giggling a little.

Anxious to change the subject to something other than her and the Doctor's relationship, Alex craned her head to look at the stuff decorating the refrigerator. She was pleased to see a postcard advertising the Musee d'Orsay's Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. She had bought a postcard of _Ally's Roses _in the museum gift-shop, now tucked into a corner of her bathroom mirror. Also on the refrigerator was a photograph of Craig and a pretty blonde girl.

"Who's the girl, if you don't mind my asking?" Alex asked.

Craig glanced at the photo before replying. "No problem. That's my friend, Sophie."

"Girlfriend?" Alex pressed.

"A friend who is a girl," Craig corrected her. "There's nothing going on."

"Oh, that's completely normal," the Doctor said, thinking about his prior girl companions who he had had platonic relationships with, except Rose, of course. He looked over at Alex and smiled. "Works for me."

_Wouldn't you like for it to be more though?_ His subconscious inquired.

_Shut up!_ He thought, quickly tuning back in to what Craig was saying before he or Alex noticed he wasn't listening.

"…met at work about a year ago, at the call center."

"Oh, really, a communications exchange?" the Doctor asked as he grinded pepper into the omelets. "That could be handy."

"Firm's going down though," Craig went on. "The bosses are using a totally rubbish business model. I know what they should do. I got a plan all worked out. But I'm just a phone drone, I can't go running in saying I know best." He then let out a slight laugh as Alex wrinkled her nose, watching the Doctor put ham into the pan. "Why am I telling you two this? I don't even know you!"

"Well, I've got one of those faces," the Doctor easily replied as he mixed the omelets. "People never stop blurting out their plans while I'm around."

"And I'm just easy to talk to," Alex smiled, crossing her legs daintily.

Craig chuckled, which grew into an all-out snort as he watched Alex's expression sour as she watched the Doctor cook. Clearly, she wasn't very taken with his food. "Right," he said, smiling back at her. While he wasn't sure about this Doctor bloke, he did like Alex. "Where's your stuff?"

"Oh, don't worry, it'll materialize," the Doctor answered. "If all goes to plan."

Craig frowned in confusion and looked at Alex for guidance. Feigning annoyance, Alex rolled her eyes. "He means it's late," she huffed. "Never use a first-year moving company. I told him and I told him, but he hardly ever listens to me."

"Thanks for the vote in confidence, Ally," the Doctor retorted, playing along.

"Always happy to help, Doc!" Alex chirped.

"You sound American," Craig noticed, pointing at Alex. "How'd you two meet?"

The Doctor and Alex smirked at each-other. "Cambridge," the Doctor answered, winking at her.

Alex nearly chortled, remembering the ridiculous lie they'd come up with when Marigold first met the Doctor. Luckily, she caught herself before their already fragile cover could be blown. "He's right. I was taking a tour of Cambridge. He was working as an advisor there at the time."

The Doctor laughed a little. This was pretty fun. "I gave her the tour around," he added. "She pestered me with so many bloody questions…"

"Hey!" Alex cried, temporarily forgetting that this scenario wasn't even real.

"Sorry," the Doctor laughed, ruffling her hair a little.

Alex giggled and pushed his hand away. "And I guess he was so enchanted with me, I haven't been able to get rid of him since."

Craig smiled. They were so cute together. They really seemed to enjoy each-other's company. Aloud, he said "So you've just been hanging around her ever since?"

"Pretty much," the Doctor confirmed.

"You seem pretty comfortable with each-other," Craig commented.

"We've been living with each-other for a while now," Alex explained, happy to tell the truth. They were, in a way, roommates.

"So, why'd you move?"

"Change of scenery," the Doctor evasively answered as he finished the omelets and began preparing plates. "Ha! There we are! Bon appétit!"

* * *

"Oh, that was incredible!" Craig exclaimed as he sunk into the sofa after polishing off his omelet. The Doctor and Alex sat across from him, Alex perched on one of the chair's armrests.

"Yeah, not too bad, Doc," Alex complimented. Despite her initial misgivings, the Doctor's omelet was delicious. Maybe she was too quick to judge his culinary habits. Maybe that fish fingers and custard combo wasn't so bad after all.

She shuddered. No, it sounded _awful_. No way in hell was she ever eating that, even if the Doctor's meals were delicious.

"That was absolutely _brilliant_," Craig corrected her. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"Paris, in the eighteenth century," the Doctor answered before reconsidering his answer. "No, hang on, that's not recent, is it? Seventeenth?"

Alex shook her head. God, she was going to kill him. "Twentieth," she ground out between clenched teeth.

The Doctor nodded quickly, sensing her growing aggravation. "Right, twentieth! Sorry, I'm not used to doing them in the right order."

Craig looked at him in wonder. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?"

"They never really stop," the Doctor smiled, not at all bothered by the question. "Ever been to Paris, Craig?"

Craig shook his head. "Nah, I can't see the point of Paris. I'm not much of a traveler."

"I can tell from your sofa," the Doctor nodded, causing Craig to frown at him and Alex to cock her head in confusion as she tried to work his thinking out.

"My sofa?" Craig questioned.

"You're starting to look like it," the Doctor clarified. Alex, stunned, frowned and immediately whacked him on the back of the head. The Doctor let out a yelp and turned to give her a look.

Alex wasn't bothered though. "Don't be rude!" she hissed.

Then, much to Alex's relief, Craig started to laugh. "Thanks, mate, that's lovely! No, I like it here. I'd miss it, I'd miss…"

"Those keys."

"What?"

The Doctor nodded to the fluffy pink keys in Craig's hand that he'd been playing with for the past few minutes. "You're sort of…_fondling _them."

"I'm _holding _them," Craig argued. He stood, pointedly leaving the keys on the armrest.

"Right," the Doctor said skeptically, drawing the word out slightly. He and Alex watched as Craig headed towards the kitchen, grabbing something off a cabinet near the door.

"Anyway…these are your keys," Craig explained as he headed back towards them, holding up three keys looped around a chain.

The Doctor grinned, jumping up. "We can stay?" he asked, turning around briefly to pull Alex up.

"Yeah, you're weird, you can cook, and I like Alex. It's good enough for me."

Alex smiled happily. "It's the Southern charm."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, even though he knew she was right about that whole Southern charm thing. Craig snorted a little and held the keys out. "Right," he explained, holding up each key and ticking it off. "Outdoor…front door…your door."

"My door," the Doctor grinned, taking the keys. "My place. My gaff."

"Ours, Doc," Alex corrected.

The Doctor nodded. "Right, sorry. Ha, ha! Yes! Me with a key…er, _us _with a key."

"And listen," Craig began, leaning in a little closer, "Mark and I, we had an arrangement where if you ever need me out of your hair, just give me a shout, okay?"

The Doctor frowned. "Why would I want that?"

"In case you want to bring someone round," Craig clarified. "A girlfriend or…a boyfriend?" Noticing the slight discomfort in the Doctor's eye when he made this inquiry, Craig turned to Alex. "You too, Alex."

Craig looked back up just in time to see the Doctor's eyes darken and his hand wrap around Alex's waist, clutching her possessively. "Oh, I will," the Doctor answered as he tried not to vomit at the thought of Alex bringing some young stud in off the street and pinning him down on the bed in their room. "I'll shout if that happens."

Alex, meanwhile, was also feeling a little uncomfortable. Aside from her headache, which was gently increasing in pain amount, she also felt a little ill at the image of the Doctor bringing some blonde bimbo in from a club nearby and kicking her and Craig out so he could have her all to himself. Of course, she knew the Doctor would never do such a thing, but the image still refused to leave her mind.

"Don't worry about me Craig," she said. "That's not going to happen."

The Doctor visibly relaxed in relief at this bit of news. "Yes. Something like, I was not expecting this!" He started to head off but quickly doubled back. "By the way, that?" he said, pointing up at the mysterious gray stain. "The rot? I've got the strangest feeling we shouldn't touch it." Then, before Alex knew it, she was being pulled along towards hers and the Doctor's new room.

"Wait!" Craig called after him. "Don't you need another bed or something, since there's two of you? I mean, I don't have one, but I'm sure I can conjure something up."

The Doctor waved him off. "No, we're fine!" Honestly, he couldn't imagine not sharing the bed with Alex. He had immensely enjoyed the few times he was able to stay in bed with her and he'd actually been looking forward to doing that again ever since he saw the room. Since he couldn't say any of this to Craig though, he settled for another truth. "Got used to it when we got stuck in a Moroccan jail cell for a week."

He headed off down the hall while Alex just stood there, watching Craig's disbelieving expression. "He's joking, right?" Craig asked.

Alex shook her head. "Sadly, no. Some advice? Never insult the King of Morocco. They'll throw you in jail and those places practically reek of Hepatitis C." She shuddered, remembering their stay there. It hadn't been too bad though. The Doctor had entertained her with stories of past companions, including one that almost had her rolling around on the dusty floor, about a companion named Tegan trying to strangle another companion, Adric, and the Doctor's various attempts to break them up.

Leaving Craig to digest this, Alex went down the hall and into their room. Shutting the door behind her, she found the Doctor sitting on the bed, patiently waiting for her. "Having fun, Ally?" he asked.

"Yeah, loads," Alex answered. She shrugged her jacket off, neatly placing it across the back of the desk chair. Right then, a sharp pain went off in her head. "Ah!" she cried, staggering back a little.

The Doctor shot to his feet and was standing by her in less than a second. "Ally, what's wrong? Are you okay? Well, obviously you're not. What is it?"

Alex grimaced and rubbed her forehead. "It's just a headache, Doc," she replied but she winced again as another tremor went through her. "But it…really hurts."

The Doctor quickly guided her towards the bed. "Just rest, Ally," he said, pulling out the covers and putting them over her. Once she was settled, he went over and adjusted the window blinds, making the room nice and dark. "Take a nap. I need to figure out a way to contact Amy anyway."

"In the dark?"

The Doctor sat in the desk chair, placing Alex's jacket down on the desk. "Time Lord, Ally."

Alex nodded. "Right. Sorry."

"Stop talking," the Doctor ordered, but Alex caught a bit of teasing in his voice. "Sleep. I'll wake you when I get through to Amy."

Alex nodded and eased her head down on the pillow. Though her head was still pounding, she felt a little soothed by the darkness. But knowing that the Doctor was there with her made her feel even more soothed. She felt safe and secure with him there beside her and she knew she didn't want this feeling to go away any time soon.

Alex sighed and closed her eyes, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over her. Sleep. Yes. Sleep was good.

* * *

Alex shifted away as she felt someone shaking her shoulder. Honestly. Why would someone be trying to wake her when she was resting and at peace?

"Five more minutes, Mom," she muttered. She wasn't even sure why she said that. Her mom was long dead and Alex couldn't ever recall her five year old self being woken this way.

"Ally, it's me," a familiar voice broke in through her subconscious. Slowly, Alex opened her honey-glazed eyes and looked up into a lovely set of dark green ones.

"Hi, Doc." Alex sat up a little, noticing the Doctor was sitting right next to her. She squinted in the light coming from the bedside lamp. "How long was I asleep?"

"Just a couple of hours," the Doctor informed her. "How's your head?"

A small twinge of pain answered that question. Alex cringed. "It still hurts, but not as much as before."

The Doctor nodded. "Don't worry. It's probably just from all the banging around in the TARDIS." Actually, he hadn't ever known that to happen, but it wasn't _completely_ impossible.

Alex nodded, accepting this, but she was pretty sure there was something more to these headaches. If they were a result of traveling in the TARDIS, she should've gotten them a long time ago. Also, they hadn't started until they came to Craig's. Her head muscles twitched again and Alex sighed. God, it was really bad when it actually hurt to _think_.

"You figure out a way to contact Amy yet?" she asked, leaning back against the headboard.

The Doctor grinned and nodded. "Yep!" he confirmed, reaching up and tapping a device on his ear.

Alex peered closer. "Is that a Bluetooth?" she wondered. "Since when do you have a Bluetooth?"

"You'd be surprised what a person like me collects after so many years of traveling."

"Including a Barbie doll?"

The Doctor ignored her, instead flopping back on the mattress. "Earth to Pond! Earth to Pond!" he called, tapping the earpiece. "Come in Pond!"

"_Doctor!_" Alex heard Amy exclaim before a bunch of feedback sounded, causing the Doctor to wince. "_Sorry._"

"Could you not wreck my new earpiece, _Pond_?" the Doctor snapped at her. "How's the TARDIS coping?"

"_See for yourself,_" Amy replied. Alex shifted down to rest her head on the Doctor's chest so she could hear better…and get closer to the Doctor, if she was being honest with herself. Alex frowned as she caught the sounds of malfunctioning machinery coming from the earpiece. Glancing up, she saw that the Doctor was doing the same.

"Ooh, nasty," he murmured. "She's locked in a materialization loop, trying to land again. But she can't."

"_Hmm. And whatever's stopping her is upstairs in that flat. So, go upstairs and sort it!_"

"I don't know what it is yet," the Doctor protested, looking up at the ceiling. "Anything that can stop the TARDIS from landing is big. Scary big."

"_Wait. Are you scared?_" Amy questioned.

"No!" the Doctor objected. "I can't go up there until I know what it is and how to deal with it. And it is vital that this man upstairs doesn't realize who and what I am. So no sonicing. No advanced technology. I can only use this because we're on scramble. To anyone other than Alex hearing this conversation, we're talking absolute gibberish."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Idiot," she muttered, causing him to look down at her in confusion. "What if Craig is listening in right now? He already thinks there's something wrong with you."

"Yes, and by the way, I caught that bit about me being on medication," the Doctor glared. There was a bunch of snickering on Amy's end, causing the Doctor's glare to harden. "Stop laughing Pond!" he scolded. "This is a serious matter!"

"_Right, yes, sorry,_" Amy coughed, trying to control herself. "_Continue._"

The Doctor nudged Alex's head off his chest, getting up to walk around the room to examine the stuff Mark had left in it. Alex rolled her head back to her pillow to watch him. "Now, all I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong?"

"_Have you SEEN you?_" Amy wondered.

"So you're just going to be snide?" the Doctor retorted. He picked up a pair of aviator sunglasses and tried them on, admiring himself in the mirror. "No helpful hints?"

"_Hmm…well, here's one. Bow-tie? Get rid!_" Alex giggled at this.

"Bow-ties are cool," the Doctor shot back. "Come on, girls, I'm a normal bloke. Tell me what normal blokes do."

"_They…watch telly, they play football,_" Amy reflected. "_They go down to the pub._"

_They drink beer, read car magazines, watch ESPN, flirt with girls in cropped shirts and leather pants,_ Alex thought. _They wear too much cologne to attract girls, they bet, they play pool, they whistle at a girl as she walks down the sidewalk…_ Alex shuddered. Then again, maybe the Doctor being himself wasn't such a bad idea.

"I could do those things," the Doctor considered, unaware of Alex's thoughts. "I don't, but I could."

Right then, there was another series of crashes from upstairs. Alex jumped while the Doctor dropped the book he had grabbed. Both stared up at the ceiling curiously. "Hang on, wait, wait, wait. Amy?" the Doctor called into the Bluetooth.

"Doctor, look!" Alex cried, pointing to the bedside clock. The Doctor followed her gaze to see that the hands on the clock were going backwards and forwards rapidly.

He looked down at his wristwatch to see it was doing the same thing. "Interesting," he mused. "Localized time loop."

"_Ow!_" Amy cried as she apparently bumped into something. Alex gathered that the TARDIS was likely being effected by the time loops, which explained why the ship couldn't land here. "_What's all that?_"

"Time distortion," the Doctor explained. "Whatever's happening upstairs is still affecting you."

"_It's stopped,_" Amy reported. "_Ish._ _How about your end?_"

"My end's good."

"_So, doesn't sound great, but nothing to worry about?_" Alex frowned. She wouldn't say that.

"No, no, no, not really," the Doctor told her. "Just keep the zigzag plotter on full. That'll protect you."

There was another 'ow' from Amy and the Doctor frowned. "Amy, I said the zigzag plotter!"

"_I PULLED the zigzag plotter!_" Amy protested.

"Is she standing with the door behind her?" Alex asked, suddenly remembering something she'd seen when she watched the Doctor fly the TARDIS.

"_Yes!_" Amy called, hearing her.

"Take two steps to your right and pull it again!" Alex advised.

There was a pause on the other end as Amy did this. "_Yay, it worked!_" she cried.

"Impressive, Ally," the Doctor complimented. He had no idea Alex paid that much attention to his driving.

Alex grinned. "Does this mean I get to learn how to fly the TARDIS?"

The Doctor snorted. "Keep dreaming," he retorted. Actually, in all honesty, he wouldn't mind teaching Alex how to fly the TARDIS. The ship already liked her and he was pretty sure she could learn to fly it, no problem. "Now, I must not use the sonic. I've got work to do. Need to pick up a few items."

Alex frowned as he disconnected with Amy. "What kind of items?" she questioned.

"Just bits and pieces to try and detect what our friend upstairs is doing. Shouldn't be gone too long."

"Wait! Can't I come with you?"

"You still have a headache, Alex. You need to rest."

Alex pouted but she knew he was right. Her head was still pounding. She wouldn't be much help to the Doctor while she was in pain. "Fine," she sighed, scooting down further under the covers. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

The Doctor smirked. "Like try to pierce my nose?"

"Oh, bring that up again!" Alex shrieked.

"Or go Goth in the next few hours?"

"It was a PHASE!" Alex groaned.

"Good thing it ended though," the Doctor said. "You look so much prettier without dark make-up."

Alex giggled. "Thanks, Doc!"

The Doctor laughed a little along with her and reached out to grasp the knob. "Don't worry, I'll be back before morning. Just sleep. I'll try not to wake you when I get back."

Alex nodded, silently agreeing to this. But just as the Doctor opened the door and stepped out into the hall, something occurred to her. "Doc?" she called.

"Yes?"

"Why wasn't I affected by that time loop thing?" she asked. "I can see why you weren't, being a Time Lord and all. But why me?"

"Lots of things don't affect you when you're out of your time-stream," the Doctor explained. "It's like how you and Amy were able to remember the clerics back on the _Byzantium_. Time-travel changes how you see the universe."

Alex nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. I was putting it down to my crazy mind and all."

The Doctor laughed a little. "Well, that could be a factor," he admitted. "I don't know. I make up a lot of this as I go."

"Oh, really?" Alex smiled, arching an eyebrow. "You finally admit it?"

"I never admit anything of the sort," the Doctor retorted.

"Sure you don't!"

"Go to sleep, Ally," the Doctor told her, coming back over to plant a kiss on her forehead before quickly departing, pulling the door shut behind him.

Alex sighed and reached over to turn the lamp off. An unspecified amount of time alone with the Doctor? In a shared room, nonetheless? She grinned to herself as she closed her eyes, anxious to get back to sleep so that she could numb the pain in her head and see the Doctor a little quicker.

Maybe this would go better than she thought.

A/N: Fluffy bits in this chapter and there will be more! :) Hmm, wonder why Alex is getting those headaches... I'm pretty sure the answer's fairly obvious. :)

Notes on reviews...

**ShadowTeir** - Lol, that's okay! The reason I didn't put in anything else about the prince was because I felt I had said enough about the situation and there really wasn't a good place to put another mention like that. Yeah, it was a chapter of aw's, wasn't it? :) Hmm...I'm afraid I can't PM you about that. I'm sure you are very trustworthy, but I just can't take the risk. :) Plus, I'd like to surprise EVERYONE when it happens! A hint? Hmm... Well, I will say that their getting together kicks everything off. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Lol, I thought that the line sounded good! :) Plus, Alex IS attracted to the Doctor and DOES like the smell of his cologne, so it's not _completely _outside the realm of possibility! :) Ooh, sorry you spent 6 hours doing homework. That sucks. :(

**moonsword17 **- Glad you liked 'Vincent and the Doctor'! I love 'The Doctor's Wife' too and I'm excited for that episode. The TARDIS's relationship with Alex is really sweet. :)

**jesterlover **- Yes, long live the prinos! :D

**KatieTheBaka** - Aw, I get sad at the end of that episode too... :(

**Guest **- Yes, she really should. She should probably take Craig's assumptions into consideration while she's at it! :)

**Guest **- Thanks! :)

**Lady Shagging Godiva **- When I wrote 'simple-minded', I was referring to the fact that Alex, at first, doesn't believe in time travel. Sorry for the confusion! :)

**The bunny always dies first **- Sorry! At least this episode is much lighter. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Yes, he DID paint her roses! Vincent likes giving his girls flowers, doesn't he? :) Don't worry, Alex will be her usual incredible self in those episodes. But I won't lie and say that there aren't a few teary moments... :( Glad you like the relationship between Alex and River. I can't say why River is jealous of her, but I think it'll become apparent pretty quickly when we get into Season 6 where there are more River episodes and where her background is shown more. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited - **How can anyone not love Vincent after seeing that episode? :) And thanks!

**rycbar15 **- Lol, it IS pretty funny, isn't it? :) Poor Doctor, hopelessly oblivious to what he's feeling... Good question. Alex will be in 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe' but she won't be in 'The Snowmen'. There is a very interesting reason for that, which will really kick off the second half of Season 7.

**The Raggedy Time Traveler **- I remember that too. It was so encouraging. :) And thank you! I'm glad to have proven you right. Oh gosh, I am amazed by how many people are reading this too! I never imagined it would get this popular, let alone this many reviews. Thanks. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	44. The Lodgers Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Alex woke up the next morning to see her room now lit in early-morning sunlight. She blinked a few times to try and clear the crud from her eyes. Rolling over, she saw the Doctor lying next to her, fast asleep. His jacket was lying on the desk next to hers. His shirtsleeves were rolled up and his bowtie was askew. She smiled. He looked adorable.

Shifting away slightly so as not to wake him, Alex carefully got out of bed and tiptoed over to the mirror, nearly tripping on a bunch of rubbish that hadn't been there a few hours before. She studied her reflection. Her makeup was all smeared, her hair messy, and her clothes wrinkled. Still, she looked gorgeous.

Alex glanced at the clock. Seven fifteen. Way too early for anyone to be up, which meant that she got first dibs on the shower.

Alex tiptoed out of her room and gently closed the door behind her. The bathroom was the next door down. Stepping inside, she was pleased to see that Craig had his priorities straight. The bathroom was nice and clean and the little rose-shaped air freshener next to the toilet was working its little heart out. Alex pulled her shoes off and fished around in the medicine cabinet and then in the cabinet under the sink for some toiletries. She was again pleased to find that Craig had stocked up on shampoo, conditioner, body-wash, and even face cleaner.

Ten minutes later, Alex finished towel-drying her hair and reluctantly put yesterday's clothes back on, even the octopus earrings. She studied her reflection, happy to see that she had managed to scrub all her makeup off. She then glanced down at the winkles in her dress and sighed. She needed to go shopping.

Alex stepped out of the bathroom, surprised to see that her activities hadn't woken Craig, the Doctor, or their mysterious upstairs neighbor. She felt a stab of pain run through her head as she looked up the stairs. Ugh. _Better add aspirin to the shopping list_, she thought as she headed into the kitchen.

The paper sack with all that money was still lying on the counter. Alex rummaged through it and pulled out a small bundle of money. Craig wouldn't notice if some of it was missing. There was _way _more than four hundred pounds in there anyways.

Alex looked around, eventually spotting a pad and matching pen hanging on the side of refrigerator. Yanking a piece off, she quickly scribbled a note out. _Out shopping. Don't worry, Doc! I can take care of myself – Alex._ For a split second, Alex started to write the word 'love' before her name, but caught herself in time.

Alex placed the note on the kitchen table under the salt and pepper shakers where it was sure to be seen. She quickly doubled back into the bedroom to grab her jacket before pocketing the money, grabbing the keys, and heading out.

It was a crisp spring morning and Alex shivered as she went down the street. She pulled the zipper up on her jacket but continued to shiver. _Okay, get warm coat,_ she thought as she turned a corner.

Alex smiled to herself. She was the only one out at this early hour but she could see and hear signs of others waking up. One house that she passed had its kitchen window open, allowing the scent of bacon to pour out into the street. A radio blared from a house obviously occupied by college students, if the numerous University of Essex stickers on the front door were any indication. A dog barked from a closed side yard and Alex heard the sound of someone pouring dog food out accompany it.

The business district was a bit busier. A few cars passed her by, one occupant whistling at her as they went past. Alex rolled her eyes. Good to know that some things never changed.

Alex continued on, passing a guy on a bicycle and a teenaged girl in a parka, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. She scrambled along past Alex as she attempted to corral the multiple dogs on leashes in front of her. Alex wanted to offer her some help, but she didn't know how to control dogs. She was more of a cat person.

Alex soon came along the coffee shop she and the Doctor had visited yesterday. She stepped inside and ordered a large coffee and a chocolate-chip scone. Before moving to England, Alex had never eaten a scone. Now, she couldn't get enough of them.

Alex dug into her scone and sipped at her coffee as she continued along, looking for some of the clothing stores she had spotted yesterday. She passed a flower shop and a DVD rental place before finally happening on a small boutique. Hurriedly swallowing her scone and chugging down the rest of her coffee, Alex tossed her breakfast remains into a nearby trash-can and headed inside.

The inside of the store was bright, shockingly bright. Because of her head, Alex's first instinct was to cover her eyes, but then she realized…her head wasn't hurting anymore. She hadn't felt it aching ever since she left Craig's house. _Fresh air must do some good_, she thought, venturing further into the store.

Alex passed many glitzy clothes designed for the ultimate teenage fashionista before reaching the counter on one side of the store. Behind it was a young woman with red hair, blue streaks decorating it. A tiny diamond was pressed into the side of her nose, perfectly matching her bejeweled fishing net sweater.

"Welcome to Madcap Ltd., the hottest teen boutique in England," she recited, flipping through a magazine as she spoke. Why people even bothered to work these kinds of jobs if they weren't happy with them, Alex didn't know.

"Thanks," Alex said, before turning to a rack filled with clothes that were cluttered with glitter and jewels.

The employee looked up. "Oh, wow, you really don't belong here," she blurted.

Alex arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she said, turning around, arms crossed, ready to give this idiot a piece of her mind.

Seeing Alex's growing anger, the employee hastened to back-track. "Not like that!" she cried. "I mean, most of the stuff in here is all…glittery and bejeweled up. You're so pretty! You don't need to be wearing stuff like that!"

Alex laughed. "Don't worry," she assured the employee. "That's not my style."

The employee shut her magazine and stepped out from behind the counter. "Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Yeah, I need some new clothes. A friend and I are staying here for a few days and our…luggage got lost at the airport."

The employee nodded sympathetically. "Damn. That happens. On the plus side though, I love that dress. Where'd you get it?"

_From a bigger on the inside time machine,_ Alex thought but she knew saying that would get her thrown out of the store. "A boutique back home," she evasively answered. "So…" she peered closer to see the name printed on the employee's tag, "_Marcia_, got anything in here not bedazzled within an inch of its life?"

Ten minutes later, Alex was armed to the teeth with a pile of clothes. Marcia pushed her into a dressing room. "Take your time!" she called. "I want to find something to go with your eyes. You wear contacts or something?"

Alex was about to reply in the negative but she heard Marcia walking away before she could. Shrugging, Alex took off her jacket and began tackling the pile of clothes. There was a lot of cute stuff. Alex happily pulled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a simple white camisole. It was nice to get out of that 80s garb and into her normal clothes.

A few minutes later, Alex had amassed a nice pile of clothes, plenty for however long she and the Doctor were stuck here. She had fallen in love with a cream fishing net sweater and matching brown dress and stuck them in with her pile, even though it was way too cold to wear that right now. She was sure she'd find some time or place to wear it. Besides, she deserved a little shopping spree. God knows the Doctor wouldn't take her or Amy within spitting distance of a mall if he could help it.

Alex shrugged into a gray studded blazer and a pair of black kitten-heeled boots Marcia said were 'totes fabulous'. She ruffled her hair a little, making it look messy and tangled the way the Doctor liked. Smiling, she rummaged through her pink leather jacket. She was pretty sure she had stuck a lip-gloss in there. "Aha!" she cried as she pulled out a sparkly pink lip-gloss. She rubbed some on, glad that she didn't really need that much makeup to look pretty. Alex had often wondered why she looked so effortlessly pretty, but eventually put it down to good genetics and luck.

Alex stepped out of the dressing room with all the clothes she had amassed, thankfully a bit smaller than the pile Marcia had originally sent her in with. "I'll ring these up for you," Marcia said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and grabbing the clothes.

"Thanks. By the way, do you have any coats? It's really cold."

"There's some over there." Marcia nodded to a back corner.

Alex nodded and quickly headed in the direction Marcia had indicated. Sure enough, there were plenty of spring coats that were guaranteed to provide more warmth than her leather jacket. Alex flipped through them, passing a black pea coat and a WWII style coat that she couldn't help but picture on the Doctor. It'd look really hot.

Alex shook her head. _Stop it! _She mentally scolded as she flipped to the very last coat. She stopped. Oh yes. This was the one. It was a brown trench coat with patterns of blue, yellow, pink, and green flowers on it. Alex grabbed it and tried it on. _Fits like a glove_, she thought, beaming.

"Wow, you look hot," Marcia complimented as Alex came up to the register.

"Thanks," Alex laughed.

Alex quickly paid for her stuff, bid Marcia good-bye, and headed out, her hands clutching several shopping bags. She glanced at a clock on the inside of a bookstore. It was eight thirty, still relatively early, but she was pretty sure the Doctor and Craig were up by now. Alex shrugged, remembering her note. She could spend a little more time on her own.

Noticing another store, Alex ducked in. She was pleasantly surprised to find that this store didn't carry the latest fashions for Disney-star wannabes, but rather, the kind of clothes she wore. Tucking her shopping bags to one arm, Alex immediately began flipping through a rack of dresses. Despite the fact that she really didn't need a dress while she was here, Alex couldn't resist. She loved dresses and there wasn't anything stopping her from trying some on.

Finding a few she liked, Alex quickly gathered them up and headed into the dressing room.

* * *

"Have you seen Alex?" the Doctor asked, coming out of his room. He hadn't seen her all morning and he was starting to get worried.

Craig looked over at Sophie and cocked an eyebrow. He'd told her all about the Doctor and Alex's relationship with each-other and now, she was going to see more evidence of it. "No, sorry."

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. He knew Alex could take care of herself but with a possible alien upstairs, he really didn't want to take any chances. He liked when she was right by his side where he could keep an eye on her and protect her. "Her stuff's gone," he reported.

"Don't worry," Sophie said, though she had to admit, she liked that this Doctor bloke was really protective towards Alex. "She's probably just gone for a walk."

At that moment, Craig happened to glance at the table and noticed something wedged underneath the salt shaker. "Mystery solved," he announced, pulling the note out. "It's from Alex."

The Doctor took the note from him and quickly read it. _Out shopping. Don't worry, Doc! I can take care of myself – Alex._

He groaned and pocketed the note. "She went out. I'm going to go see if I can find her." With that, the Doctor left.

It didn't take that long to figure out where Alex went. The business district was only a few streets away from Craig's house. He went down the street, passing several pedestrians and stores. He peered inside each store, hoping to spot that familiar golden light brown hair but he didn't have any luck until about the eighth store.

It was a clothing store. _Figures, _he thought as he went inside. The interior was all pink and silver, clearly a store that advertised to teen girls. There was barely anyone inside the store at this early hour. In fact, the first person he saw was the cashier, a blonde woman in her early twenties with an eyebrow piercing. She glanced up from her Solitaire game as he approached.

"Welcome to Kelsey's, the coolest teen store in the British Isles," she recited, rolling her eyes as she did this. She pushed the sleeves up on her fuchsia top, exposing the stacks of silver rings on her fingers. She eyed him. Clearly, men didn't venture into this store too often.

The Doctor nodded at her, inwardly rolling his eyes. Shop-keepers. With the exception of Rose, they were all pretty annoying. He continued on to the back of the store, where he finally spotted Alex.

She was standing in front of large mirror on one wall, studying her reflection. She was wearing a sleek dark green silk dress that showed off her long legs. She flipped her hair over one shoulder and turned to the side a little, trying to see how she looked from all angles.

The Doctor slowly approached her, careful not to get where she would see him in the mirror. Once he was as close as he could get, he let out a low wolf whistle. He laughed a little as Alex jumped and whirled around, probably ready to slap whoever did that. When she saw it was him though, she let out a large grin.

"Doctor!" she cried, rushing forward to throw her arms around him. Before he could reciprocate however, she pulled back to give him a teasing smile. "Couldn't last long without me?"

"Shut it, you," he playfully scolded. "I got worried. There is an alien running around you know."

"Yeah, at Craig's house," Alex reminded him.

"And you have a headache."

"Not anymore," Alex smiled. "It stopped shortly after I left."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, thinking over her words. "Really?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, why?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Nothing." He had a suspicion on why Alex might be having headaches but he didn't want to say anything without some proof. "So, what are you doing?"

"Shopping," Alex smiled. "It's all well for you, wearing the same thing every day, but some of us like starting every day with something new."

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed, slightly offended by her comment.

Alex only giggled mischievously before turning back to the mirror. The Doctor watched her as she smoothed out some wrinkles in her dress. "You look good," he complimented. "Marvelous, even."

"Thanks," Alex said. "Not really practical though, for our circumstances, I mean."

"So why are you trying it on?"

Alex shrugged. "Just for the hell of it. Lacey and I used to do this all the time back in Bristol. Sometimes, we would go to Lexington and work up enough nerve to go into the bridal store to try on bridal gowns."

The Doctor gulped, imagining Alex in one of those dresses. There was no doubt in his mind that she would look gorgeous. He pictured her heading down the aisle in a church somewhere, her smile visible from under her veil, her fingers nervously but excitedly clutching at a bouquet of dark red roses. The lucky groom would lift her veil, seeing her smile and her shimmering eyes, knowing that she was prepared to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. _What I wouldn't give to do that,_ the Doctor thought. Suddenly, he started. Why the hell was he thinking about marrying Alex?! He shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that!

Luckily, his inner turmoil was interrupted by Alex. "I know, silly right?" she asked. For a split second, the Doctor feared he had blurted his thoughts out loud but then he realized she was referring to her confession about trying on the bridal gowns. "What can I say? We were sixteen and Lacey was obsessed with all those ridiculous wedding-planning shows."

The Doctor nodded, trying to focus on the girl in front of him and not the fantasies that would never happen in his mind. "Right, of course."

Alex stepped away from the mirror and over to the dressing rooms. "Hope you don't mind, but I do have one more dress I'd like to try on."

The Doctor sighed, but consoled himself with the knowledge that he'd see Alex in something equally gorgeous in just a few minutes. "Take your time," he said, waving his hand as he leaned against the wall.

A minute later, Alex came back out. The Doctor bit his lip to keep his jaw from dropping. This was definitely the prettiest outfit he'd seen on Alex, hands down.

It was a simple black and white dress. Black silky fabric fell over a white underskirt that reached down to just above her knees. Two black straps tied around her neck, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. Alex beamed as she twirled in front of the mirror. "Not bad, huh?" she called over her shoulder as she observed the Doctor's dumbstruck expression in the mirror.

Pushing off the wall, the Doctor went over to her. "You look incredible, Ally," he said honestly as he stood behind her.

"Thanks." Alex smoothed out the skirt and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I think this is probably my favorite one."

"Is it?"

Alex nodded. "Yep." She twirled around once more before suddenly sighing. "Too expensive and hardly practical for our situation though." With a quick twirl of her heel, she was heading off towards the dressing room. "Let me get changed and we'll go, okay?"

The Doctor nodded and watched as the dressing room door slammed shut. Ignoring the tantalizing impulse to try and watch the door for glimpses of Alex's body, the Doctor turned and paced up and down the racks of clothing. He felt an idea forming in his head and was trying to work out whether it was a good idea or not. So far, the majority of his brain was leaning towards the 'good' part.

Alex came out a minute later, dressed in a white camisole, gray studded blazer, dark skinny jeans, and black kitten-heeled boots. A patterned trench coat had been thrown on as well and shopping bags dangled from one arm. "Wanna play pack-mule, Doc?" she asked cheekily as she approached him.

The Doctor must've made some sort of disgusted expression for Alex laughed heartily. "Fine, fine," she dismissed, walking past. Suddenly, noticing he wasn't following her or pushing past to try and get out of the store, she turned back around. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be with you in a sec," he promised. "Just go and wait outside."

Alex shrugged, wondering what he could possibly get up to in a clothing store but decided not to ask. Maybe he thought it sold bow-ties or something and he wanted to check without the risk of getting ridiculed. "Okay," she said breezily before turning and heading out the door.

Once the door shut behind her and she was out of sight, the Doctor let out a sigh of relief. He quickly turned and headed into the dressing room Alex had used. As he expected, a bunch of dresses waiting to be hung back up were folded neatly on the tiny bench. Rummaging through them, he was able to find the one Alex had deemed her favorite.

_What the bloody hell are you thinking?! _The rational side of his mind spoke up, making him pause. _Buying a dress for a little human girl! Isn't that beneath you?_ Then again, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

_This is ALEX we're talking about! Don't you think she deserves a little treat?_ The side of his mind that wouldn't hesitate in doing something for Alex also piped up, making him reconsider the rational part. It was right. This was ALEX he was considering. Alex was perfect. He'd do anything for her.

Ignoring the neuron implosions in his head he was getting from these thought streams, he grabbed the dress tightly and headed towards the register. The clerk looked up at him as he approached, arching an eyebrow but otherwise taking the dress and ringing it up.

"Eighty-five fifty," she announced in a slightly nasal voice she probably hated.

The Doctor resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he grabbed the money he had snitched from the ATM a few minutes prior. _Alex better appreciate this, _he thought as he slapped the exact amount down on the counter.

The clerk seemed to take an agonizing amount of time in putting the dress into a Pepto-Bismol colored bag. "That your girlfriend?" she asked, referring to Alex.

The Doctor was about to say no but realized it would appear mighty odd if he was buying this dress for a platonic female. "Yes," he answered, hoping his voice didn't squeak at the lie.

"How long have you been together?"

"Two years," he replied. That was technically true. From Alex's point of view, she had known him, or about him, for two years.

The clerk stuffed some tissue paper into the bag, something the Doctor thought extremely unnecessary. He had half a mind to snatch the bag and get the hell out of here before Alex returned and saw him. "This a birthday gift?" she asked, nodding to the bag.

_What are you, INTERPOL?_ The Doctor thought snippily but he bit his tongue to keep from spilling his thoughts. He could practically feel Alex slapping the back of his head if he said that. Instead, he replied "Not exactly. I'm just…saving it for a special occasion." _Her birthday would be a good time, _he thought, then realizing he had no idea when Alex's birthday was.

Thankfully, the clerk finally finished arranging the tissue paper to her standards and the Doctor was able to exit the store. Once outside, he looked around for Alex, spying her at a newspaper stand a distance away. She was leaning in close to the glass to study the headlines and didn't notice as he pulled the dress from the bag and pushed it into the recesses of his bigger-on-the-inside jacket pockets. He then stuffed the bag into a nearby trash-bin before walking casually over to her.

"Anything interesting?" he asked, nodding to the newspaper stand.

Alex shook her head. "Parliamentary elections or something of the sort. I've long given up in trying to understand the English system of government."

The Doctor laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Well, how are you at understanding football?"

Alex turned to stare at him in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

* * *

"So, I'm going out," the Doctor told Amy as he adjusted the football jersey Craig had loaned him. A knock sounded at the door and opened a second later as Alex awaited permission to enter. Waving her in, he added "If I hang about the house all the time, him upstairs might get suspicious and notice me."

"_Football. Okay, well done,_" Amy complimented. "_That is normal._"

"Yeah, football," the Doctor repeated as Alex closed the door and sat down on the bed. "All outdoorsy." There was a pause and he then asked "Now, football's the one with the sticks, isn't it?"

Alex and Amy both groaned. "_Tell me Alex is there with you,_" Amy begged.

The Doctor looked at the girl in the mirror and nodded. "Yes, she's here."

"_HELP HIM ALEX!_" Amy screeched through the earpiece, causing the Doctor to stagger back and hold a hand up to the device.

"Oi! What did I tell you about wrecking my earpiece, Pond?" the Doctor cried, glaring at no one as Alex snickered.

"That's cricket, Doc!" Alex cried. "Football, or what you Brits call football, is where you kick the ball around a field and aim to kick it in a net."

"Oh, is that football?" the Doctor asked. "I thought that was the game Americans call football."

"_Again I say, help him Alex!_" Amy cried, thankfully not as loud this time.

The Doctor sighed and quickly told her good-bye before disconnecting. He turned to find Alex looking at him curiously. "Can you play sports?" she asked. "Did they even have sports on Gallifrey?"

"I can play," the Doctor shot back. "And, in answer to your second question, there were some but not a whole lot. Sports weren't as popular there as they are here on Earth. The school I went to was more…academically rigorous. They preferred you study instead of wasting your time on sports."

Alex nodded. It sounded like something she'd expect from Time Lord society. "So, what did you have? Quidditch?"

The Doctor laughed. "No, smarty. Let's see…there was a form of hacky-sack, but it was a bit more complex. There was also a form of baseball, but with two balls and more bases."

"Sounds interesting," Alex remarked. She could just imagine a younger Doctor playing these games, completely ignoring books and regular lessons in favor of more fun activities.

"It was something," the Doctor agreed. He was silent for a moment, evidently remembering his long-lost home. Alex knew that despite the fact he resented what the Time Lords became, he still missed his people and his home and was still wracked in guilt over what he had done to them, even though it was for a greater good. She felt the need to remind him again but she knew her presence was enough.

"Right then!" the Doctor called, shaking them both out of their dreary thoughts. "Let's go and play football!"

* * *

"What are you actually called?" Craig asked as he, the Doctor, Alex, and Sophie walked down the road towards the park. The Doctor was in his football uniform and tweed jacket – which Alex had been unable to talk him out of wearing – and was playing with the ball a little. "What's your proper name?"

"Just call me the Doctor," he replied, eyes barely straying away from the ball.

"Yeah," Sophie agreed. Alex felt a slight burn in her stomach. She had a sneaking suspicion that Sophie was only agreeing because she thought the Doctor was hot.

At least Alex had been able to get the upper hand though. The second she and the Doctor had walked through the door of Craig's flat, Sophie's jaw had dropped and Alex had heard her mutter "You told me she was gorgeous, not _drop-dead _gorgeous!"

Still, Alex could see Craig's point. She made a mental note to ask the Doctor why he hadn't gone by the name John Smith like he had in Bristol.

"I can't go up to these guys and say 'Hey, this is my new flat mate, he's called the Doctor'!" Craig protested.

"Why not?" the Doctor questioned.

Alex rolled her eyes. "It sounds weird!" she cried.

Craig smiled at her. "Thanks, Ally."

Alex's eyes narrowed and the Doctor shot Craig a _you-really-shouldn't-have-done-that_ look. "_Don't _call me Ally," Alex warned, shooting him a glare that would cause babies to cry.

Craig staggered back in shock from the look in her eyes. It was like there was a storm in them, threatening to overtake the unlucky reciprocate. As Alex stormed off ahead, the Doctor sent him an apologetic look. "Sorry about that," he said before quickly jogging ahead. "Ally, wait up!"

Craig's jaw dropped and he looked over at Sophie. "You heard that, right?" he asked. "He did just call her Ally and she didn't snap at him?"

"I guess you were right," Sophie said. "They are a couple and just don't know it yet."

Alex hung back as Craig and the Doctor went over to the group in the center of the field. "So," Sophie said, coming up to her, "Craig tells me you met the Doctor at uni."

Alex nodded, remembering her and the Doctor's cover story. "Yep. Cambridge."

"So, do you still go there?"

"Oh, um, no," Alex admitted, feeling a wave of embarrassment go over her. She knew it wasn't her fault that colleges were reluctant to accept her but it was still humiliating. "I never got in. Things didn't work out."

"Oh, that's a shame," Sophie frowned. "But at least you got the Doctor out of it."

Alex laughed. "Yes, I suppose you could say that."

"Not a bad trade though," Sophie commented. Alex watched as she eyed the Doctor appreciatively. "He is rather hot, isn't he?"

Alex resisted the urge to blurt out _hell yes_. If Sophie ever told the Doctor that, Alex would die. Instead, she shrugged and said "I guess."

Sophie laughed. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"

Alex shrugged. "It doesn't really matter one way or another. He's not into relationships."

Sophie highly doubted this. She had seen the way the Doctor looked at and talked about Alex and she was positive the Doctor had feelings for the attractive-looking brunette. "He tell you that himself?"

"No," Alex admitted. She thought for a moment how to tell Sophie the Doctor's romantic history without somehow betraying the man. Though he'd never said anything directly, Alex got the feeling that she wasn't supposed to gossip about the Doctor's secrets with anyone, even Amy. "He's had some…bad relationships in the past and doesn't like to get close with anyone."

"That's a shame," Sophie declared. "I mean, I can understand that, but what if you meet a person you really like but never take the plunge because you're too scared? You shouldn't have to worry about the _what ifs _and junk. You should just be able to go all in and go with the flow."

"That's good advice," Alex nodded. "Are you speaking from personal experience?"

"Me, no." But Sophie was a little too quick to answer that.

"Really?" Alex quizzed. "No…connection between you and Craig?"

"What?!" Sophie started laughing nervously, only proving to Alex that the girl was just as much attracted to Craig as Craig was to her. "No! Don't be ridiculous! We…we're friends. That's all. He…he wouldn't _ever _be interested in me _that _way."

_Whatever you say, _Alex thought, but she kept her mouth shut. Knowing she wasn't going to get any more out of Sophie, she focused her attention back on the soccer field where a whistle was now being blown. She watched as the team separated and got into certain positions. Though she knew next to nothing about soccer, Alex knew that she'd be able to see if the Doctor was playing it wrong or not.

_Please don't do anything stupid, _she silently prayed.

With that, the match began. Alex kept her eyes tightly fixed on the Doctor as he began playing. Much to her shock, he was quite nimble, effortlessly dodging players as he kicked the ball. "That's not bad," Sophie revealed, much more well-versed at soccer lingo than Alex was. "Yes! Go!"

Alex watched, totally transfixed, as the Doctor played circles around everyone else. She was so caught up on him that she didn't even notice Craig's growing looks of frustration and agitation as the Doctor undermined his every chance to get the ball and score. She then watched as the Doctor made a goal.

Alex's jaw dropped. Sophie looked over and laughed. "I take it you've never seen him play before?"

"That would be correct," Alex breathed before suddenly jumping up and down, reminding Sophie of a kangaroo on a caffeine high, as the Doctor made another goal. "Whoo! Wait to go! Whoo!"

A little while later, the game was done. Craig's team had won with flying colors, thanks in part to the Doctor. Alex, who was immensely shocked and thrilled by what she had seen, ran forward and practically threw herself into the Doctor's arms, causing him to stumble back a little.

"That was incredible!" she squealed as he regained his balance. "I had no idea you could play like that!"

"Neither did I," Craig muttered, but no one seemed to hear him.

"Where the hell did you learn to play soccer like that?" Alex continued, bouncing excitedly.

"Guess you haven't seen all my moves, Ally," the Doctor commented, aware he was now entering high-level flirting mode with her.

Alex smirked at him and raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Guess you'll have to show me all of them," she shot back, not even noticing everyone around them was watching them with the kind of devotion usually reserved for soap-opera love scenes.

"Get a room," someone next to Sophie muttered.

She elbowed them harshly. "Shut it," she hissed. "It's sweet!"

"She his girlfriend?" a guy next to Craig asked.

Craig was about to answer in the negative but quickly reconsidered it. He'd seen how possessive the Doctor was of Alex. He could just imagine his reaction if one of these guys went up and tried to hit on her. "Uh…yeah," he responded, before reaching for a beer can and opening it. Unfortunately, it sprayed him. And then it did it again. And again. And again.

The Doctor and Alex watched as the scene repeated before them. Grabbing her hand, the Doctor and Alex ran to the other side of the field where they could observe the repeating scene. The Doctor tapped his earpiece. "Amy?"

"_It's happening again!_" Amy reported. "_Worse!_"

"What does the scanner say?"

"_A lot of nines,_" Amy answered. "_Is it good that they're nines? Tell me it's good that they're all nines!_"

Alex looked at the Doctor and noticed that he looked a little panicked. Apparently, it was not a good thing. "Yes, yes, it's good," he lied. "Zigzag plotter. Zigzag plotter, Amy!" There was a pause as Amy did this and then a loud BANG, followed by Amy screaming.

"Amy?" Alex called into the earpiece, standing up on tiptoe so she could speak into the device. "Amy, are you there?"

"Amy?" the Doctor echoed.

"_Yes,_" Amy replied after a moment, her breath ragged. "_Hello!_"

The Doctor sighed in relief. "Oh, thank heavens," he exclaimed, putting one hand to a rapidly beating heart. "I thought for a moment the TARDIS had been flung off into the vortex with you inside it, lost forever."

Alex's eyes widened. "You mean that can happen?!" she cried. And here she was, thinking about clothes and soccer when Amy's life was in danger!

"_You have GOT to get me out of here!_" Amy screeched.

The Doctor nodded, knowing he was going to try and do just that with everything to his ability. "How are the numbers?" he asked.

A pause and then "_All fives._"

The Doctor looked over at the football group again, noticing that the time loop had stopped. Good thing too. The whole Craig-gets-sprayed-by-a-can-of-beer was getting old. "Fives? Even better."

"But the effect's still really strong, isn't it?" Alex asked, having thought this as the Doctor and Amy talked.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "But don't worry. Hang on, okay? I've got some rewiring to do."

"_Hang on_," Amy repeated before the Doctor disconnected.

"What do you mean, rewiring?" Alex questioned the second he hung up. "Does it have to do with all that junk you brought back last night?"

"It's not _junk_," the Doctor corrected her, rolling his eyes. "Its parts for an advanced scientific detector that won't even be attempted to be built until the 27th century!"

Alex looked at him flatly. "So, junk right?"

"You have very little faith in me, Alex."

Alex let out a loud, dramatic sigh. "It's hard, but someone's gotta be the logical one in this operation, Doc."

"I am logical!" the Doctor argued.

Alex patted his shoulder and smiled at him innocently. "We'll see, Doc. We'll see."

* * *

Alex clutched a pillow over her head, desperate to block out the sun and any and all noises coming from the Doctor. Despite the fact that her headache had vanished when she left Craig's this morning, it had come back in strong force the second she and the Doctor passed the staircase as they returned from the game.

Strangely, Alex didn't think the sun or any loud noises were contributing to or irritating her headache. But what else could it be? Headaches didn't just spontaneously form, did they?

The Doctor looked up from his tinkering at Alex. He was getting really worried about her. Her headache had come back stronger than ever the second they walked through their bedroom door and for the past few hours, Alex had done nothing but lie in bed, trying to block out anything that could make her headache worse.

The Doctor had even surreptitiously scanned her with his sonic but couldn't find anything alarming or different. As far as he knew, Alex was having incredibly strong headaches for no apparent reason. He had tried giving her aspirin but it hadn't seemed to work. All he could do was keep the blinds closed, keep the covers up over Alex, and try to work as quietly as possible without disturbing her.

Just as the Doctor was about to attach a traffic cone to his work, there came a knock at the door. Alex winced and burrowed even more under the covers. The Doctor hurriedly went over to the door, opening it to see an anxious-looking Craig.

"Hello, flatmate," the Doctor greeted.

"Hey, man. Er…listen. Er, Sophie's coming round tonight and I was wondering if you could give us some space?"

"Oh, don't mind us," the Doctor assured him. "You won't even know we're here." Right then, a bang sounded from upstairs. The Doctor and Craig glanced up, the Doctor muttering "That's the idea."

"Tell them to _shut the hell up_," Alex growled, her voice slightly muffled from her position under the covers and pillow.

Craig craned his head a little to look into the room. He had thought Alex looked like she was in pain when they got home. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"Headache," the Doctor answered, but Craig could hear the worry in his voice. "She'll be fine."

"Maybe you should call a doctor," Craig suggested.

The Doctor nodded, but he had the feeling Alex's headaches weren't being caused by some common Earth occurrence. "Yes, maybe I will," he agreed. "Well, have fun!"

"If I don't see her, tell Sophie I said hi," Alex mumbled, her position not changing in the slightest.

The Doctor shut the door and went over to her. He knelt down next to the bed and gently brushed the hair away from the back of her neck. He felt sweat gathering at the base of it and he mentally swore at whatever was causing his Ally to feel this way. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Alex removed the pillow to look at him. Her eyes were a delicate light green and looked like they could shatter from the force of her headache. "No," she answered, smiling slightly. "But thanks for the thought."

"No problem. But let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"I will, I promise. Now, get back to your detector-thing or whatever it is."

The Doctor playfully rolled his eyes. "And you get back to your daily ritual of sleeping for fourteen hours," he instructed. "You need rest."

Alex nodded and lowered her head down onto the pillow. Her eyes closed as the Doctor began running his fingers through her hair. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep. The Doctor leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, scared of waking her up and subjecting her to more pain.

He leaned back, stood, and sighed. He needed to get a move on that detector. The sooner he got it working, the sooner he could solve these time-loop problems, and the sooner he could take Alex away from here and not have to see her subjected to this much pain again.

* * *

Alex awoke an hour later thanks to a bunch of banging and crashing upstairs. She had half a mind to get a broomstick and use it to bang on the ceiling, like the old guy did on that one episode of _Friends_.

Her head wasn't aching as bad but Alex could barely stand it anymore. She'd been lying in here for a good five hours. She was bored and needed some form of entertainment. She glanced over at the Doctor, who also looked rather bored. Maybe he was done with his detector thing.

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, the Doctor looked up to see Alex, wide awake. "Hey," he smiled at her. "How're you feeling?"

Alex shrugged as if to say it was half-and-half. "It's lessened up a little," she said as she pushed the covers away and stood up. "I need to get out of here though. I haven't left this room in hours."

"Where are you going?"

"Probably for a walk," Alex figured, grabbing her coat. She put it on, tightening the belt around her waist. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Bidding goodbye to the Doctor, Alex headed out. She slipped past the living room where Craig and a newly arrived Sophie were conversing and out the door. As she went down the steps and down the sidewalk, Alex felt the intensity of her headache decreasing dramatically until it was totally gone.

_It can't have something to do with the house, can it?_ Alex looked back over at the house and felt a slight twinge in the back of her mind. She squinted. Was there a perception filter on the house? And if there was, shouldn't she have seen right through it by now?

Alex turned away as the twinging grew sharper and continued on down the walk. She'd ask the Doctor about it later. Right now, she wanted to clear her head – somewhat literally.

Alex walked a little further along the street before stopping at a house just a few doors down from Craig's. She recalled Craig telling her about it. Apparently, the owner was planning to move but just vanished one day, presumably to wherever he was going, leaving all of his stuff behind in the house. Some neighborhood kids said that a ghost got him but that didn't stop them from playing basketball in the driveway. It was, after all, the only house in a five mile radius that had a basketball hoop.

Alex stepped up onto the drive. The basketball hoop was made of concrete and a rugged net hung from the rim. A bright orange basketball had been stuck into an old flowerpot on the porch. Alex quickly retrieved it and returned to the drive. She then started dribbling.

If Alex lacked at soccer, she made up for it in basketball. Basketball was practically another religion in Kentucky. Two NCAA winning teams only boosted that. Alex had grown up watching the UK Wildcats battle it out with teams such as Louisville, Duke, Tennessee, and more. Ross had taught her how to play during one glorious summer in his driveway, teaching her everything from how to make the perfect basket to the difference between fouls and interferences.

Needless to say, basketball was in Alex's blood.

Alex went over to the hoop and dribbled a little, taking her time before she decided to shoot. Ross had always told her not to take risky shots, thoroughly demonstrating this with several hilarious attempts at three-pointers. Once she was thoroughly acquainted with the ball, Alex raised it, positioned it in the way Ross had taught her, aimed, and threw. It went in with a perfect swish.

"Good job, Ally," a voice behind her complimented. "Aim's a bit off though."

Alex whirled around to see the Doctor smirking at her. "My aim was not off!" she said hotly, not even bothering to ask what he was doing here. She already knew. He got worried about her and followed her.

"It was just a bit."

"Ross taught me how to aim! I did everything he said!"

_Oh, ROSS taught you_, the Doctor thought, inwardly sneering. He still had occasional bouts of hatred whenever Alex mentioned him. The Doctor could practically hear Ross calling Alex 'Beauty' over and over again in his ear. But, knowing he couldn't say any of this to Alex without getting slapped, he said "Guess he taught you wrong."

Alex crossed her arms challengingly and went over to him. "Really?"

The Doctor smiled cockily at her, enjoying riling her up. "Yep."

"And just how did you come to know this?"

"Ally, I'm 907," he reminded her. "I've been around long enough to pick up a few skills."

"Including soccer?" Alex smiled.

"_Football, _Ally."

Alex rolled her eyes, knowing better than to argue. "Okay, _football_, then?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Lucky fluke. I am a Time Lord, Ally."

"And being a Time Lord automatically qualifies you to be perfect at everything?"

"Basically, yes."

"You're so full of it!" Alex chortled. She went over and grabbed the basketball. As she went back over to him, she surprised him by tossing it at him. As he caught it, she said "Care to put your money where your mouth is?"

He smirked at her. "Thought you'd never ask, Ally."

Alex stepped back a little as he began to dribble the ball. So far, so good. She watched as he approached the hoop, stood, readied the ball, aimed, and shot. It went in perfectly.

"Lucky shot," Alex yawned, not quite ready to admit that he was superior to her.

"Perhaps," the Doctor conceded. He grabbed the ball as it bounced and tossed it over to her. "But how about we make things interesting?"

_I like where this is going. _Alex waved for him to go on.

"Care to play one-on-one Alexandria?"

"Alex is just fine, Doc." Alex quickly passed him the ball. "And I would love to. Let's see how an old dinosaur of a Time Lord fairs against the young, much quicker, human."

"That hurts Ally," the Doctor remarked, placing a hand over one of his hearts to feign injury.

Alex shrugged. "All's fair in basketball."

The Doctor considered her retort for a moment before shrugging. "Very well. Street ball or regular?"

Frankly, Alex was surprised he knew the difference between the two but she tried hard not to show it. Thinking the options over, she decided a regular game would be too structured. She really wanted to see what the Doctor could do and the rules of a regular game would just hold him back. "Street ball," she decided as the ball was passed back to her.

With that, the game began.

Alex immediately began moving, part of her mind cursing her small heels, the other part concentrating solely on beating the Doctor at something. She dove around him, the dribbling of the ball keeping in time with the beat of her heart. Once she was in front of him, she raised the ball and squared back, preparing to shoot. She threw the ball, watching triumphantly as it sailed through the air towards the basket…

…until the Doctor swatted it away.

Alex's jaw dropped. "Interference!" she accused.

"Street ball!" he reminded her, grabbing the ball. "Unless…you've had enough?"

Alex narrowed her eyes at him. "Hardly."

She sprinted towards him, prepared to snatch the ball back, but he dodged her. He ran around her, making several illegal moves before tossing the ball upwards and into the basket.

Alex shook her head. "Okay, you realize you just fouled out in less than ten seconds?"

"Need I remind you that this is street ball, Ally?" the Doctor asked. "Anything goes."

"Oh," Alex nodded, pretending as though she had suddenly realized this. She then casually began walking towards him, still nodding along as though he had just invented a car that ran on bubble-gum and was explaining how to her. Soon, she was right up next to him.

The Doctor, not seeing what she was planning, began ducking around her, dribbling the ball. Alex quickly followed him. "Well, in that case…" She trailed off as she got beneath him and elbowed him in the gut. The Doctor grunted and released the ball, allowing Alex the chance to steal it, dribble it over to the goal, and shoot.

"That was wrong on so many levels, Ally," the Doctor groaned as he straightened back up.

Alex just smiled sweetly at him. "Street ball, Doc."

"Why did you chose street ball anyways?"

"I wanted to see more of those moves of yours." Alex tossed him the ball. "Now, show me some more."

* * *

Sophie and Craig were saying good-bye. Just a few houses down from them, they could hear a bunch of laughter and high-pitched protests. "What is going on?" Sophie wondered, turning her head.

The Doctor and Alex were playing basketball in the vacant driveway, or some street version of it. At the moment, Alex was running past the Doctor, dribbling the ball as though her life depended on it. She was just about to raise her arms to shoot when the Doctor came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He picked her up, causing Alex to drop the ball and begin laughing and kicking wildly.

"Put me down!" she cackled as she unsuccessfully tried to pull away from his grasp.

The Doctor ignored her, instead twirling around. "You were the one who wanted to play street ball!" he reminded her.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't allowed in street basketball!" Alex protested before giving up and leaning her head back into the crook of his neck.

"That's so sweet," Sophie sighed. She truly was envious of the Doctor and Alex's connection. They just seemed to go so well together…almost as though they had been made for each-other.

Craig nodded in silent agreement. "So, are you going off then?" he abruptly asked. Despite the scene before them, his, Sophie's, and the Doctor's conversation from a little earlier was still at the epicenter of his mind. "Seeing the world?"

Sophie turned away from the basketball game to face him. "What, do you think I should?"

"Yeah," Craig said slowly. He really didn't want Sophie to leave but it was her dream to help animals. Who was he to stand in the way of her dreams? "Like the Doctor says, what's…what's keeping you here?"

Sophie nodded slowly. "Yeah, exactly. What." There was a pause and then an abrupt "Bye."

"See you." He and Sophie hugged each-other, both of them wondering whether they would be able to do this anymore in the future and if so, for how long. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah," Sophie agreed before pulling back and heading down the street.

At the same time, the Doctor and Alex had decided to call it a night. Alex quickly put the basketball back in its original place before running over and joining the Doctor on the sidewalk. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "So, how are my moves, Ally?" he asked.

Alex pretended to give the matter some serious thought. "Well, you certainly have a unique way of playing street ball."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Alex laughed and they continued down the walk. Just as they were coming up to Craig's house, they came across a just-leaving Sophie. "Hi Sophie," Alex greeted. "You and Craig have a good time?"

"Well, it wasn't just me and Craig," Sophie admitted. "The Doctor joined us as well."

Alex turned to give the Doctor an _oh, really _look. Though she had been in considerable pain at the time, Alex had still been able to deduce from Craig's words that he had wanted alone time with Sophie, alone time meaning just him and Sophie, not him, Sophie, and their resident Time Lord.

The Doctor looked at her confusedly while Sophie continued on, not noticing the expressions on either one of them. "Oh, and thank you Doctor, for that lovely advice. I think I will actually pursue it."

"What advice?" Alex asked.

"Oh, just that I really should try and follow my aspirations of taking care of animals. I mean, I don't want to work at call center forever so maybe I really should try something I love."

Alex nodded. The whole argument made sense, but she couldn't help but wonder how Craig reacted to all of this. _Probably not well,_ she thought, based on how Craig seemed to treat Sophie. Despite both their arguments, she was sure that they were in love with each-other.

_It really is a waste not to speak your mind because you're afraid of getting hurt, _Alex reflected, remembering both Sophie and Vincent's words. Of course, Vincent's words had been meant for Alex and the Doctor specifically. Alex inwardly winced. _Okay, no longer thinking about that!_

The two said goodbye to Sophie and continued on towards Craig's house. Just as they got to the porch, Alex's headache cropped back up. She winced and rubbed her head. Maybe she needed to eat something.

* * *

A little while later, Alex sat cross-legged in a corner of the room, snacking on some Club crackers she had found in the pantry. The Doctor's gizmo was huge now, so huge that it had taken up residence on the bed. The Doctor had taken the mattress off and had placed the gadgetry on the box-springs. As Alex mulled over where exactly she was supposed to sleep tonight, the Doctor talked to Amy excitedly.

"Right!" he cried happily. "Shield's up! Let's scan!"

As he sent the gizmo spinning wildly, Amy asked "_What are you getting?_"

The Doctor looked at the gadget. "Upstairs…no traces of high technology? Totally normal? No, no, no, no, no, it can't be. It's too normal!"

"_Only for you could too normal be a problem,_" Amy huffed. "_You said I could be lost forever. Just go upstairs!_"

"Without knowing and get myself killed?" the Doctor questioned before shaking his head. He began moving some things on the gizmo around. "Then you really are lost. If I could just get a hold in there…hold on." He looked over at Alex, who was clutching her head in pain. Remembering his suspicions, he hurriedly ordered "Use the data bank. Get me the plans of this building. I want to know its history, the layout, everything. Meanwhile, I shall recruit a spy."

Alex looked up at this. A spy? What the heck did that mean? Was he going to bribe someone off the street to sneak in and see what was up?

The Doctor disconnected and continued to work on the gizmo some more. Alex set the box of crackers down. Her head still ached but she was sure that the food had made some improvement. She stood and wandered over to poke at the mattress with the toe of her shoe. "So, when are we going to have a bed back?"

The Doctor sighed. Oh, right, Alex. As a Time Lord, he didn't need that much sleep, but Alex did. "Oh, right, um…here." He grabbed the duvet that had been on the bed and a pillow, arranging them on the mattress in a slightly hap-hazard fashion.

Alex sighed and plopped down on the mattress. Despite the fact that she was actually sleeping on something other than the floor, she still wasn't really content. Still, she had to give the Doctor props for trying.

He knelt down next to her, kissing her hairline lightly. "I'm sorry, Ally. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you somehow."

"It's okay, Doc," Alex insisted. The Doctor had already sacrificed a lot for her. She could tolerate sleeping on a mattress on the floor for one night. "I'm fine, really."

A/N: The FLUFF! It's so much but at the same time, not that much at all! Wasn't the part where the Doctor and Alex played basketball cute? I live in Kentucky and I can honestly say, basketball is another religion here. It's also a house divided, with two rival teams and all. :) And did anyone 'aw' at the part where the Doctor bought the dress Alex liked? I can say that that dress will be making a reappearance in this story. :) Also, a reminder that we're going to be starting the 'Apollo 23' adventure on Thursday! I'm so excited! :D

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Lol, I love the medication bit too! That excuse will be making another reappearance in this story and it will continue to annoy the Doctor! :) Yes, poor Alex...wish I was in her place so I could spare her some *pain*. :) Yeah, I don't know other Whovians either, other than my dad. There are a couple at my school, but I don't hang out with them and they don't know I like it. I'm kind of a loner. :)

**Guest **- Yes, as seen in this chapter, the sport Amy was describing was what we Americans refer to as soccer but the British, for some reason, call football. The British have weird, but cool, slang. Glad you liked the chapter and sorry for leaving you hanging! I tend to do that! :)

**Guest **- I like Craig too! Hmm, I don't really like 'Closing Time'. Not sure why, just don't. Glad you liked that part! Yeah, you would think it would cross their minds that Alex might need to get some new clothes a little sooner, but they were focused on finding a place to stay and trying to get Amy back. Besides, her 80s clothes don't seem that much of a stretch from what people today wear, to me at least. :) Lol, yeah, the Doctor can't pass for normal, can he? :)

**jesterlover **- They have to share! Yes! And yes, long live prinos and fluff! :D

**Gwilwillith **- Glad you liked the chapter! And yes, things could get interesting... :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Aww, I'm sorry you're ill. Hope you get better soon! :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yes, more fluff! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Hmm, good point. Both are there, in the same room, trying to figure out what's upstairs... As one River Song said 'The mind races!' Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**Jackspicer2311 **- Alex will see him get shot, don't worry. And I will say that her reactions to it are very, very emotional... }:)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Really? Wow, I didn't realize that. Lol, good thing the Southern Charm is there, right? :) Yep, Alex won't be in 'The Snowmen'. Good guess. She could be visiting Marigold and Lacey. We'll have to wait and find out. :) Yes, why wouldn't River be jealous of Alex? Alex is awesome! There is a little more too it, but I think it'll be fairly obvious when we start Season 6. Yes, Alex might be flying the TARDIS in the future! It wouldn't be that hard, since the TARDIS likes her. :) Hmm, I was thinking Idris would call Alex 'Ally', since that's what the Doctor calls her, but you never know. It could change. :)

Thank you to those that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Now, I have to go do math homework...ugh. :( Please review and see you tomorrow!


	45. The Lodgers Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Of course, she wasn't fine, not really. Alex screwed her eyes shut tighter, vaguely aware she was now entering a half-asleep state. She curled up into a tight little ball on her new bed; the couch. After she had failed to go to sleep because of the Doctor's fiddling, she had moved onto the couch in the living room. While not an ideal bed, it was far more comfortable than a mattress on the floor.

In her half-asleep state, Alex was vaguely aware of a few things. She sensed the Doctor coming in when she felt a slow stream of adrenaline enter her system, revitalizing her a little until he left. Just as she was drifting off again, she heard the sound of running footsteps and the rattling of cabinets and the high whistle of a tea kettle boiling.

Alex groaned and covered her head with a pillow. She had barely slept last night. Why couldn't he act like he usually did and try not to disturb her or wake her?

She was about to drift off again when she suddenly felt someone shaking her. "Alex! Ally! Wake up!"

Alex rolled over….and right off the couch. She landed on the floor with an unceremonious thump. She groaned. "Dear God," she muttered.

"No God, just me," the Doctor said, smiling in spite of himself at Alex's falling off of the couch. He reached down and pulled her up.

"It's not funny," Alex grumbled as she tugged the blanket away from her legs.

"Never said it was." The Doctor pulled her close and hugged her. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not well," Alex admitted. Between her moving rooms and beds and her continuous headache, she only managed to get at least three hours of sleep. "What's going on? I thought I heard you running all around."

The Doctor sighed. "Ah, yes. Craig was poisoned. He touched that stain over there." He nodded over to the large gray stain, which had increased in size over the short three days.

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh my God! Is he going to be okay?"

"He's fine now," the Doctor nodded, "just needs a bit of rest. I need you to take care of him. That's what girls are good at, right? You need to make sure he keeps breathing while he's asleep. He should be fine, but check on him every now and then just to be safe."

"And just where will _you _be all day?" Alex demanded, crossing her arms. He just couldn't put total responsibility for another living, breathing human on her for no reason!

"I'm going to go and fill in for Craig at the call center. He can't go anywhere, so I'll take his place."

"I can do that," Alex argued. She had no idea what one did at a call center but it couldn't be that hard!

"No, you have to stay here. And why would you want to fill in at a call center anyway?"

"Because I am human and can assume an air of normalcy, unlike someone else in this room."

The Doctor frowned at her. "That's rude, Ally."

"Well, it's logical!" Alex protested.

"Listen, you'll be fine," the Doctor assured her, stepping forward to grip her shoulders. "I have the utmost confidence in you. Just stay inside, don't go upstairs, don't touch that stain, and don't chase off any cats that come in."

"Cats?" Alex frowned, wrinkling her nose as she tried to figure out how that fit in with their current situation. But before she could ask the Doctor anything, he had released her, ducked into Craig's room, and was coming back out with the house keys in hand. "Wait!" she cried, running after him. "What am I supposed to tell Craig when he wakes up?"

"Just tell him everything's fine and is taken care of," the Doctor shrugged. "What's most important is that you keep him in bed, resting." He went over and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry Ally. I'll be back soon."

* * *

A few hours later, these words rang in Alex's mind. She groaned and flipped to a new position on the couch. _I'll be back soon?_ That was perfectly fine for a person who intended to return in half an hour, but not for someone who was still gone at…two forty-five p.m. She was trying to get absorbed in _Jeremy Kyle_ but she just couldn't concentrate.

There was nothing else to do though. Shortly after the Doctor left, she had quickly showered and changed into a graphic tee with a silver and pink lipstick on it, a black and gray plaid button-up, skinny jeans, black Converse, and a new pair of hoop earrings. She had checked in on Craig several times, ate some potato chips, and attempted to get lured into the fantasy world of TV. However, she was still bored.

She sighed and stood up. She could go check on Craig again. That would distract her for a few minutes, at least.

She was just about to head over there when she heard a loud ruckus coming from that direction. "What?! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

Alex took off down the hall, entering the room just in time to see Craig clambering out of bed. "Why the bloody hell didn't you wake me?!" he demanded when he caught sight of her.

"The Doctor told me not to! He said you were sick!" Alex watched him run around the room for a moment before adding "Craig, everything is fine. You're ill and you need to rest-,"

"Get out!" he cried, partly mad at her and partly not wanting her to see him get changed.

Alex sighed and went back to the parlor where she began to pace rapidly. It was times like this she wished she had liquor. This whole mess was going to result in her getting very drunk when she got back to the TARDIS. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered under her breath. "I mean it this time!"

Right then, Craig came rushing in, dressed and ready for work. Alex darted in front of him and attempted to block the front door from him. "Craig, listen to me!" she begged. "You really need to get back in bed! The Doctor-,"

"Might have cost me my job Alex!" Craig snapped, shoving her out of the way and running out the door.

Alex stuck her head out the door. "Don't you people have sick days?!" she shouted after him. She huffed and turned away, only to see the same guy with the Pomeranian from her first day here standing across the street, glaring at her. Alex felt her blood pressure rise and she merely stuck her tongue out at him before slamming the door.

Alex leaned against the wood and sighed, burying her head in her hands. God, she didn't know if she could take much more of this. Why couldn't they just go upstairs and see what this guy was doing? She was tempted to do just that, but she knew the Doctor would kill her if she tried.

Her head pounded again and she groaned. Alex peeled herself off of the door and went back into the parlor. She had no idea when Craig would be back but she needed to come up with a way to get him back into bed without asking questions.

Not being able to come up with anything, even after pacing for a good half hour, Alex headed into the kitchen. She dug around in the cabinets before finding a decent sized tumbler glass and a bottle of Irish whiskey. Alex poured some out into the glass before taking a long sip. The whiskey burned down her throat but in a nice, good way. Alex was about to pour some more into the glass before suddenly remembering her last encounter with alcohol. Grimacing, she drained the rest of the glass and put the tumbler and bottle back in their original places.

Still, the whiskey shot had cleared her head a little, allowing her to fully cope with what was going on. She went back into the parlor and switched the TV off. The place felt alarmingly quiet. Alex longed for a bang from upstairs or even to be back on the TARDIS, the familiar soothing of the machine lulling her to sleep.

But before Alex could get caught up in her longing, the front door banged open. She turned around in time to see Craig marching towards her. "Give me the keys," he ordered.

"Why?" Alex questioned.

"I need to see your room."

_Shit,_ Alex thought. Of course, she couldn't do that! Aloud, she said "Why, to make sure it's clean? Because I can assure you, it is."

"Don't be flippant Alex," Craig said exasperatedly. "You know that's not what I meant!"

Alex crossed her arms. "I know and I don't agree with you. It's a very bad idea." She narrowed her eyes for further intimidation but then noticed that Craig was looking down at her nose, safely avoiding her dark gaze.

"Let me in there, or I'll get the spare key and go in myself," he threatened.

Alex was at a total loss for words, a first, for only the Doctor could really get her to do that. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't let Craig go in there. Not knowing what else to say, she simply kept her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "No."

Craig turned away from her and headed over to a chest of drawers by the front door. Alex watched in terror as he dug through them before finally producing a single key on a chain. Alex immediately ran and threw herself in front of the door as Craig came up.

"This really isn't a good idea!" Alex protested as he tried to shove the key into the lock under her arm. "Everyone's entitled to privacy, right?"

"What are you hiding?" Craig demanded.

"Nothing!" Alex lied. "Just privacy! I mean, do you really want to see mine and the Doctor's clothes strewn everywhere?"

She had been hoping this mental image would disturb him just as much as it had her when she thought of it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Craig wrenched her away from the door, sending her stumbling back a few feet. By the time she had regained her balance, Craig had already gotten the door open.

"What the hell?" he breathed as he took in the still spinning gadget on the bed. He turned to Alex, who looked slightly pained and slightly irritated. "What is that?!"

Alex shrugged. She wasn't about to tell him that the Doctor was really a time-traveling alien, she was his companion, and that a possible alien was living upstairs. The Doctor could handle that one. "Modern art?" she suggested. "Frankly, I'm not sure. Never have liked modern art. Too weird."

"This is not real," Craig breathed, venturing in the room further to reach out and touch the contraption.

Alex threw herself in between him and the detector. "I wouldn't do that if I were you! The Doctor is horribly territorial of his stuff. Talks to his…car, if you can believe that."

But Craig refused to let the matter drop. "What the bloody hell is that?!" he cried, waving a hand behind Alex to the device.

Alex sighed. "I can't tell you," she insisted. "I'm sorry, but this is more the Doctor's territory."

"Well," Craig said slowly, looking down at her, "let's just wait for him to return to his territory."

* * *

Alex wrung her hands nervously as she waited for the Doctor to get back. She was seated on the fourth step from the bottom on the stairs but she could feel her headache increasing by the second the longer she sat there. She was about to get up and move when she heard a soft _mew _from behind her. Alex turned to see a fluffy white cat sitting on the step behind her.

Well, at least the cat was a welcome distraction. "Hi kitty," she cooed, reaching out to pet it under its chin. The cat purred loudly and Alex continued talking to it. "Aren't you pretty? Where'd you come from?" Despite the excitement, she was pretty sure she'd have spotted a cat coming into the house.

The door suddenly opened and the Doctor stepped in. Alex whirled around, picking up the cat and sitting it in her lap. "Doc, I have to talk to you-,"

"One sec, Ally," the Doctor interrupted as he kneeled down next to her. He leaned in close to the cat in Alex's lap. "Have you been upstairs?" he asked it.

"You are kidding me," Alex deadpanned as the cat mewed back. Apparently, her theory about him bribing someone off the street wasn't that far off!

The Doctor shushed her and sat down on the stairs next to her. "Yes?" Once the cat gave a throaty meow, the Doctor continued. "You can do it. Show me what's up there." There was another mew from the cat and the Doctor frowned. "Yes, I know Alex is lovely and you like her, but try and concentrate. What's behind that door? Try to show me. Ever see anyone go up there? Lots of people go up there? Good, good. What _kind _of people?"

Alex couldn't help but smile as the Doctor petted the cat as it gave another sound. The Doctor let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, yes, I know you like her. Consider yourself this cat's new best friend Ally. Now, people who _never _come back down? Oh, that's bad. That's very bad."

The cat meowed again but the time-traveler's attention was distracted by the door next to the stairs opening, revealing a very angry Craig. "Oh, hello," the Doctor greeted, blissfully unaware of the turmoil that had recently happened.

"I can't take this anymore," Craig blurted. "I want you to go."

As he went further into the living-room, the Doctor turned to Alex. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

_No, I wanted to tell you Tom Cruise is in a new movie!_ But, knowing her sarcasm would not be appreciated at a time like this, she instead nodded and said "Yes."

The two went down the stairs, Alex still clutching the cat to her chest, and went after Craig. "You can have this back and all," he said shortly, handing the Doctor the bag filled with the rent money.

The Doctor only tossed it over his shoulder, just barely missing Alex. "What have I done?" he demanded.

"For a start, talking to a cat!"

"Lots of people talk to cats!" the Doctor argued as Alex petted the aforementioned cat.

"And everybody loves you!" Craig continued, his jealousy over the Doctor finally showing its true colors. "And you're better at football than me, and my job, you get the pretty girls, like your hot blonde friend!"

"Brunette," Alex corrected but Craig ignored her.

"…and now Sophie's all _oh, monkeys, monkeys_, and then, there's that!" All throughout this rant, Craig had been leading the Doctor back to his and Alex's room. He threw the door open and pointed at the weird contraption in the middle of the bed as he said the final two words of his explosion.

"Thank you, Alex!" the Doctor snapped, glaring at her.

"He had a freaking key!" Alex argued as the Doctor rushed into the room after Craig. "What did you want me to do? Whack him over the head with a frying pan? Put a sleeping pill in his tea?!"

"It's art!" the Doctor lied as he ran into the room and put a hand on the scanner to stop it from spinning anymore. "A statement on modern society."

"Told you!" Alex called from her place in the doorway. "Isn't modern society awful?"

"Me and you two, it's not going to work out," Craig insisted. "You've only been here _three days_. These have been the three weirdest days of my life!"

"Your days will get a lot weirder if we go," the Doctor ominously warned.

"It was good weirdness!" Craig babbled, clearly hysterical. "It's not, it's bad weird! I can't do this anymore!"

"Craig, I can't leave this place," the Doctor insisted. "I'm like you, I can't see the point of anywhere else. Madrid? Ha! What a dump! I _have _to _stay_."

"No, you don't!" Craig argued. "You have to _leave_!"

"I can't go!"

"Just get out!"

"For God's sakes, tell him!" Alex screeched. All of these charades and pretending was beginning to get exhausting. Frankly, she just wanted it to end.

Craig grabbed the Doctor's jacket, apparently ready and willing to make him leave by force. The Doctor grabbed Craig's jacket in return. "Right, only way," the Doctor babbled, a slight bit of annoyance in his voice. Apparently, he was about to do something he really didn't want to do. "I'm going to show you something, but shush. Really, s_hush_. Oh, I am going to regret this."

Alex watched him nervously. "Doctor?" she called out fearfully.

"Don't worry, Ally," the Doctor called over to her, his eyes never wavering from Craig. "Okay, right. First, general background."

Alex screamed as the Doctor suddenly head-butted Craig. The two staggered back, both shouting in pain. The Doctor collapsed on the bed, Alex rushing over to sit next to him. A moment later, Craig looked up and pointed at the Doctor, giving him a long gasp. "You're a…!" he breathed.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded wearily, still clutching his head.

"From…" Craig pointed up and ignored the Doctor's protests as he tried to shush him. "You've got a TARDIS!"

"Yes, shush," the Doctor told him before standing up and motioning to his face. "Eleventh."

"What the bloody hell are you two doing?!" Alex demanded. As far as she could determine, the Doctor was somehow passing Craig information through the head-butts, which seemed to be painful from either the transfer of information or just from banging into each-other.

"Not now, Alex!" the Doctor snapped. He grabbed Craig's jacket again. "Right, okay. Specific detail!"

They head-butted again, staggering backwards again, giving Alex the sense of Deja-vu. Once their shouts of pain died down, Craig looked at the Doctor in wonder. "You saw my ad in the coffee shop window!"

"Yes, with this right above it," the Doctor explained, picking up Amy's note from the bedside table and holding it up. "Which is odd, because Amy hasn't written it yet."

"Another job we have to do," Alex quipped, remembering that they needed to fix that will.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Time travel, it can happen," he said to Craig.

But Craig was now focused on the device on the bed. "That's a scanner!" he shouted. "You used non-technological technology of Lammasteen!"

The Doctor leapt away from Alex to cover Craig's mouth. "Shut up!" he screeched.

"BOTH of you, shut it!" Alex snapped, going over and pulling the Doctor away from Craig. She adjusted the cat in her arms, barely realizing she was still holding it.

"You're his companion!" Craig suddenly cried, pointing at her.

Alex and the Doctor ignored him. "I am never, never doing that ever, ever again," the Doctor panted, rubbing his head. He reached up and activated the Bluetooth. "Amy?" he called.

"That's Amy Pond!" Craig realized.

"Oh, of course, you can understand us now," the Doctor said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for added benefit. "Hurrah. Got those plans yet?"

"_Still searching for them!_" Amy replied.

"I've worked it out," the Doctor explained, "with psychic help from a cat."

Alex could practically see Amy frowning. "_A cat?_"

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed as Alex absently petted the cat. "I know he's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's using innocent people to try and launch it."

Alex's eyes widened in realization as the pieces began clicking in her head. "The stain!" she cried. "Whenever those people try and launch the craft, they get burned up! That's the stain!" She shuddered, imagining all those innocent people now reduced to what looked like dry rot on a ceiling.

"From the ceiling!" Craig cried, unable to believe it all.

"Well done Craig," the Doctor sarcastically complimented. "And you, Miss Pond, nearly get thrown off into the Vortex."

"_Lovely,_" Amy said in the type of voice that meant it really wasn't lovely at all.

Right then, a loud crash came from upstairs. Everyone's gazes shot to the ceiling, Alex's eyes wide in terror and she unconsciously clutched the cat closer to her chest. "People are dying up there!" Craig exclaimed before saying this again…and again…and again.

Amy began screaming on her end as the TARDIS reacted violently to this new time loop. "Amy!" the Doctor called to her.

A second later, the time loop ended and Craig shook his head, evidently clearing his mind of all the repeating he had been doing. "They're being killed!"

"Someone's up there," the Doctor and Alex deduced.

The two shot out the door, sprinting for the stairs. Alex felt her head pound in protest, but she ignored it. They had to save whoever was up there. "_Doctor? Alex?_" Amy called.

"Hang on," the Doctor told her before turning to Craig, who had followed them to the bottom of the staircase. "Craig, come on! Someone's dying up there!"

Alex turned to look at the frazzled human but her gaze drifted past him towards the open front door. She felt her heart jump into her throat as she stared at the fluffy pink keys she recalled Craig fondling two days ago.

Craig was also looking at this. "Sophie," he breathed before turning to run up the stairs. "It's Sophie that's dying up there! It's Sophie!"

"_Doctor!_"

"Where's Sophie?" Craig wondered frantically.

"Wait, wait," the Doctor shushed him. "Amy?"

"_Are you upstairs?_"

"Just going in."

"_But you CAN'T be upstairs!_"

"Of course I can be upstairs!"

"_No, I've got the plans,_" Amy protested. "_You cannot be upstairs; it's a one story-building!_"

It was at that moment that Alex felt a burst of pain so big, that it actually sent her stumbling back against the wall. It felt like something had cracked or snapped. She looked down, only to feel her heart stop. She couldn't see the stairs. There wasn't anything there. There were _no _stairs. She was standing on nothing.

The truth dawned on her. "There is no upstairs," she breathed as she stared at the far away ground in horror.

The Doctor and Craig looked down at the stairs beneath them, their minds nowhere near as strong as Alex's. The Doctor looked over at Alex, feeling a tremor of fear run through him as he saw her cowering back against the wall, eyes fixated on the floor.

"Ally?" he said slowly as Craig also looked at her.

"There's nothing there," Alex whimpered, shaking a little. The cat in her arms licked her finger comfortingly. "There's nothing there!"

"Ally, don't be scared," the Doctor drilled. "You're not going to fall."

"Yes, I will!"

"No, you can only see _past _it. To your mind, there isn't anything there. But there is something here. It's not real, but at the moment, it can support you."

"No! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Ally, it's okay," the Doctor soothed. "Just…grab hold of my jacket. I _promise_ I won't let you fall."

Alex knew his words were true, but she couldn't seem to get her feet to understand the message. However, she thought about Sophie. Sophie could be dead or dying by now. They'd never know unless they went in there and Alex knew that the Doctor wouldn't go anywhere without making sure she was okay first. Ever so slowly, she pried herself away from the wall and over to the Doctor. She removed her eyes from the ground to look into his deep green ones, feeling so much safer as she stared into them.

The Doctor beamed at her. "Good job Ally! Now, come on!" He withdrew his sonic, hurriedly using it on the door. Once it was unlocked, they all marched in, only to stop in their tracks in the doorway.

"What?" Craig breathed, not believing what was in front of him. "What?"

The room was huge, old-fashioned wallpaper decorating the walls. In the center of the room was a large round console that looked a lot like the TARDIS console, only darker and a bit more disheveled and ruined. The Doctor stepped further into the room, Alex and Craig just a step behind him. "Oh," he breathed. "Oh, of course! The time engine isn't in the flat, the time engine _is _the flat! Someone's attempt to build a TARDIS."

"No, there's always been an upstairs," Craig feebly protested.

Alex and the Doctor turned to look at him, just in time to see the door they came through flicker on and off and, in Alex's case, disappear entirely. "Has there?" the Doctor asked him, trying to see if the perception filter could do anything else other than make a second floor appear on a one story flat. "Think about it."

"Yes," Craig quickly answered before pausing to reconsider his answer. "No! I don't-,"

"Perception filter," Alex explained. "In this case, it's more than a disguise."

"It tricks your memory," the Doctor finished.

Before the two could elaborate further, a bloodcurdling scream sounded from around the console. They all turned to see Sophie being pulled over to the console, tendrils of light wrapped around her hand like ropes.

"Sophie!" Craig shouted as they ran towards her. "Oh my God! Sophie!"

"Craig!" Sophie pleaded as she continued to be pulled towards the console.

"It's controlling her!" the Doctor revealed as he rushed forward to help Craig pull Sophie away from the console. "It's willing her to touch the activator!"

"That's not going to have her!" Craig declared as he strained to pull Sophie away.

The Doctor whipped out the sonic and buzzed it over the activator and Sophie's hand, but this only resulted in Sophie's hand landing on the activator, her shouting in pain as the other three jumped. "Deadlock seal!" the Doctor growled, mentally swearing in every language he knew.

"You've got to do something!" Craig shouted at him.

Sophie suddenly fell back, released. Alex hurried over to hover over the unconscious girl with Craig as the Doctor frowned at the console. "What? Why's it let her go?"

"Shouldn't we be grateful that it did?" Alex questioned, the cat in her arms craning to lick Sophie's cheek.

The Doctor paced to the end of the platform. Just as he reached the end of it, a hologram of an old man appeared in front of him. "You will help me," it stated.

"Right," the Doctor murmured, thinking fast. "Stop! Crashed ship, let's see. Hello! I'm Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue! Please state the nature of your emergency."

"The ship has crashed," the hologram replied. "The crew are dead. A pilot is required."

"You're the emergency crash program," the Doctor realized. "A hologram. What, you've been luring people up here so you can try them out?" He aimed the sonic at the hologram and Alex watched in wonder as different images went by in rapid fashion, all saying _you will help me_.

"Craig, what is this?" Sophie asked wearily as she started to regain consciousness. She looked around in confusion at the strange surroundings. "Where am I?"

"Hush," the Doctor ordered, not even turning to look at her. "Human brains aren't strong enough, they just burn. But you're _stupid_, though. You just keep trying."

"Seventeen people have been tried," the hologram revealed. "Six billion four hundred thousand and twenty six remain."

"You're going to kill everyone on Earth!" Alex shouted. How could a machine do something like that?

"Seriously," Sophie interjected, "what is going on?"

"Oh, for goodness sake," the Doctor groaned.

"The top floor of Craig's building is, in reality, an alien space ship intent on slaughtering the population of this planet," Alex explained quickly, her eyes never straying away from the Doctor and the hologram. "Any questions?"

"No, good," the Doctor jumped in.

"Yes, I have questions!" Sophie argued.

"The correct pilot has been found," the hologram said, interrupting any Q&A sessions.

The Doctor's face paled. "Yes, I was a bit worried that you were going to say that."

"Oh, no," Alex breathed in realization.

"_He means you, Doctor, doesn't he?_" Amy asked.

The tendrils of light that had grabbed Sophie shot out, wrapping around the Doctor's chest and dragging him towards the console. "The correct pilot has been found. The correct pilot has been found," the hologram chanted. "The correct pilot has been found!"

"Doctor!" Alex cried, running over to him. She was vaguely aware of setting the cat down at her feet before gripping the Doctor's shoulders to try and pull him back. The tweed material scratched at her skin, but Alex refused to let go. "Doctor!" she screamed as he was pulled closer to the console.

"_What's happening?_" Amy shouted from the earpiece.

"It's pulling me in," the Doctor revealed. "I'm the new pilot."

"_Could you do it? Could you fly the ship safely?_" Alex paused slightly in her pulling as she awaited his answer. She certainly hoped he could!

"No, I'm way too much for this ship!" the Doctor said, forcing Alex to resume her pulling. The Doctor struggled to keep back from the machine, but his hand continued to be pulled closer and closer to the activator. "My hand touches that panel, the planet doesn't blow up; the whole solar system does!"

"The correct pilot has been found!"

"No!" Alex screamed, feeling tears brim to her eyes as she continued to tug and pull in vain. She knew her efforts were wasted but she wasn't going to let her Doctor go. She'd rather die with him than let him die alone.

"No! Worst choice ever, I promise you! Stop this!" the Doctor ordered.

"_Doctor?_" Amy called out. A bunch of shaking and rattling emitted from her end. "_It's getting worse!_"

"Little busy right now Amy!" Alex shot back.

But as she continued to pull, her mind was thinking in overdrive. Why was the machine targeting certain people? Way more than seventeen people walked by this house and one person actually lived in it. Which brought up an interesting point…

"It doesn't want everyone," Alex murmured. She looked over at Craig, who was still tending to Sophie, and shouted "Craig, it didn't want you! You live here, why not?!"

"I spoke to him," Craig recalled, "and he said I couldn't help him!"

"It didn't want Sophie before though, but now it does!" Alex frowned.

"What's changed?" the Doctor jumped in, following her train of thought despite his current predicament. He was pulled closer to the machine, letting out a groan as this happened. "Argh! No, no! I gave her the idea of leaving!"

"It's a machine that needs to leave!" Alex jumped in as she started pulling on his arm.

"It wants people who want to escape!" the Doctor realized. Of course! That made total sense! It wanted him and Sophie because they wanted to leave but it hadn't chosen Alex because she was perfectly fine wherever he was. But Craig…Craig was different. "And you don't want to leave, Craig! You're Mister Sofa Man!"

Amy shouted again but the two ignored her. "Craig, you can shut down the engine!" Alex called over to him.

"Put your hand on the panel and concentrate on why you want to stay!" the Doctor directed.

"Craig, no!" Sophie pleaded.

Craig looked at the panel thoughtfully. "Will it work?" he asked.

"Yes!" the Doctor answered.

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes!"

"Is that a lie?!"

"Of course it's a lie!" the Doctor shouted as he was pulled closer to the machine.

"Rule One! The Doctor lies!" Alex informed him.

"It's good enough for me!" Craig declared. "Geronimo!" With that, Craig slammed his hand down on the activator and began screaming in pain while the tendrils of light keeping hold of the Doctor released him. The Doctor stumbled back into Alex's arms.

"Thank God," she muttered, clutching the tweed material like it was a life-line, which it kinda was.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and together, they ran over to Craig. "Craig, what's keeping you here?" the Doctor questioned rapidly as smoke began pouring out from beneath Craig's hand.

Alex stepped over to Sophie, carefully holding the hysterical blonde back. "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here," she ordered.

"Why don't you want to leave?" The Doctor reached over and slapped Craig's face.

"Sophie!" Craig blurted. "I don't want to leave Sophie! I _can't _leave Sophie! I love Sophie!"

Sophie pushed Alex away to step forward. "I love you, too, Craig, you idiot!" With that said, she slammed her hand down on top of his.

Craig looked at her, stunned. "Honestly, do you mean that?"

"Of course I mean it! Do you mean it?"

"I've _always_ meant it," Craig insisted. "Seriously though, do you mean it?"

"Yes!"

"What about the monkeys?"

"Oh, not now, not again!" the Doctor shouted, pulling Alex over to his side. "Craig, the planet's about to burn! For god's sake, _kiss the girl_!"

"_Kiss the girl!_" Amy piped up over the Bluetooth.

Needing no further encouragement, Craig and Sophie kissed. Alex beamed, quite proud of herself for getting another couple together. She watched as Craig's hand was released from the panel, allowing him to pull Sophie closer to him as he deepened the kiss.

Suddenly, it was a little uncomfortable to watch.

"_Doctor, Alex, you've done it!_" Amy cheered. "_Oh, now the screen's just zeroes. Now it's minus ones, minus twos, minus threes...big yes!_"

But the Doctor and Alex's attention was quickly diverted from celebrating by the sounds emanating from the hologram next to them. "Help me, help me, help me, help me," it chanted as it switched forms several different times from an old man to a little girl to a young adult to countless others.

"Big no," the Doctor corrected as the hologram continued chanting _help me_.

Noticing this, Craig and Sophie came up for air. "Did we switch it off?" Craig asked, looking over at the hologram.

Then, the house began shaking. "Emergency shutdown," the Doctor revealed as he looked around at the shaking room. "It's imploding! Everybody out, out, out!"

Alex reached down and grabbed the cat just before the Doctor pushed her out the door. Alex concentrated on feeling something solid beneath her instead of panicking that she could no longer see the stairs. She yanked the door open and rushed outside across the street, the Doctor, Craig, and Sophie just steps behind her. Just as they skidded to a stop beside her, the top floor of the building disappeared to reveal a large black spaceship with eight stands on it, making it resemble a large spider. As it flew away, a man walked past, carrying a child. He didn't even look up.

"Look at them," Craig noticed. "Didn't they see that? The whole top floor just vanished!"

"Perception filter," the Doctor and Alex said together, the Doctor coming up behind Alex. "There never _was _a top floor."

"Who did it belong to?" Alex inquired. "I mean, what kind of aliens?"

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know. We may never know. The crew was dead anyway."

It was then that the Doctor noticed something. "Alexandria," he said slowly, "why do you have a cat?" Sure enough, that white cat was still in Alex's arms, curled into her chest and purring loudly.

* * *

"But-,"

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"No."

Alex stuck her bottom lip out. "Please?" she begged.

The Doctor only gave her a flat look. "Adorable, but no. For the tenth time Alex, I am not letting you keep that cat."

Alex looked down at the white cat in her arms. The cat adored her alright. It hadn't left her side ever since they went back inside the newly one-story flat. And Alex did love cats. What was the Doctor's problem? It wasn't like he'd be taking care of it! "Why not?" she demanded.

"Two things. One, the TARDIS isn't really the best place to have animals. And two, I do _not _clean litter-boxes."

"I'm not asking you to take care of it!" Alex protested. "It would be _my _cat. You'd barely know he was there!"

"_No_, Alex." This was said in a voice that signified the subject was closed and there was no use in arguing anymore. The Doctor was willing to do many things for Alex, but even he had to draw the line somewhere.

Alex frowned at him and sighed. "Fine." She released the cat, shooing it out into the hall and watching as it reluctantly went through the cat door.

"Don't be sad, Ally," the Doctor said in a much more cheerful voice. "The fifth moon of Cindie Colesta is very nice. You'll enjoy it."

Alex nodded and moved over to him, watching as he fixed the sheets. She sighed exasperatedly as he attempted to smooth out some wrinkles but only ended up getting it more wrinkled. "Here, move," she said, pushing him out of the way. "You're hopeless at this."

"I'm 907, Ally! I think I know how to make a bed!" he protested, crossing his arms for emphasis.

"You think?" Alex snorted.

Once she finished making the bed, she pulled her trench coat on and grabbed the shopping bags she had amassed during her shopping spree. She peered out into the hall, hearing faint giggling and a sucking sound, which only meant that kissing was going on somewhere. "Are we saying goodbye?" she asked.

"How long have you known me, Ally?" the Doctor questioned.

"Don't you think this is different? Craig really helped, if I recall."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, he did," he agreed.

The Doctor stepped out into the hall, Alex putting the arm not covered in shopping bag handles through the crook of his. They stepped into the parlor, only to see Craig and Sophie kissing on the sofa. The two stepped back, the Doctor putting a finger to his lips as he quietly placed the keys on a chest of drawers before wordlessly pulling Alex towards the door.

"Oi!" Craig called just as he grabbed the knob.

The two turned to see Craig and Sophie walking towards them. Sophie smiled at them. "What, you're trying to sneak off?" she questioned.

"He was," Alex said.

The Doctor shot her a look before replying. "Yes, well, you were sort of…busy."

Craig chuckled before reaching over and grabbing the keys off the chest. "I want you two to keep these," he said as he handed the keys to the Doctor.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, accepting them. "Because I might pop back soon, have another little stay."

"No, you won't," Craig scoffed. "Alex might, but I've been in your head, remember? I still want you to keep them."

"Thank you, Craig."

"Thank you, Doctor. See you, Alex."

"You're not getting off that easy," Alex smiled before grasping him a tight hug. Pulling away, she proceeded to do the same to Sophie before stepping back, allowing the Doctor to swing an arm around her shoulders.

"Now then," the Doctor said, opening the door. "Six billion four hundred thousand and twenty six people in the world. That's the number to beat."

And then, the Doctor and Alex Locke left the flat, returning back to the TARDIS.

* * *

"I'm so glad to see you both!" Amy cried the second they stepped into the TARDIS. She threw her arms tightly around Alex before turning to the Doctor to do the same to him. Unlike Alex, the Doctor seemed a little uncomfortable with it. He still vividly remembered her attempt to seduce him.

"Oh!" Amy exclaimed, pulling back from him as she caught sight of Alex's shopping bags. "You went shopping!"

"That I did!" Alex laughed. "Don't worry. I got you a nice, short skirt."

"Glad to see you're still alive, Pond," the Doctor jumped in, patting Amy on the shoulder. He sprinted up to the console, shaking his jacket off and tossing it into one of the chairs. "Back in time! You need to go to the coffee shop and leave that note for us."

"Right little matchmakers, aren't you?" Amy teased. "Can't you two find me a fellow?"

Alex ignored her though as she watched the Doctor take a stethoscope out from somewhere and begin listening to parts on the console. He frowned. "Oh, rectifier's playing up again. Hold on."

As he began to run upstairs, Amy looked at Alex. "So, did you get up to anything else aside from shopping and stopping aliens?"

"Well, I did almost get a cat," Alex answered.

Amy frowned. "A cat?" she repeated.

"Alex, just drop it!" the Doctor shouted.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you later. I better go and help him. He'll tear this whole ship apart if I'm not there."

"I heard that!" the Doctor called, appearing again on the steps. "And good idea. Ally, you come help me. Amy, you write that note and I'll change that will."

"I knew we did something to it!" Alex exclaimed as she sprinted up after him.

"You got a pen?" Amy called up after him.

"Make sure it's a red pen!" the Doctor and Alex shouted down. Neither one of them saw Amy go to the Doctor's jacket and dig around the pockets before producing a tiny red ring box. She opened it to reveal her old engagement ring…a ring she didn't remember owning.

Meanwhile, the Doctor pulled Alex along the halls. "Hey, Doc?" Alex asked. "Can you clarify something for me?"

"Shoot."

"Well, all those headaches I was having…do you think they were happening because my mind was trying so hard to bypass the perception filter?"

"Yes, I think that's it," the Doctor confirmed. "That filter was really strong. Your mind was probably going crazy trying to bypass it."

Alex sighed. "Ugh. Did it have to try so hard though? Those headaches were killer!"

"I'm sorry, Ally," the Doctor said. He reached down to kiss her forehead, not seeing Alex inhale his scent or close her eyes in happiness. "I promise I'll teach you how to make mental shields soon, but not right now. Right now, we need to get that will changed."

"Don't worry, Doc," Alex assured him, smiling up at him. "I'm very patient." _At most things that is, _she thought silently.

A/N: And that concludes 'The Lodger'! Tomorrow, we start 'Apollo 23' which is about 11 chapters long, but I think I can cut that down some in editing. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- That's alright! :) Yeah, the part where he bought her the dress WAS cute, wasn't it? And the dress will be seen again, I promise. :) And we found out what the cause of Alex's headaches was. I thought it would be fairly obvious, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see that I had my readers guessing. :) Oh, and thanks for pointing that out! I may go back and change that later. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks, it surprises me I can write fluff so well. I guess I'm a hopeless romantic. :) I'm glad you like the pairing! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Glad you liked the basketball part! I had to put that in there, being a basketball fan myself. :) Hmm, I didn't even think of it that way! You can see two sides of her; tomboy and girly-girl. Lol, I'm a total girly-girl, but I used to be into sports when I was younger, since my dad was a basketball coach. :) Glad you liked the episode!

**rycbar15 **- You can say that again. And I had to do MORE math tonight! :( Glad you liked the dress part though! :)

**jesterlover **- Glad you like the sharing and the dress part! Lol, long live prinos! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Thanks! :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Ooh, if his bow-tie broke in battle, I think he'd have a nervous breakdown... :) Hmm, sorry, no kissing in this chapter (unless you count Craig and Sophie, lucky ducks.)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! :)

**Guest **- Oh thanks! I didn't know any of that! And really, no mall? I feel bad for you. :( Hope you enjoyed the chapter though! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad to hear you're feeling better! Glad you liked the dress and basketball parts. I think most everyone did. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, a lot going on in that chapter, huh? :) *happily devours cupcake* Thanks! :) Ooh, that would be cool if she was wearing a trench-coat when she met 10. He wouldn't know what hit him. I think 10 and Alex would make a good couple, don't you? I've been thinking about, when this story and maybe the next one are completed, doing a reimagining where Alex meets 10 during Season 4. I think that would be pretty cool. :) With the story I'm in the process of planning, Alex is going all over the Doctor's timeline trying to fix a time discrepancy (won't say what though). I've got a vague idea about how she'll pull it off without majorly screwing up time, but like I said, still in the planning stages. :) Yep, getting closer and closer! And let me just say, Season 6 is action-packed!

**JackSpicer2311 **- Not bitter and bloody, I don't think I could write that... :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	46. Apollo 23 Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or Apollo 23 by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

The Doctor poked his head out the TARDIS doors, looking around in interest at the parked cars in the parking lot they had landed in. Overhead, the sky was gray and the air was cold. He blinked some of the oncoming drizzle out of one eye before flicking his head to get his damp hair out of the other. He then straightened his bow tie and pulled his crumpled tweed jacket into a semblance of order. Piloting the TARDIS was serious work. Too bad his clothes often got wrecked while doing it.

"Great," Amy groaned as she stepped out behind him. The cool breeze ruffled around her hair as she said "The Planet Car-Park, one of the most glamorous locations in the Asphalt Galaxy."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Though actually, it could be Earth. Britain at an expert guess."

"You got that from the car number plates," Amy accused.

"No, from the weather," the Doctor corrected. He held out his hand to allow the light rain to moisten it. "Look at that."

"I do recognize rain," Amy told him. "I'm Scottish, remember?"

"What?!" a distinct Southern-accented voice cried out. A second later, Alex came scrambling out. She groaned. "Oh man!" She immediately reached for the pink knit sweater tied around her waist. "Why couldn't you land us somewhere warm?" she glared at the Doctor as she tugged the sweater on over her purple tank-top.

Amy laughed. "You cold Alex?"

Alex only glared at her. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to wear a tank top and white shorts today. She had paired the revealing outfit with brown mid-calf boots, hoop earrings, and a studded owl necklace. "It's not my fault you Brits have such limiting weather! When's the last time we had a sunny day here?"

Amy ignored her. Alex had complained many times about the weather in the past and it was nothing new to her. Instead, she fished around in her skirt pocket. "Got any money?" she asked the Doctor.

"Tons."

"I mean _money_ money," Amy clarified as Alex snorted beside her. "Like change. For the machine." The Doctor only stared at her. Amy sighed and dug even deeper into her pocket. "Never mind," she said, producing a pound coin and a few ten pence pieces.

The Doctor watched with interest as she fed them into a ticket machine next to them and then pressed a big green button. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Ticket," Alex answered for Amy. At that moment, the ticket in question printed out and dropped into a little slot at the bottom of the machine.

"It's pay and display," Amy added.

The Doctor frowned. "Display what?"

"The ticket." Amy grabbed the ticket before ducking back inside the TARDIS and sticking it inside the bottom of one of the windows in the door. Alex giggled a little at the thought of the TARDIS, a futuristic time machine, needing a parking ticket.

"We're staying then?" the Doctor asked as she came back out and shut the doors.

"Only for a couple of hours," Amy answered. "That's all I could afford."

"And what are we doing?"

Amy grabbed Alex, sticking her arm through the crook of Alex's. The two led the way towards a large building at the end of the parking lot that seemed to have been thrown together from glass and concrete. "Shopping," they smiled together.

The Doctor groaned and wrinkled his nose. Nevertheless, he followed along after them. "The whole universe," he bemoaned as they entered the mall. "All of time and space. From the creation of Bandrazzle Maxima to the heat-death of Far-Begone."

"Sounds painful," Alex lowly quipped to Amy, who snickered as the Doctor went on, oblivious.

"…from the tip of Edgewaze to the Bakov Beyonned…and you two want to go shopping."

A little old lady with a walking stick went past them, pausing to turn and look at the Doctor suspiciously. The Doctor merely grinned at her and said "Hello." She quickly moved on.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of shop," Amy called back, not seeing the exchange. "It's got to be done. Besides, Alex got to go shopping." The Doctor groaned, remembering Alex's shopping trip a few days ago when they were staying at Craig's.

"So, that's it, isn't it?" he realized.

Amy rolled her eyes. She knew Alex was the Doctor's favorite companion and that was fine with her. She just wanted some equal treatment now and then. Alex, not wanting to get into a discussion on how she was doted on more than Amy, quickly intervened. "If it makes you feel any better, we can have lunch too." She pointed up to a clock mounted on a wall nearby.

"Lunch?" The Doctor sucked in his cheeks and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Well, that's alright then. I haven't had lunch for centuries."

A few minutes later, they were in a small Italian restaurant on the first floor, completely decorated with red and green accents. Amy chose a table close to the large window overlooking a small park with a bandstand in the center. The table also allowed the three to look down to the ground floor below where people were queuing for burgers and other fast food.

The Doctor inspected the plastic menu that had been propped up between the salt and pepper shakers. He pretended to study the daily specials, but was really more aware of Alex, sitting in the chair on his left, leaning over to look at it too. Her hair was tickling his jacket and her arm was touching his. He longed to separate the distance his clothing provided from his skin touching hers.

He mentally shook his head. No! He couldn't think things like that! In an attempt to break the silence, he wondered aloud "Do they come to us or do we have to go to them? I can't see milk mentioned."

"They must have it for the coffee," Amy mused, studying the other side of the menu. "Unless they use those little pots."

"I bet they use those little pots." The Doctor leaned back in his chair, tilting it back the way Alex had always been told not to, his fingers lacing together behind his head. "Do they come to us or do we go to them?" he asked loudly. "To order, I mean?"

It took the girls a second to realize he wasn't talking to them, but actually to the man at the table behind him. Alex turned around in her seat to study him. The man, wearing a dark, crumpled suit, appeared to be about fifty years old with graying hair.

Getting no answer, the Doctor somehow managed to turn the chair, pivoting it on one leg so he was sitting facing the man across his table. Alex had the suspicion he'd done something like that before.

"Oh, sorry," the man said, noticing him. "Yes, they come to you. Well, they came to me. But maybe I'm special."

"Everyone's special," the Doctor told him. "Look at Amy and Alex, they're _really _special." However, since he was looking at Alex as he said this, everyone felt that the statement had really been geared towards her. The Doctor stuck his hand out. "And I'm the Doctor."

The man politely half-stood as they shook hands. "Me too."

The Doctor's brow creased into a slight frown. "Small universe." He then nodded at the man's plate of pasta. "You're not eating much. Is the food here rubbish, then?"

"No, no. It's very good." The man poked at the food with his fork. "But I do find death rather spoils my appetite."

The Doctor sighed in agreement. "I know the feeling. Mind you, I haven't died for months. Quite hungry afterwards, I find." He swung the chair back to face the girls. "Probably means he's a vegetarian or something. Bit of a weird way of saying it."

Alex frowned. That had not been what the man meant at all. She quickly stood, swinging around the table to sit in the spare chair at the man's table. Amy followed a beat later, standing behind her.

"You said 'me too'," Alex observed. "Do you mean you're a doctor?"

"Yes," the man confirmed. "Well, pathologist, actually. Gyles Winterbourne."

The Doctor spun back again. "Ah, hence the death," he realized.

Dr. Winterbourne turned to face the large window beside them. "This probably wasn't the best place to sit," he admitted. "The poor chap died down there, in the park."

"Accident?" Amy asked. She glanced down to see several policemen standing around along with a small group of curious onlookers.

"Natural causes," Dr. Winterbourne explained. However, he paused a moment before adding "I think."

"You're not sure?" Alex asked.

"Need to do a post mortem. Something else to put you off your food." Dr. Winterbourne stabbed at a tube of pasta, lifted it to his mouth, then changed his mind and put the loaded fork back into the bowl. He turned to the Doctor. "You're a doctor. You ever seen a case of heart failure with all the symptoms of asphyxiation?"

The Doctor blew out a long breath as he considered this question. "Well, I'm not actually a medical doctor," he admitted.

"Student?" Dr. Winterbourne guessed.

Amy stifled a smile while Alex started snickering but quickly disguised it with a bunch of coughing when she caught sight of the Doctor's glare. "I've seen more death than you've avoided hot dinners," he retorted.

"And then there's the dust," Dr. Winterbourne went on, not really hearing him. "Gets everywhere – look, there's still some on my sleeve." He turned his cuff to show a pale gray splattering of dry dust. Some spilled to the tabletop and Alex ran her finger through it. She'd never seen that type of dust before.

The Doctor's frown deepened. He suddenly grabbed Dr. Winterbourne's hand and pulled it across the table, nearly causing the man to land face-down in his bowl of pasta. Then, just as abruptly, he let go again.

"Sorry," Alex apologized, sending the Doctor a sharp _knock-it-off _look.

Dr. Winterbourne smiled weakly at her. "There's loads of it down by the burger place. If dust is your thing."

_Not mine but it is for the Doctor,_ Alex thought. Right on cue, the Doctor said "The burger place?"

"Downstairs," Dr. Winterbourne directed. "You know, where the spaceman is."

"Figures," the Doctor said dismissively, not really registering Dr. Winterbourne's words. "After all, it is moon dust."

Alex rolled her eyes and began mentally counting off the seconds. _One, two, three, four_. Just as she reached that number, the Doctor dropped the menu he had been fingering and jumped to his feet. "Hang on, hang on. Moon dust – in a _shopping center_? And a spaceman?"

"Well, an astronaut. Publicity stunt, or so someone said." Dr. Winterbourne craned his head and pointed to the ground floor. "Look, there he is now, with those men in suits."

The Doctor's chair clattered to the floor with a crash. Startled, Dr. Winterbourne turned to Amy and Alex. But they were gone as well.

The girls followed the Doctor rapidly across the restaurant. Amy reached him last, Alex already standing beside him. The two were leaning over the railing dangerously, looking down at the array of fast food restaurants below.

"Astronaut," Amy said. "He'll be the one in the spacesuit I bet." The astronaut in question was walking stiffly across the shopping center, carrying his helmet under one arm. "It's a good costume."

"It's not a costume," the Doctor and Alex said together.

"You two really need to stop doing that." Amy leaned over the railing and pointed to three men in dark suits with sunglasses and really short haircuts, all of them walking half a step behind the astronaut. "And those aren't American Secret Service Agents either."

"Amy Pond," the Doctor sighed.

"Sorry."

"They're with the CIA," Alex corrected.

The three watched as the men in suits led the astronaut out of the mall. Just mere moments later, a large, black car with tinted windows drove past the park.

"So, what have we got here, Doc?" Alex questioned. She had to admit, investigating what an American astronaut was doing in a British shopping mall was far more interesting than any amount of shopping she and Amy could be doing right now. "Cause it's bound to be something crazier than an astronaut stopping off for a burger."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Moon dust…astronaut…" he mused. Suddenly, he pushed himself away from the railing and grabbed Alex's hand. "And asphyxiation! The dead man had dust on him! Come on!"

Amy had to run to keep up with the Doctor and Alex, who were now hurrying to the nearest escalator. "Where are we going?" she questioned.

"TARDIS, I bet," Alex said, earning an approving nod from the Doctor.

"She's right. Back to the TARDIS. If I'm right…" He paused suddenly, causing Alex to nearly stumble and fall down but he barely noticed. Instead, he pulled out the sonic screwdriver and examined it. "I'm right," he confirmed. "Quantum displacement." And then he was off, pulling Alex along as she scampered to keep up with him.

"And what is quantum displacement, when it's at home?" Amy asked on the escalator. Truthfully, she was asking either one of them. Alex knew a lot that the Doctor knew and was nearly on the same level as him.

"Serious," the Doctor answered while Alex listened attentively. "And it isn't at home – that's the point. It's been displaced. Like the astronaut and the dead man."

Once they reached the bottom of the escalator, the Doctor and Alex jumped off, Amy doing the same a second later. As they ran across the ground floor to the doors, Alex ignored all the stares they were getting as she tried to work out what exactly quantum displacement was. It sounded like something that would fit in with physics and possibly involved the act of moving something. Whatever it was, she was sure she would find out soon.

The trio raced across the parking lot towards the TARDIS, only to see the parking warden standing beside it, checking the ticket in the window and then making notes on his clipboard.

The time-travelers slowed their pace and Amy stepped forward to address him. "Problem?" she asked brightly.

The warden sniffed. "Problem," he confirmed.

"We're well within the time," Amy pointed out.

"We are," the Doctor agreed, leaning over to see what the warden was writing. "I'm an expert. I know all about time."

"Time's not an issue."

"Well, you say that," the Doctor replied. "But actually-,"

"What exactly is the problem?" Alex said quickly before the Doctor could start on one of his confusing rants that even she couldn't often follow.

The warden pointed to the ticket in the TARDIS window. Then he pointed at the ground where the police box stood. "One ticket. Two spaces."

Alex looked down. Sure enough, the TARDIS was straddling two parking spaces. She could understand the warden's reasoning but it didn't seem that Amy could, for the redhead narrowed her eyes. "You're not serious."

"He looks serious," the Doctor argued, noticing the man's flat expression.

"You have to park within the spaces," the warden told them.

"But we're too big!" the Doctor explained. "Look – narrow space, wide box. It won't fit."

"Then you need two tickets. One for each space. If you want to dump some antique like that in a car park, you have to pay for the spaces. Sooner you get it towed away again, the better."

"So you're going to give us a fine?" Alex guessed.

"Not me. The council will give you the fine. I just issue the bill. Fifty quid."

"Fifty?" the Doctor asked as he reached inside his jacket pocket.

Amy glared at the warden. "We're not paying fifty quid."

The warden shrugged, as if he wasn't surprised by this. "Then it'll be a hundred. If you don't pay within twenty-four hours, that is."

The Doctor removed his hand from his jacket, now clutching the wallet Alex knew contained the psychic paper. "Wait, wait, wait," he ordered. "I can settle this."

"Put the money in the machine," the warden said. "Send the ticket it gives you to the council and they'll accept that as payment."

"Like we have fifty pounds in our pockets!" Amy retorted.

The Doctor flipped open the wallet, revealing the blank sheet of psychic paper. "Two for one voucher," he announced, dangling it in the warden's face. "Look, here you go. That should sort it out. The bearer has the right to one free car-park ticket for every ticket purchased at full price. Second ticket need not be displayed. See, it says so right here. Authorized by the district council."

The warden frowned. "Let me see that," he said, taking the psychic paper. After examining it, he glumly muttered "Yes, well that seems to be in order." Alex figured the only joy in his life came from giving people tickets.

The Doctor grinned at the girls as the warden added "You should have shown me this straight away. Would have saved a lot of bother."

"Yeah, sorry. Can I have it back now?" the Doctor requested, holding out his hand.

"In a moment." The warden licked the end of his pen, making Alex grimace – she could never understand why people did that – before teasing the sheet of paper out from its protective plastic window. "Just need to sign this to authorize it."

The Doctor's eyes widened. This had _never _happened before! Just as he was about to reach out to stop him, the warden signed his name across the paper. He slid it back in the wallet, closed it, and handed it back.

"There you go, sir," he said, tipping his cap, not noticing the Doctor's look of outrage. "Ladies. Mind how you go."

"He _signed _it," the Doctor hissed once the warden had left. "He _signed _it! He _signed _my psychic paper!" He quickly flipped the wallet open to examine the paper. "'Albert Smoth', is that? I can't even read it. He's ruined my psychic paper!"

He held it out to the girls. "Look!"

Alex shrugged. "Can't see anything remember? Doesn't work on me."

"You can see the signature clear as day!"

"Well, yes," Alex admitted. "But not anything else." Truthfully, she was kinda enjoying this.

"And get over it, will you?" Amy added. "Saved us fifty quid, didn't it? Give it here." She took the wallet and slid out the paper before turning it over and sliding the blank, unsigned side into the plastic window.

The Doctor took the wallet back. "Yeah, okay. That'll work," he admitted. "Probably."

* * *

"That was quick," Amy observed a few minutes later.

"No time at all!" The Doctor pushed a lever down on the TARDIS console. "Really, no time at all. I just removed the safeties, drifted a bit to the west in the fourth dimension, and let the TARDIS fall through the quantum displacement. It's closed up now, of course, so she had to jig back in time a bit, then edge forwards again to compensate."

Alex shook her head. She was convinced the Doctor made up stuff half the time just to annoy her and Amy. "So where are we?"

The Doctor opened the doors and they all turned to look out.

Amy gasped. "It's amazing. So desolate, but so beautiful." Truly, it was. They were on the dark side of the moon, an expanse of gray stretched out before them. Above them, stars twinkled in the deep black never-ending abyss.

Alex grinned. "You should've taken us here sooner," she told the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled back at her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't go out," he warned Amy when he saw her starting towards the doors out of the corner of his eye. "There's just a force membrane keeping the air inside the TARDIS. Pass through it and you'll suffocate in seconds. Like the man Dr. Winterbourne was telling us about."

"Is that what happened?" Alex questioned. "He got displaced by that quantum thing?"

The Doctor nodded and walked slowly down to join Amy, Alex carted along since his arm was still around her waist. "He was in the park, and he was also here. The two places are joined by the displacement process, so you can walk from one into the other."

"Like a bridge," Alex realized.

"Exactly, Ally. Except the overlap, or bridge, is unstable. Something's gone wrong. For a while, maybe just a minute or two, he was _here_."

"And the astronaut?" Amy asked.

"Same thing, only the other way around," Alex figured.

"But more permanent," the Doctor picked up. "He walked from here into the shopping center. If the displacement had stayed open, he could have turned round and walked back again."

"From Earth to the moon," Amy murmured. "Talk about a giant step for mankind."

* * *

The look of surprise on the man's face made this whole thing worth it. Amy didn't like the spacesuit. It was tight in all the wrong places and the helmet was claustrophobic, like someone had stuck a fish bowl over her head. She could also hear her own breathing and the whole thing wasn't quite her shade of red.

She'd have much rather had Alex's sleek black spacesuit. When the Doctor had presented it to her, Alex just narrowed her eyes. "Is that a joke because I like black?" she questioned.

"Not at all," the Doctor replied, but Amy saw a gleam of mischievousness in his eyes. "But if you're unhappy with it, I think there's a nice bright pink in here."

Alex's eyes had widened and she had immediately snatched the spacesuit from his hands. "Never mind," she grumbled as she went down the hall to her room to tug the thing on.

Well, she was stuck with this red one and all of its problems. In addition to color and size, the Doctor's voice was blasting in her ears and she couldn't figure out how to turn the volume down. Either the suit volume or the volume of the Doctor's excitement as he bounced happily across the lunar surface.

But it was all worth it when she was standing beside the Doctor and Alex at the edge of a crater, behind a man in a bulky white suit.

The Doctor reached out and tapped the man on the shoulder. He turned slowly, clumsily, in little hopping movements. His eyes were wide and anxious through the faceplate. When he saw the Doctor, Alex, and Amy standing there, the man took a step backwards and nearly toppled into the crater. His eyebrows shot up as his jaw dropped in the opposite direction.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?" an American voice gasped into their ears. He sounded a lot like Alex, but male and without the Southern twang.

The Doctor gestured vaguely over his shoulder. Amy grinned while Alex rolled her eyes.

"Is there another base?" the man asked, but he then shook his head as if to answer his own question. "No, no way. We'd know."

"Just visiting," the Doctor told him. Alex noticed that the man seemed shocked, evidently able to hear him. The Doctor must have opened their radio link to include him. "I gather you're having a problem with your quantum displacement."

"You're from Hibiscus?"

"Well, we're from TARDIS actually. But we can sort that out inside."

"So what are you up to?" Amy asked, as much to prove she could speak as anything. "Just getting some air?"

"Recovery team."

"Recovery," the Doctor repeated. "You been ill? Some sort of therapy?"

"We recover stuff from outside, from here on the surface. Equipment, monitoring systems, solar panels that need replacing. Sometimes just rocks for Jackson's people to examine."

"And today?" Alex piped up, not liking that she hadn't said anything thus far.

"Today, we're recovering the body."

The group crested a shallow rise in the ground, the lip of another large crater. Ahead of them, the ground sloped away again, this time towards a cluster of low, rectangular buildings connected by even lower, rectangular corridor sections. Alex thought it looked like it had been made out of enormous egg boxes for a child's school project.

A short way ahead of them were several more astronauts in identical bulky white suits. Two of them were carrying a stretcher. Alex couldn't quite make out what was on it – just a splash of bright red, deeply contrasting against the gray of the ground.

"Who was she?" the Doctor asked. _Time Lord eyesight,_ Alex thought.

"Don't know yet," the astronaut replied. "Some poor woman and her dog. They walked right through the displacement field and wound up here. Dead. Suffocated in moments."

"Like that man in the park," Alex realized.

"The field must have dissipated round him," the Doctor said thoughtfully. "That poor woman walked right into it. A walk in the park becomes a moonwalk."

"And we lost Marty Garrett," the astronaut added.

"Guessing he was the guy who walked off the moon into the burger bar," Amy said.

"Seems likely," the Doctor and Alex agreed.

They walked on in silence for several minutes. As they got closer to the buildings, Alex saw that the moonbase was much larger than she had originally thought. The boxes rose high above them like office blocks in New York City.

"It's so big," Amy stated, summing these thoughts up.

"Most of it will be storage," the Doctor informed her. "Water, air, food, that sort of thing."

"Thank goodness," the astronaut said. "They were talking a couple of years ago about just piping water and air in direct from Base Hibiscus and not storing anything locally. If they'd done that, we'd be working out whether we die of thirst before oxygen starvation, now the quantum link's gone down."

"The thing that lets you walk from Earth to the moon," Amy said.

"Or pipe water and air through," the astronaut said. "Luckily, the tanks have been kept full through the quantum link and the underground reservoir. We should be okay for three months. You'll have it fixed by then, right?"

He sounded like he was joking. The Doctor didn't answer.

"So where's the Earth?" Amy asked, deciding it was time to change the subject. "Shouldn't we be able to see it?"

"This is the dark side of the moon," Alex told her, looking around.

"But it isn't dark," Amy argued.

"It's _called_ the dark side," the Doctor jumped in. "That's not because it's actually dark, well, not unless it's night time."

"It's because it faces away from Earth," Alex finished.

"Dark as in unknown," the Doctor added. "Like the dark continent."

"Or dark chocolate?" Amy asked.

"Exactly…what?"

"Kidding!" she told him.

The astronaut led them to a doorway. It was made of thick metal with a locking wheel on the outside. A red light glowed above the wheel. Through a small window set in the door, Alex could see the other astronauts carrying the stretcher through a similar door, closing it behind them.

A green light replaced the red one above the locking wheel. The astronaut spun it and then pulled the heavy door open. As he turned to allow the time-travelers inside, Alex saw his shoulder had a U.S. flag emblazoned on it, the name REEVE printed beneath it.

Inside the sealed airlock, there was a hiss as the sealed room pressurized. Once they were through the interior door, the astronaut reached up and twisted his helmet before removing it. Beneath it, he was wearing a white balaclava, which he also tugged off, revealing short, black hair. He had eyes that were as gray as the lunar surface and his face was rugged, but handsome.

_Not as handsome as the Doctor though, _Alex thought in spite of herself.

At the moment, the object of Alex's eye was helping Amy remove her helmet. Alex saw the astronaut's eyes widen as Amy's long red hair fell over her shoulders but that was nothing compared to when the Doctor lifted Alex's own helmet.

Amy laughed a little as she saw the astronaut take in Alex's long brown and blonde hair and sparkling copper eyes. "Don't you have girls in space?" Amy asked.

The astronaut smiled while the Doctor removed his own helmet and stepped closer to Alex. "We got a few. I'm Reeve, by the way. Captain Jim Reeve."

He put his helmet on a shelf next to several other identical helmets. They were in a large locker room with shelves and cupboards where spacesuits and equipment were stored. The Doctor struggled out of his suit. He still wore his tweed jacket underneath it, though it was now significantly crumpled.

"Neat suits," Reeve complimented. "They must be quite new."

"Newer than you think," the Doctor said as he glanced at Alex. A familiar burn of jealousy was running through his system as his mind replayed the awestruck look Reeve had given Alex. He made a mental note not to stray away from her side while they were here.

"No idents, I notice," Reeve commented, tapping the name badge on his shoulder. "I'll need to see some ID before I break the news to Colonel Devenish that we've got company."

"I'd have thought he'd be glad of some help," Amy said.

"You'd think that, yeah." From the tone of voice, Alex figured that this expectation wasn't likely to be filled.

"Well, I'm Amy – Amy Pond."

"And I'm Alex Locke," Alex smiled. "And this is the Doctor."

"And you're here to fix the quantum displacement?"

"Absolutely," the Doctor agreed.

"Only, since it's failed big time – how exactly did you get here?"

"Oh, we have our own portable system," the Doctor told him. "Keep it in a box."

"A box?" Reeve questioned.

"The box is blue," the Doctor added.

"Yeah, we got a signal about that," Reeve nodded. "Going to bring it into the base. So that's something else that's got smaller then. We keep our quantum displacement system in a whole module. Rooms of equipment. No idea what it does."

_No wonder it's broken then, _Alex thought, but she knew better than to say this out loud.

"Oh, the theory's easy enough," the Doctor assured him. "It's like quantum entanglement. Only different. Instead of tying atoms and molecules together so they exhibit the same behavior, you tie the whole different locations together so they become the same place."

"Oh, yeah, easy," Amy said sarcastically.

"You have to admit, that's hardly explaining it easy, Doc," Alex said kindly.

Reeve laughed at her words. "All I know is, I can walk from here along a predefined path and end up in the Texan desert just outside Base Hibiscus, and the Hibiscus folks can walk through the desert to get to the moon. So long as it works, that's all I'm interested in."

"Except, it doesn't work," the Doctor said flatly.

"And people are winding up dead," Alex finished. "Like that woman and her dog."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "Which all suggests a sudden failure, then the system corrected itself – so that the man in the park ended up back in the park. And now you say it's bust again."

"Totally," Reeve confirmed.

"Do you have a lead?" Alex asked as she began to struggle out of her spacesuit. She kept one hand on the Doctor's shoulder for balance as she thrust herself out of it.

"None at all," Reeve said, glancing down quickly at her long legs before quickly looking back up when the Doctor clutched Alex closer to him. "Oh, Jackson and the scientists are working on it but…" He trailed off as he saw the Doctor's expression switch from jealousy to amusement.

"What about the dog?" he asked. "Was the dog on a lead? That's what she meant."

"No, it's not," Alex argued, but she did like that the Doctor was concerned about the dog.

Reeve blinked at the strange question. "I guess so. I don't know. Is it important?"

"No idea," the Doctor admitted. "But it would prove the woman and the dog are an item. As it were. Rather than random dog and accidental woman."

"Oh, we got ID through from Base Hibiscus, if that's what you mean."

"So you know who she is?" Amy asked.

"And the dog?" the Doctor checked.

"Yeah. It's just you guys I'm not sure about. Have you got any ID before I go tell the Colonel that the cavalry's arrived?"

"Think we might have strayed in too?" Amy guessed.

"It happens," Reeve admitted. "Wildlife strays in occasionally. Not a lot of it from the desert and the dispersal link is only open at scheduled times. Had an eagle fly right through the gateway once. Dropped dead, of course. I admit, accidents like that don't normally wear spacesuits. But you turn up out of nowhere claiming to know all about a secret U.S. project and, with the exception of Miss Locke here, you guys don't sound very American."

The Doctor, hardly bothered by this, flipped open the psychic paper wallet. "We've come to help. Here you go." He waved it under Reeve's nose. "Our Access All Areas pass from Base Hibiscus. Allows us to go anywhere, see anything, talk to anyone."

Captain Reeve nodded as he examined the paper. "It does that. Just one thing though – why is it printed back to front?"

The Doctor frowned. "I told you that would never work!" he hissed at Amy. "He ruined it, didn't I say so? Signed his name on it! Ruined it!" He angrily stuffed the wallet back inside his jacket pocket.

Alex sighed. "It's a security thing," she told Reeve. "Just makes it harder to forge. And, getting back to business, can we see Colonel Devenish now, please?"

* * *

Colonel Cliff Devenish was giving a briefing when Captain Reeve brought in the new arrivals. To say it was disruptive would be an understatement.

"So, let me get this straight," Devenish was saying to Professor Jackson. "You have no idea what's gone wrong, or how to fix it, or even if it _can _be fixed?"

At that moment, the door of the briefing room opened and Reeve walked in. Behind him came a young man with what looked like an out-of-control comb-over, except he wasn't going bald, and a young woman with fiery red hair wearing a skirt far shorter than regulation length. The last one to enter the room was another young woman, this one positively gorgeous, with long light brown hair with blonde streaked through it, wearing a pink knit sweater, white shorts, brown mid-calf boots, and large hoop earrings.

"Sir," Reeve began to explain as the twenty people in the room openly gaped.

"Oh hi, don't mind us," the comb-over guy said. "Just carry on. Pretend we're not here. We'll behave. We'll take out milk and sit at the back." Devenish noticed that the brunette behind him shook her head in an exasperated manner.

"Quiet as a mouse," the redhead added. "Three mice, in fact."

The man looked around the room, apparently perplexed. "Spare seats?" he wondered. "Three together for preference. We're a trio. I mean, there's three of us."

"Friends," the redhead said. "Colleagues. Um, sorry, are we interrupting?"

"Obviously," the brunette muttered, casually leaning against the wall and removing her sweater to reveal a purple tank-top.

"We didn't _mean _to interrupt," the man said. He had somehow gotten to where he was standing at the front of the briefing room next to Colonel Devenish. "But, can I just ask, any unusual activity through the quantum displacement recently? I mean, anything come through that shouldn't? Anything you've sent or received that was a first. Could be anything, a strange-looking moon rock, a hamburger, a flock of seagulls, a rickshaw, anything."

"You thinking something might have thrown off the quantum lock?" Jackson asked.

"If it had the right resonance. Well, the wrong resonance actually. Quartz embedded in rock, hot onion in a hamburger, the atmospheric fluctuation caused by a multitude of birds' wings. And who knows what might be carried by a rickshaw. That would be at the other end, of course. Wouldn't get any atmospheric fluctuation up here, would you." The man's mouth cracked open into a huge grin and he flicked some hair out of his eyes.

"Doctor," the brunette said quietly as she tied her sweater around her waist. She was now leaning against the wall next to the redhead, who had found two empty chairs.

"Sorry Ally, but I thought that was funny."

"No, I mean you're hijacking the meeting," she explained. She crooked her finger and made a _come-here_ gesture.

"Right. Sorry. Carry on – don't mind us."

The man went and sat down next to the redhead. He stuck his legs out as far as they would go and mimed zipping his mouth shut. He made some indistinct sounds, but didn't open his mouth. It sounded like he was saying _in your own time_. He then reached behind him and pulled the brunette over to him, pulling her down to sit in his lap. The brunette seemed perfectly content with this and curled back into him.

"It's all right," the redhead said in a stage whisper, seeing Devenish's darkening expression. She pointed to the man and brunette, then to herself. "The cavalry's arrived."

The brunette rolled her eyes again. "You know, you're as bad as he is?" she hissed, nodding to the man behind her, who still had a self-confident smile on his face.

* * *

Alex wasn't really that surprised that the meeting ended shortly after they arrived. By now, she knew the effect the Doctor had on people and how he presented himself, like he was above them all and contained an air of mystery that you couldn't help but try to solve. She also knew that Colonel Devenish was probably concerned about the fact that three strangers, two of them with different British accents, gate-crashed his secret briefing about secret problems with secret equipment on his secret American moonbase.

The Colonel seemed slightly mollified by Reeve's explanations, such as they were. Alex could tell that Reeve was the Colonel's right-hand man, but he was outranked by Major Carlisle.

Only a handful of people stayed behind after the meeting broke up. Reeve was one and Major Andrea Carlisle was another. She was a severe-looking blonde in her thirties. Her hair was cut above the collar and her nose was thin and prominent, giving her a slightly haughty look. Alex thought she would be pretty if her looks and manner weren't so contemptuous.

Needless to say, Alex could easily see why Devenish got along better with the more easy-going and slightly younger Captain Reeve.

"We should verify these people's authenticity with Base Hibiscus," Major Carlisle said now. Her New York accent was as clipped and sharp as her tone.

"I've checked their papers," Reeve told her. "They're on the level, so far as I can tell. Hell, how could they be here if they weren't?"

"We've got a dead woman and stiff dog who shouldn't be here, but they are," Carlisle pointed out.

"That's a good point actually," the Doctor called from where he was still sitting in the front row of seats, Alex still perched in his lap. "Though we did dress more formally, and sensibly, than the poor deceased."

Alex didn't miss the look Carlisle gave her shorts and tank-top. Deciding not to be deterred by her, she merely smiled at her.

"And he knows more about quantum displacement than I'll ever understand," Reeve argued.

"Not hard!" Carlisle snapped.

"Children," the Doctor admonished.

"Hey, you can talk," Carlisle retorted. "You don't look old enough to hold a doctorate. What are you a doctor of, anyway? Wit and sarcasm?"

The Doctor frowned as though he were trying to remember. "Er, no," he admitted. "I don't think so. I did get a degree in rhetoric and oratory from the University of Ursa Beta, but that was purely honorary. I asked if I had to make an acceptance speech, but they said there was no need. Seemed to defeat the object really, so I never mention it…" He nudged Alex off his lap and leapt to his feet. "But it doesn't matter, does it? All that matters is whether you want your quantum displacement system fixed. If not, then we'll be going."

"And if we do?" Colonel Devenish prompted.

"We'll be staying. But I'll need to know all about this Base Diana. What it's for, how long it's been here, where the canteen is, everything."

"You don't know?" Carlisle scoffed.

"Never needed to know, not till now," Amy told her.

"And everything around here is need-to-know, right?" Alex added, crossing her arms and staring the Major down. "So _now _we do need to know."

"Professor Jackson?" Devenish said.

Alex had only caught a brief glimpse of the other man in the room and that was as they came in. He was sitting in the back row of seats. He stood, allowing her to get a better look at him. He was a thin, wiry man with close-cut gray hair and eyes to match with dark brown skin.

"Well, I'm not proud. I'll take help from wherever I can get it. Professor Charles Jackson," he introduced himself, walking briskly to the front of the room. "I'm in charge of the scientific side of things here, so maybe I'm the best person to give you a tour and explain the set-up. I'm also the only one here who has any idea how the quantum displacement system is supposed to work." He paused for a moment before reluctantly adding "And my knowledge is patchy, at best."

* * *

Jackson seemed happy to show the Doctor, Amy, and Alex around the base. He was friendly and helpful. "Sorry about the military," he apologized as soon as he was alone with the trio. "They like everything regimented and ordered, not surprisingly. If it doesn't fit into one of their boxes, they get rather worked up about it."

"Whereas you have a more open mind?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm a scientist. New and strange ideas are my business. Same as you, I guess?"

The Doctor nodded. "I'm a scientist. Amongst other things. And Amy and Alex certainly have open minds."

"You must have," Jackson said to the girls, "if you accept quantum displacement."

"I've seen weirder things," Amy told him.

"Ditto," Alex supplied.

Jackson raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask what they meant. "How about I give you a quick tour of Base Diana? Then we can go to my office and talk about how you intend to proceed."

"Sounds good to me," the Doctor agreed, already snaking an arm around Alex's waist. "Sound good to you?" he asked the girls.

"Delightful," they quickly replied.

Just as it looked from the outside, the base was constructed from large modules connected by rectangular corridors. What could not be seen from outside was that the base also extended downwards, into more of the modules buried in the ground. Most of the base was taken up with living accommodation for the dozen soldiers, their three officers – Reeve, Carlisle, and Devenish – and the few scientists that worked for Jackson. The majority of what was left was storage. Huge metal tanks held oxygen and hydrogen. Dried food was kept in large plastic drums and cartons. There was a cafeteria and a large kitchen, where the soldiers took it in turns to play chef.

"Someone had the foresight to keep you well stocked with food and water and oxygen," the Doctor remarked. "Rather than just relying on the quantum link for supplies."

"I think it's habit," Jackson confessed. "Base Diana was first set up in the mid-1970s. The quantum displacement link was just a theory then, so they relied on moonshots to deliver supplies, though we have ready access to water. No one knew how long they could carry on before someone found out and called a halt."

"Found out?" Amy questioned. "But everyone knew, didn't they? I mean, I know about Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong. One small step for man and all that."

"I'm guessing there's stuff the public didn't know," Alex said. She then grinned. "Oh, I look forward to the day when the government let's all this get declassified!"

"Hell, there's stuff the _President _doesn't know!" Jackson said in reply to her first statement. "Officially, the moon missions stopped with Apollo 17. Too expensive, everyone said. Shows how much they know."

"You mean it wasn't expensive?" Alex asked.

"Oh, sure it was." Jackson paused to open a bulkhead door, typing a number into a keyboard alongside it. "But for every dollar spent on Apollo, the U.S. earned _fourteen _dollars back from the technology, from related exports, from patents and expertise. Pretty good investment, really. But people forget that."

"So it all stopped," the Doctor said.

"Officially," Jackson emphasized. He gestured for the Doctor, Amy, and Alex to go through the door.

They found themselves in a large, narrow, curving room. One side was almost entirely taken up with a huge window that looked into the inside of the curve. It was broken by more of the bulkhead doors, stretching out of sight. Beside each was a numeric keypad. Outside the window, a low, narrow corridor extended from each door to a central, circular hub. It was strange to see the elegant curves of the inner building after the straight lines that formed the entire construction of the rest of the base.

"And unofficially?" the Doctor was prompting as he went through the door.

"Unofficially, here we are. Base Diana. Apollo 18 brought the first module. Flat-packed, tiny, weighed almost nothing. A breeze would have blown it away, so we're lucky there's no atmosphere."

"How many unofficial Apollo missions have there been?" Alex inquired.

"The last was Apollo 22, in June 1980. It brought the final components for the quantum displacement link. After that, we could just walk from Diana across the lunar surface, and into the Texan desert close to Base Hibiscus. And all this – the current base – came back the same way."

"Just sent it in on trucks?" Amy marveled.

"Something like that."

Amy nodded at the huge expanse of thick glass. "And is that your laboratory? Where do you do research into whatever it is you do research into?"

"I do research into the human mind," Jackson explained. "Into what makes one man good and another bad. What makes someone so fanatical, they can main and kill without troubling their conscience."

That certainly wasn't what the girls had expected. "And you do it in there?" Amy asked.

"No," the Doctor said quietly. Alex looked over to see that his expression had darkened considerably. "That's another storage facility, isn't it?" He stared at the man, his eyes hard as flint, making Alex shudder a little.

"That's right Doctor," Jackson said, not seeming to notice the change in the Doctor's demeanor. "That's where we keep the prisoners."

A/N: So that's the first part of 'Apollo 23'! Just to get things straight, this adventure is from the book _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards from the Doctor Who line of books from BBC books. Lines of dialogue and description have been copied out just as they are in the book for authenticity's sake, but I took liberties with some descriptive parts and 'he said, she said' parts. Not a lot of Dalex fluff in here, but there will be some moments and then the fluff will kick into overdrive with the Pandorica episodes. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Oh, good for you! Nope, never heard of the Alphas. I know, not much fluff in the last chapter, and not very much in this one either. :( But it'll get better in the Pandorica episodes, promise. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- 'Apollo 23' is a book from the Doctor Who line of books. I have a few of the books and plan on converting them into adventures in this series and future series. :) Yep, poor Alex in that part. Figures it would happen then! :)

**jesterlover **- Yes, she should have a cat! :)

**Lazyandloveit** - I can say you're right! Amy will wonder if the engagement ring is for her or not... :) Thank you!

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Hope you liked the first part of 'Apollo 23'! And thanks! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Thanks! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- No, the perception filter was the only reason Alex had the headaches, from where her mind was trying to bypass the filter. Good guess though. :) Yes, she should've gotten the cat! And no, 'Apollo 23' isn't really an original adventure, but there is another coming up after the Pandorica episodes! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! And I'm glad you're looking forward to my future plans with Alex! :)

**dream lighting **- Everyone hates that she didn't get the cat. Darn Doctor! :(

**rycbar15 **- Alex will be with him in 'A Town Called Mercy'. And can I say, I LOVE that episode! :) But, since a lot of time has passed for the Doctor in that episode, you have to wonder how Alex will be effected or if she'll be effected at all. :) Glad you liked the chapter!


	47. Apollo 23 Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

"You knew, didn't you," Alex accused the Doctor as they followed Jackson through the long, narrow room.

"I guessed, but only when I saw this room," the Doctor told her. "There'll be a whole penal colony here in a few hundred years, not just a dozen cells in an isolated block down vacuum corridors."

"I suppose you know because you were locked up in it?"

He grinned at her. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Alex sighed and shook her head. "This is horrible though! This must violate Miranda or the Constitution or something!"

It was the Doctor's turn to sigh and he pulled her in close. "I know, I know," he said into her hair. "I wish we could change it, I really do."

Alex didn't get a chance to reply for they were now in Professor Jackson's office. The office was a stark contrast to the neat military efficiency of the rest of Base Diana. His molded plastic desk was piled high with papers and journals. An in-tray overflowed onto a nearby chair. Shelves strained to hold their contents.

The clearest shelf was occupied by a large, upright, steel cylinder with a tap at the bottom. There was a black plastic lid on the top and the Doctor pried it open and peered inside. Steam drifted out past his nose as he sniffed at the contents.

"Earl Gray?" he guessed.

"That's right," Jackson confirmed. "My tea urn. My one vice." He smiled. "That and a passion for tidiness, as you see. Let me get you a cup."

"Thank you. No milk."

"Quite right. I don't have any milk." Jackson turned to the girls. "And for you?"

"No, thanks," Amy said. She didn't fancy tea without milk, not even Earl Gray.

Alex's stomach twisted at the thought of drinking tea. "I'm good," she said quickly. The only way she would drink tea was if it was iced and sweetened within an inch of its life, and even then she probably wouldn't drink it.

"Find yourself seats. I'll only be a moment. Just move anything that's in the way. Once we've had some tea, I'll show you the quantum displacement equipment and with a bit of luck, you can fix it and be on your way."

Jackson busied himself at the tea urn while the Doctor, Amy, and Alex liberated two upright chairs of their contents. Alex sat in the Doctor's lap, him wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her steady. Alex leaned back against his chest, feeling his double heartbeats beneath her back.

The Doctor attempted to distract himself from the knowledge on how close Alex was by looking around the rest of the room. His eyes settled on Jackson's desk, which was almost the full width of the room. Behind it, a large window looked out across the desolate lunar surface.

"Nice view," he commented. "So, tell us about the prisoners."

"We have eleven at the moment, in the cells you saw." Jackson sat at his desk, blowing on his tea to cool it. "The corridors from the reception area to the prison hub are kept airless unless we need to get to a cell, or to have a prisoner come to us. They're kept in solitary confinement, obviously, but they have everything they need."

"Everything except freedom and company," Alex pointed out, feeling her liking of Professor Jackson drop dramatically.

"They're well looked after," Jackson assured her. "They get food sent over from the canteen, just like we eat. If we need to evacuate, the cells open automatically and the access tunnels are oxygenated. If a prisoner gets ill, we take them to the medical section."

"Haven't seen that yet," the Doctor said.

Jackson shrugged. "Not much to see."

"So why are these prisoners here?" Alex questioned. "What did they do to get sent here?"

"I don't ask too many questions."

"That's handy, especially for a scientist," the Doctor muttered, not liking this as much, if not more, than Alex. "Nice tea, by the way."

"They're all recidivists," Jackson went on. "All criminals that have resisted any conventional attempts to rehabilitate them. Re-offenders."

"So are half of the people in regular prisons on Earth," Alex argued.

Jackson nodded, conceding her point. "But most of the prisoners here are here because of what they know, what they learned from their crimes – from hacking government systems or stealing sensitive information and documents. That makes them too dangerous to set free, or to keep in the standard prison system back in the States. Most of them can't even see that their behavior was _wrong_. No moral judgment or ethical awareness whatsoever."

"That's ironic," the Doctor observed. "So, you just keep them locked up here? How moral and ethical is that?"

Jackson set his tea down on one of the few empty spaces on his desk. "They're here for their own good."

"I've heard that before," Amy retorted.

"No, I mean it," Jackson insisted. "They're here for treatment."

There was silence for a moment as the trio took this in. Then, the Doctor said "I thought you told us they were beyond help."

"Beyond _conventional _help, yes."

"Ah!" As one, the Doctor and Alex leaped to their feet. Tea slopped over the edge of the Doctor's cup, but neither noticed. "Your research," the Doctor realized, "you're _experimenting _on them, right?"

"Yes," Jackson said, apparently relieved that the Doctor had worked this out. Then he saw the Doctor and Alex's faces harden. "No," he corrected himself. "Not experimenting as such. We have a process. It works. But we…" His voice trailed off.

"You're experimenting on the prisoners," Amy said. "Aren't you?"

"Well, I guess so. But it isn't like you think."

"Tell us what we think," Alex challenged, her eyes switching from light brown to a dark, angry green.

"It isn't scalpels and brain surgery. It isn't _dangerous_. It won't harm them."

The Doctor nodded. "So you do it up here on the dark side of the moon for convenience, then. Not because what you're up to is dangerous or illegal or would offend the sensibilities of any decent human being on the planet where you daren't use this _process _of yours."

"I thought you had an open mind!" Jackson snapped. "But you're jumping to conclusions without knowing anything about our work here."

"I know…" the Doctor said slowly. "I know that you believe what you are doing is for the best. I don't doubt your motives for a moment."

"Thank you."

"But that doesn't mean we have to agree with it," Alex said lowly.

"Then perhaps we must agree to differ."

Amy watched the Doctor as his expression relaxed from grim determination to a boyish grin. Alex, however, remained the same. Her posture was tense as though she might pounce at any second and her face was stony, trying to mask the raging fury that was surely running through her.

The Doctor, noticing this, drew her into his side, feeling the skin beneath her tank-top crackle and pop with anger. "Yeah, maybe," he quickly agreed before draining the rest of his tea in a single gulp. "First things first, though. Where's this quantum displacement equipment of yours?"

* * *

The Doctor was in his element. Amy was bored. Alex was just enraptured by what the Doctor was doing. She was hanging on to whatever he said like he was murmuring sweet nothings into her ear.

Professor Jackson had led them down an incongruously old-fashioned metal stairway to a level deep below the main base. The corridors down here were formed not from walls, but from pipes and cables. The idea that people might have to navigate through them seemed to have been very much a secondary consideration.

"So where's the quantum stuff?" Amy asked as they walked past pipes that leaked jets of steam and tubes that dripped oil.

"It's here," Jackson said simply, gesturing around them. "All of this."

"Could be better maintained," Alex observed. This place looked like a health inspector's nightmare.

The Doctor nodded in agreement, running his finger along an especially oily plastic tube and showing them the resulting stain. "But the design is basically sound," he admitted.

"But we can fix it right?" Amy asked.

The Doctor winked at her. "We can fix anything."

Ahead of them, through the maze of cables and wires, tubes and pipes, Alex and Amy saw something move. Just a glimpse of gray overall.

Alex looked at her to silently ask if she had seen that. Amy nodded and quickly asked "Are there many technicians working down here?"

Jackson shook his head. "No one comes down here."

"We thought we saw someone," Alex explained.

"Only us," Jackson insisted.

"The girls are right," the Doctor interjected. "Someone else is down here. Wearing size seven boots."

"You can tell the size of their shoes just from a glimpse of someone through the pipes and stuff?" Amy asked, impressed.

"That is quite impressive," Alex complimented, thinking of his Time Lord abilities.

"Probably," the Doctor said. "You can estimate from their height, weight, speed. But it's much easier if you just look at the print they've left in the spilt oil." He pointed down at the ground to a smudged, oily black boot print close by.

"Okay. Less impressive," Amy decided.

_There goes that hypothesis, _Alex thought, nodding her head in agreement.

"It's Major Carlisle," the Doctor announced.

"That's more like it!" Alex complimented. "You checked out her boots and can recognize the distinctive pattern of the sole?"

It was Jackson who punctured the illusion this time. "No, she's standing right behind you two."

Amy and Alex almost yelped with surprise but caught themselves in time, though Alex did jump back and into the Doctor's awaiting arms. "Didn't hear you sneaking round from the other side," Amy told her.

Carlisle frowned, but ignored her. "It's time for the process run on Nine," she said to Jackson.

Jackson glanced uneasily at the Doctor and Alex, both of them already having figured out what Carlisle was referring to. "I thought we'd postpone, under the circumstances."

"Don't mind us," the Doctor said.

"We'd love a chance to watch you at work," Alex added. And truthfully, she _was_ rather curious about this whole process of Jackson's. She didn't approve of it, but it would be nice to see just what she didn't approve of.

"The circumstances have nothing to do with the process," Carlisle said. "Colonel Devenish is happy for you to go ahead. He knows you like to stick rigidly to your schedule."

"By 'happy', I assume you mean 'insisting'." Jackson sighed and looked at his watch. "Very well. We still have a little time."

"You'll have to set up yourself, remember," Carlisle reminded him.

"Shortage of staff?" the Doctor guessed.

"Professor Jackson's assistant is…unavailable," Carlisle said, looking a little uncomfortable. And from the way Jackson shifted uneasily at her words, Alex gathered that this was information he wasn't going to volunteer any time soon.

"We can help," Amy offered brightly. "We're good at setting things up."

"And knocking them down again," the Doctor added. "In fact, there's no end to our talents."

Major Carlisle just regarded them all impassively. "Imagine that," she said flatly.

* * *

Prisoner Nine was a tall, thin man. He didn't look to Alex like a hardened and uncontrollable criminal, only reinforcing her beliefs about the moonbase prison and these experiments. He was brought into the Process Chamber by two armed soldiers. His head was bowed, revealing a bald patch in his dark brown hair. The overall effect was to make him look rather like a monk wearing plain gray overalls.

The Process Chamber itself was a small room that looked rather like a surgical room. Instead of an operating table though, there was an angled chair like a dentist might use. On the wall facing the chair was what looked a bit like a CCTV camera pointing at the subject as he sat down.

The man's dark brown eyes were as weary as his general demeanor, and Alex suspected that he had been here before, knew what to expect, and was resigned to it.

For a moment, his eyes fixed on the girls. There was a frown of interest, or possibly suspicion. Just as the Doctor pulled Alex so that her back was touching his chest, Prisoner Nine quickly looked away, as though embarrassed.

"You know the routine," one of the soldiers said to the prisoner. "So no trouble this time, right?"

_Yes, he looks ready to run for it, _Alex snidely thought.

The man grunted what might have been an agreement or a threat, but he didn't resist as the other soldier strapped his wrists to the arms of the chair then fastened a belt tightly across his waist. Straps across his ankles were the final measure in making sure the man couldn't move an inch.

The Doctor was watching Professor Jackson as the scientist busied himself at a control panel behind the operating chair. Alex stood next to the Doctor, also observing. At one point, Jackson turned and glared at the Doctor when the man leaned right over his shoulder. Otherwise, he seemed to ignore the extra attention.

"So what happens now?" Amy asked as Jackson straightened up.

"We operate the process from the observation room," Jackson explained. "Like X-rays, brief exposure is harmless enough so the subject is in no danger. But we don't like to prolong exposure more than we have to."

"How nice of you," Alex muttered. Thankfully, the Doctor was the only one who heard it.

To try and distract herself, Alex studied the room she was now in. The observation room was behind the wall in front of the chair. The wall itself was actually a window, though it looked just like another wall from the prisoner's point of view.

The device that ended in the camera-like projection from the wall extended back through the observation room like a large articulated metal arm. There were controls set into the side of it, and Jackson adjusted several of these.

"I think we are ready," he finally decided. The prisoner stared back at them. Alex was sure he knew they were there, watching him.

"What happens now?" Amy asked. "How's this thing work?"

"It is rather complicated and difficult to explain in a few words," Jackson told her dismissively. Clearly, he wasn't willing to share.

Alex arched an eyebrow. Fair enough. There was another person here who could tell them what was going on. "Doctor?"

"Oh, it's simple enough, from what I can see." The Doctor ignored Jackson's irritated glare and went on. "Looks to me like it bombards areas of the brain with adapted alpha waves in an attempt to overwhelm the neural pathways and neutralize the electro-activity."

"Brainwashing," Amy said, hoping that this vague, blanket term was in some way applicable.

"Exactly," the Doctor agreed.

"You've been reading my classified research reports!" Jackson accused.

The Doctor's already high level of excitement immediately increased. "Really?! You mean I'm right? That's terrific! It was just an educated guess. But hang on…" He tapped his chin with his finger. "That means…" His eyes suddenly narrowed. "You're not actually treating the patient at all. You're not correcting the impulses in their brains. You're removing them. Wiping them. Like Amy says – washing them away."

"Only the bad, negative inclinations," Jackson clarified. "The Keller-impulses."

"And who gave you the right to decide which impulses are good and which ones are bad?" Alex demanded, her eyes narrowing into tiny little slits.

Jackson was saved from having to answer as the door opened and Major Carlisle came in. With her was another woman, wearing a simple nurse's uniform. She looked about Amy and Alex's age, with mouse-brown hair cut into a bob and a scattering of freckles across her nose.

"This is Nurse Phillips," Jackson said quickly, evidently eager to change the subject. "We have to have a medic on hand whenever we process a prisoner. And now, we are already behind schedule, so allow me to begin."

"Begin what, exactly?" Amy asked.

"Despite the Doctor and Miss Locke's reservations, this is a very minor procedure. We target a single memory strand – the memory of the trigger that sent our subject off the rails. That was identified in a previous session, and we are now going to remove that memory."

"And replace it with what?" the Doctor and Alex simultaneously asked.

Jackson raised an eyebrow at their simultaneous speaking, but decided not to comment on it. "With nothing," he said instead. "We leave it blank. Wash it out, as you so eloquently put it."

"The brain's like nature. Abhors a vacuum," the Doctor said quietly. The hum of the machine became louder, and it seemed that only Amy and Alex heard.

"You mean, they have to put another memory in to replace the old one?" Amy asked the Doctor, talking loudly above the increasing noise.

He nodded. "Yes, otherwise the pattern will simply return, like remembering a dream a few hours later."

"So their experiment will fail," Alex stated. She was rather happy about that.

Her words were almost drowned out by the noise. Not the sound of the machine as the power built and increased, but the sound of the screams from the prisoner strapped to the chair in the control room.

Jackson turned from the controls, his face an expression of sudden surprise and fear. Nurse Phillips' hand went to her mouth. Clearly, something like this had never happened before.

Major Carlisle was just pulling the door open when the Doctor pushed past, sprinting out of the room with Alex in hand, Amy just a step behind them. "Cut the power!" he yelled as he raced into the Process Chamber. "Cut it now!"

Upon reaching the Process Chamber, the Doctor and Alex each dove to a side of the chair, hurriedly unstrapping the prisoner. By the time Amy got in there, Prisoner Nine was free. The hum of the equipment died away, leaving a noticeable silence.

The Doctor listened to the man's chest. He straightened up and gently peeled back a closed eyelid. "Just unconscious, I think," he decided. "Let's hope there's no permanent damage."

"What went wrong?" Amy inquired.

"Goodness knows," the Doctor answered. "Could be anything. The tiniest mistake when you're messing with people's minds can be fatal. Power spike, powder dip, power fluctuation."

"Could be something to do with the power, then?"

Alex nodded. "Or not," she mumbled.

"Can he be moved?" Major Carlisle abruptly demanded.

"Moved where?" Amy asked.

"Back to his cell. This man is a dangerous criminal."

Alex snorted. _Yeah, he looks real dangerous!_

"Oh, you're all heart, aren't you," the Doctor told Carlisle, summing his and Alex's feelings up perfectly.

"Can he be moved?" Carlisle repeated, but this time she asked Nurse Phillips, who was watching them from the doorway.

"I don't know. I expect so." She sounded nervous. This only reinforced Alex's belief that this process had never gone wrong before, at least not in this way.

Looking down, Alex noticed that the prisoner's eyelids were fluttering. Alex reached over and tugged the Doctor's jacket sleeve, alerting him. The Doctor whirled around and leaned over the prisoner. "Are you all right? Can you hear me?"

The man's breathing became ragged as he struggled to speak. His hands bunched into claws, which then tightened into fists. His back arched and his eyes snapped fully open as he screamed again. The Doctor grabbed his shoulders, trying to hold him down. Alex hastened to help, throwing both her hands on the man's left shoulder. She could feel his whole body convulsing and see how his teeth were tightly clenched and that sweat was breaking out on his forehead.

"Not good," the Doctor muttered. "This is _so _not good."

"Sedative!" Major Carlisle snapped. Nurse Phillips hurried to a drawer.

"Too late for that," the Doctor told them. He leaned down and murmured to the prisoner "I'm really sorry about all this."

For a brief moment, the man's vision seemed to clear. The convulsions became less extreme. He stared up at the Doctor, and Alex clearly heard him say "Doctor, is that you?"

The Doctor looked over at Alex, then over to Amy. "Who told him my name?" he demanded.

Amy shook her head. "How could he know you?"

"Doctor, help me," the man gasped.

His voice was barely more than a whisper. Major Carlisle didn't seem to have heard. Jackson observed the scene from the doorway. Nurse Phillips flicked a syringe full of clear liquid with her finger to release any air bubbles.

The prisoner's hand grabbed the Doctor's. "Help me, they're here!" he begged.

"Who are? What are you talking about?" the Doctor whispered back urgently. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Remember?" The man frowned as he strained to concentrate. "Everything's so muzzy, lately. Since they came. But before that I was in here. I was setting the equipment for the first tests."

"The equipment?" Amy looked at the Doctor, then at the prisoner. Alex stayed silent, struggling to figure out what the prisoner's words meant. "Why would they let a prisoner set up the equipment?"

"I'm not a prisoner," the man weakly protested. His voice was fading rapidly. He slumped back in his chair. "I built this. I set all this up. You have to believe me. I'm -,"

But his voice was cut off as a syringe stabbed into part of his upper arm. His eyes closed and a great shiver ran through his body. Then he was still. Nurse Phillips calmly removed the syringe and stepped back.

"Oh, thanks," the Doctor said sarcastically as Alex frowned. "That was a big help!"

"The man was distressed, in convulsions," the nurse argued. "He needed sedating. Normally-,"

"Normally?!" the Doctor and Alex cried. The Doctor gave a mirthless laugh.

"What exactly is _normal _about this?" Alex demanded. "About any of this?" The Doctor shook his head sadly, like a frustrated parent giving up trying to explain something simple to an unhelpful child.

"Can we move him now?" Major Carlisle asked, not seemingly fazed by the two's reactions.

"You can do what you like with him," the Doctor said, striding from the room, one of his arms wrapped around Alex's waist, guiding her away from everyone. "He'd dead."

* * *

Amy found the Doctor sitting at a table in the small cafeteria, Alex perched on the tabletop beside him. They were the only people there. The Doctor leaned back in his chair with his feet up on the table, fingers laced together behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Alex's feet were sitting in the chair before her and she was absentmindedly playing with the owl charm on her necklace.

"Did the nurse kill him?" Amy asked them, sitting down next to the Doctor.

"Not on purpose." The Doctor swung his legs off the table, allowing Alex to scoot down to sit right in front of him, and he jolted upright in his chair. "No, that's not fair. It wasn't her fault at all. The sedative was just the last straw. He'd probably have died anyway."

"I still don't trust her," Alex announced. There was something fishy about all of the people here, like they were constantly acting like something they weren't.

The Doctor nodded, acknowledging her point. Amy then asked "And how come he knew you?"

"We figured that out," the Doctor answered. "Well, Alex did."

"And?"

"Remember I said the memory they were erasing had to be replaced with something?"

Amy nodded. "Otherwise it just sort of reappears like the memory of a dream popping up later."

"Maybe it wasn't intentional," Alex piped up, her voice expressing the thought that she thought it was intentional, "but we think that Prisoner Nine got a bit of someone else's memory."

"So, what did he mean by 'they're here' and all that stuff?" Amy asked, impressed that they had managed to figure out this much.

"Don't know," the Doctor admitted. "Maybe nothing."

"I suggested mind parasites but the Doctor shot that theory down," Alex provided.

Amy looked at the Doctor, who only rolled his eyes. "He was confused – well, he was dying, let's face it. Perhaps he meant the new memories in his head, who can tell? But something went wrong with Jackson's process." His eyes suddenly flicked to the side as he looked past Amy.

Alex followed his gaze. "Speak of the devil."

Amy turned to see that the Professor had come into the cafeteria. He looked tired and worried.

"There was a power surge," Jackson said, joining them at the table. He stared down at the plastic surface. "Never happened before. And now the man's dead. I didn't even know his name – he was just Prisoner Nine." He looked up at the trio, exposing the haunted look in his gray eyes. "It must be connected to the same problems as the quantum displacement systems."

"Possibly," the Doctor agreed. "I'd need to look at the receptors out on the lunar surface to be sure. Once I've checked the calibration of the equipment in the basement level, that is."

"Can you really fix it?" Jackson asked.

"If I want to."

Jackson looked confused. "Why might you not want to?"

The Doctor met the professor's gaze. For several moments, he said nothing. Then, when he did reply, his voice was level and almost devoid of emotion. He was holding back his real feelings, helped a little as he clutched Alex's hand, but everyone could tell what they were.

"I've seen enough of your process to know what your ultimate goal must be, Professor Jackson. Oh, you make a good case for rehabilitating the prisoners, for erasing selected memories, maybe even replacing them."

"But that isn't what you're really aiming for, is it?" Alex inquired. Her voice was stiff. She had barely been able to believe it when the Doctor told her and it was taking all her willpower not to go over and slap Jackson into common sense.

"You want to wipe the mind completely clean, create a blank template," the Doctor picked up. "And then overwrite it with a new personality. Am I right or…" The Doctor leaned back in his chair and sniffed. "Well, there's no _or _is there, because I am right."

Jackson looked like he had actually been slapped by Alex. But he recovered quickly. "You're a very perceptive man, Doctor. But I don't understand your concern."

"Concern?" Alex repeated shrilly. "_Concern_?" The Doctor's hand quickly moved to her knee, his thumb twirling around in small circles on the cool skin in an effort to calm her down.

Jackson held his hand up. "I offer the chance to swap the mind – the _life _– of a worthless criminal for someone who would otherwise be taken from us. Imagine it, the opportunity for a great musician or thinker, who is terminally ill, or just very old, to live on. To renew themselves, literally to have a new life in a new form. To become someone new, but with all that brilliance preserved."

It didn't sound so bad put like that, but Alex still wasn't convinced. Based on the Doctor's expression, neither was he. "It's not all it's cracked up to be," the Doctor said quietly. "A great musician who finds his new body is tone deaf? A thinker whose thoughts inhabit the mind of a simpleton?"

"But it wouldn't be random," Jackson argued. "You'd get to choose, to fit the mind to a suitable donor. No problem."

"The donor has to die," Alex pointed out. "_That's_ the problem."

"As I said before, perhaps we should agree to differ, until the systems are fixed," Jackson proposed. "My process is far from that stage, and under the current circumstances, I shan't be doing any more tests."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "I'll fix your systems," he agreed. "After that, we'll talk again."

"Fair enough. I look forward to it." Jackson stood up. "I suppose we have rather overlooked the ethics of what we're doing while we've been caught up in the excitement of actually doing it."

_No problem with that,_ Alex thought. _The FDA will never allow it!_

Amy waited until Jackson had left before posing her next question. "Can you really fix their quantum thingy systems?"

"Oh, probably." The Doctor leaped to his feet, jumping up and down a few times before reaching over and lifting Alex off the table. "I'd have thought a power surge would affect the artificial gravity, but it's fine. That's lucky."

"Unless Jackson's lying about the power surge," Amy pointed out.

"Not sure why he should. Why don't you two go and see Nurse Phillips?"

"See if he's lying about whether there have been any other accidents, you mean?" Amy asked.

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed. "Jackson said she was there for every process session."

"And she's young enough to be a bit chatty," Alex realized. "Being on a top-secret moonbase with no one her own age must be rather constraining."

"Good job, Ally," the Doctor complimented. "A bit chatty and a bit indiscreet."

"And a bit intimidated?"

"If need be." The Doctor grinned at them. "Don't frighten her too much, scary ladies."

Amy's eyes widened. "As if!" she retorted.

"And you," Alex said, "don't go getting into trouble."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You think so little of me, Ally."

* * *

It took the girls a little while to find the sickbay, but they eventually did. There was only one patient in there. Nurse Phillips was checking the equipment that monitored a sleeping woman's vital signs. As clever as she was, Alex had little idea on what the equipment actually did, aside from monitoring heartbeat and brain activity. Despite Lacey's attempts, Alex had never gotten into _ER_.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked.

If the young nurse was surprised to see them, she did a good job of hiding it. Her pale gray eyes flicked back to the woman in the bed. "I wish I knew," she replied.

"Who is she?" Amy asked.

"Liz Didbrook. She is, or was, Professor Jackson's assistant."

Alex studied the sleeping woman. She was restless. Her head twisted on the pillow and she murmured quietly to herself. She looked to be in her early thirties. Her dark hair was damp with sweat. "Does she have a fever?" Alex inquired. "Is she infectious?" Liz's eyes flicked open as Alex spoke.

"Neither," Nurse Phillips said. "It's some sort of nervous breakdown. Brought on by stress, Professor Jackson thinks. We keep her sedated."

_Maybe she realized what Jackson is really doing to the prisoner's and was unable to process that she'd helped him, _Alex thought. It was a theory.

Amy leaned over the bed, listening to Liz's mutterings. "What is she saying?"

"Just nonsense. We'd get her to a hospital in Texas, only…" Her voice trailed off.

"Only the quantum displacement stuff is broken," Alex finished.

Nurse Phillips nodded, then noticed that Amy was still listening to Liz. "It's just gibberish," she insisted.

Liz was now staring at Amy and Alex, her expression suddenly alert. "You're new," she stated.

"Yes. I'm Amy."

"And I'm Alex. We're here to help."

"Giant turtles live for ages," Liz recited, causing Alex's eyebrows to shoot up. She hadn't been expecting _that _kind of gibberish! "Evolution is all about survival of the fittest."

"You see – nonsense!" Nurse Phillips exclaimed, before turning and walking out of the room.

"But fittest doesn't mean strongest," Liz went on. "It means most apt. That's why they want us."

"Why who wants us?" Alex said, trying to make sense of Liz's mangled words.

"The white rabbit is running late. X marks the spot where the treasure is buried. When the sky is dark, the wolves are running."

"She's right," Amy said quietly. "Just gibberish."

"I'm not so sure," Alex murmured. Something seemed a little off.

But Amy didn't hear her. "Hey, get well soon," she said, patting Liz's shoulder gently. "We'll see you, yeah?"

"Don't go! They're here!" Liz protested as she struggled to sit up. "I have to…Trains are delayed on all routes. Even Route 66. Distraction. They're delayed by the distraction."

"The trains?" Alex frowned. There was something in what Liz was saying, something that was close to making sense, but distraction clouded the rest of it. She leaned closer to Liz. "Are you saying that you have to distract them? Can they hear us? Are they listening?"

"Listen from the inside – it's so much clearer. So much clearer inside the mind. Distractions abound. Distractions are good. Good, bad, and ugly. Spaghetti Westerns for tea and lunch and dinner and breakfast and making a meal of it."

Liz's hand shot out from under the sheets to grab Alex's wrist. "I can't tell you if they're here. Flies in the ointment. Rain in the wind. Spanners in the works. Wolves in the wood." Her eyes were a startling blue as she stared at the girls intently.

"What are you telling us?" Amy asked. "You mean the systems here? Spanners in the works – is that what you mean?"

"Spanners in the works," Liz confirmed. Her grip on Alex's wrist tightened urgently, causing the girl to grit her teeth a little. "Gremlins in the process."

"The process?" Alex repeated. There was a sound behind her and she turned, wrenching her arm away from Liz's grip.

"She really should rest," Nurse Phillips said. "It's just nonsense, all of it. Pay no attention."

_How long has she been there?_ Alex wondered. She turned to look back at Liz, giving her time to hide her worry. Liz was now slumped down in the bed, the color seemingly drained from her eyes now, so that the blue was almost gray. _Why does everyone have gray eyes here?_ It started off as interesting, but now it was suspicious.

"The gray African elephant is the largest mouse in the western hemisphere and comes in nine different shades of pink," Liz murmured. "Remember what I said." Her eyes slowly closed and her words became just mere mumbles.

"I'll remember," Alex whispered. Louder, to Nurse Phillips, she said "You're right. Poor thing's obviously delusional. She's just talking rubbish."

A/N: And here's the second part of 'Apollo 23'! I'm glad you all are liking it so far! I was nervous about putting it up, but it's starting to look like I've worried for nothing. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopherroxursox **- I know! There's GOT to be a moon-base! :) Hmm, not really sure about that. That's how it was described in the book. My guess is since the psychic paper was damaged, it showed up that way. I know, fluff is good! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Alphas...I'll have to keep that in mind. :) I'm sorry you're sad about the lack of flufflessness, but I think the Pandorica chapters will make up for it. :)

**Lazyandloveit **- Glad you're looking forward to the Pandorica chapters! And thanks! I'll try! :)

**jesterlover **- Glad you loved the chapter! :)

**LavenderAndTime - **I'm glad you decided to start reading the story and that you like Alex! I try really hard to keep her from being a Mary-Sue. Well, he won't ALWAYS call her Ally, but more often than not... :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Resist the urge, no matter how strong it may be! :) Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**rycbar15 **- Wow, I'm happy to hear that! Whenever I read a Doctor Who novel, I usually get distracted because I'm imagining my own OCs in them. :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Lol, the psychic paper part is pretty funny, isn't it? I wish they'd do that on the show. :) Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- I know, she should have kept the cat! Darn Doctor, ruining it! :( On the bright side, glad you like Alex's inclusion into 'Apollo 23'! Don't worry, Alex will have some awesome moments in this adventure and the Pandorica episodes. :) You're right, the Doctor has become a bit more compassionate and Alex is letting her guard down, becoming more open and happy with others. :) Lol, she would ramble about science awesomely, wouldn't she? And, I'm assuming your question refers to the story I'm writing where Alex goes into the Doctor's past, so, she would have inklings of what is supposed to happen, but not everyone can know every little detail, so some things will take Alex by surprise. }:)

**Doctor **- Sorry about that! I can't say when that will happen, just that it will. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	48. Apollo 23 Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

As the girls listened to Liz Didbrook's almost-but-not-quite-gibberish, the Doctor set to work fixing the quantum displacement systems.

The damaged area was actually really easy to spot once he knew where to look. It did take him a while to work out the design of the quantum displacement systems. But, once he'd got the hang of it, he could trace through the various components. He already had a good idea where the problem must be.

"Accidental?" Major Carlisle asked, coming up behind him.

In front of them, a whole section of pipes and tubes had been blown out. Cables hung loose and a junction box was a blackened mess. "Difficult to tell," the Doctor admitted. He licked his thumb and forefinger and then gripped the end of a wire. It sparked violently. "Well, that's something."

Major Carlisle winced as the Doctor inspected his blackened fingers. "But it could be sabotage?"

"Could be. You expecting sabotage?" Carlisle didn't reply.

"The good news is that it shouldn't take long to fix. Just reconnect all the bits and bobs, and bypass this junction box."

"Bits and bobs?" Carlisle repeated.

"Then realign the receptors outside and bits and bobs your uncle."

Carlisle frowned at him. "You're either very brilliant or completely mad."

"Both, actually," the Doctor confessed. "But veering towards the brilliant. You don't want to see me when I'm mad." The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out and began reattaching wires. "You going to stand there watching me?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Go away." The Doctor then felt a slight twitch in his head, like Alex was somehow remotely whacking him upside it. "No, I don't mean it like that," he quickly retracted. "Just don't want to be distracted at a crucial moment. Can you tell Colonel Devenish that everything's under control, and that I'll need to go out on the surface and test things and realign the receptors?"

It seemed only a few moments later that a shadow fell across the Doctor as he finished the final few connections. But he realized that almost an hour had passed.

Captain Reeve waited until the Doctor was done before he spoke. "The Colonel says it's fine for you to go out on the surface. You can have permission, no problem."

"I didn't ask for permission."

"Yeah, he knows. But he's given it anyway. That way, he can put conditions on it."

"Sounds like Alexandria got a hold of him," the Doctor muttered. He closed up the blackened shell of the now empty junction box.

Reeve laughed. "Well, I'm not sure if Miss Locke said anything, but I wouldn't put it past her. She's very brilliant, that girl."

The Doctor nodded, pleased that someone was complimenting his Ally. "That she is," he agreed. "Conditions?"

"Well, just the one. He's going out there with you."

* * *

A little while later, Captain Reeve helped the Doctor and Colonel Devenish suit up. Soon, the two of them were walking out across the lunar surface. Devenish's bulky white spacesuit was a sharp contrast to the Doctor's more advanced and streamlined red one.

"We're on a closed communications circuit," Devenish informed him. "No one else can hear us."

"Any why are you telling me this?" the Doctor wondered.

"Just thought I'd mention it. Same as Major Carlisle just happened to mention to me that the damage to the systems could be sabotage."

"_Could_ be," the Doctor stressed. "Or it could be accidental. An overloaded component, a power surge. Whatever. I'll have a better idea when I check the receptors. If they've miss-phased, then if could be just bad luck. But if the target location has actually been reset, that suggests it's deliberate."

They walked on in silence for several minutes before the Doctor said "I don't think Major Carlisle likes me very much."

Devenish's bark of laughter echoed inside his helmet. "I don't think Major Carlisle likes _anyone _very much. Her daddy was a general. She's got a lot to live up to."

"She doesn't have to live up to anything."

"True," Devenish agreed, "but she thinks she does. Then again, my daddy had a gas station in Colorado and died of boredom before he was 60, so what do I know?"

"Maybe you have even more to live up to."

Before long, they reached the receptors. The receptors were like metal mushrooms poking up through the dry dusty gray of the landscape. There were two lines, stretching to the foreshortened horizon.

"We only need to recalibrate one each side," the Doctor explained. "I can set them to pass the new settings on down the line."

"You know where you're setting it for?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor confessed. "But there should be a hardware reset that keys it back to the original location. Base Hibiscus, you call it?"

"Deep in the heart of Texas," Devenish said. The Doctor could hear the smile in his voice.

* * *

Amy and Alex passed several soldiers as they made their way through the base, but no one questioned who they were or what they were doing. And Nurse Phillips seemed to have no idea that she was being followed.

Alex had been positive that the nurse was hiding something and Amy had agreed to tag along. Alex's instincts were hardly ever wrong. Amy sometimes thought that going along with what Alex was doing was like following the Doctor. You never quite knew what to expect with either one of them.

But now, Amy was starting to think that maybe her friend was wrong. Maybe Nurse Phillips was as honest as they come. All she had done so far was wander around the base, talking and chatting with whatever soldiers she came across. She certainly wasn't acting like a threat, so maybe she wasn't one.

Little did she know that Alex was thinking these same things too. _No! There has to be something up!_ She thought. _She gave Prisoner Nine the injection that killed him. We overheard the not-so-nonsense that Liz was speaking. She's been present at every processing and has been quick to assure us that there have been no problems. _Alex snorted. _Please! No problems at all, ever, in a series of experiments designed to wipe people's minds and replace their thoughts and memories?_

Still, the idea that they might be wasting their time refused to leave her. Maybe Nurse Phillips was as naïve and straightforward and innocent as she seemed.

_Or not, _Alex decided as she and Amy ducked into a doorway close to Jackson's office. Nurse Phillips glanced furtively over her shoulder before she knocked and went in.

The door was closed, so Alex had to press her ear hard against it to hear anything. Amy was keeping a look-out, but Alex really hoped no one came along and caught them. They could say they were waiting for Professor Jackson to get done with a meeting, but there was the chance no one would believe them. Everyone seemed to be a little skeptical of them all.

"Carlisle," Jackson's muffled voice said from the other side of the door.

"So soon?" Nurse Phillips replied.

"This Doctor worries me," Jackson confessed. "Perhaps he can repair the systems. Carlisle will know, she was with him. I've asked her to join us in the Process Chamber in a few minutes."

Alex jerked back from the door, realizing that they were probably about to leave the office. "Come on!" she hissed lowly to Amy.

The girls ran down the corridor. If they could get to the Process Chamber ahead of them, they could find somewhere to hide and hear what Major Carlisle thought of the Doctor. Alex smirked a little as she ran. Actually, she could probably guess that one right now.

In her haste, Alex had forgotten how spartan the Process Chamber was. There was nowhere they had any chance of hiding. The Observation Room was just as unhelpful.

"In here!" Amy called, directing her to a nearby storeroom. Alex dove in and once Amy was inside, she shut the door, leaving it open a crack.

Alex quickly filled Amy in on what she heard. "What could they be up to?" Amy wondered.

Alex was about to reply when she heard footsteps coming down the corridor. She brought a finger to her lips and rushed to listen against the tiny open crack of the door. Amy began listening as well.

"This Doctor," Jackson said without preamble. "Can he really fix the quantum displacement systems?"

"I think he can," Carlisle replied. "He seems young and flippant, but there's an underlying astuteness to him. It's hard to describe."

"And the girls?" Nurse Phillips inquired. Amy and Alex stiffened.

"The brunette, Alex was it? She's pretty sharp, almost as sharp as the Doctor. The other one? Not sure, to be honest. But again, I wouldn't underestimate either of them. Someone at Hibiscus obviously rates them all. Maybe even Walinski himself."

"More likely that jumped-up technician Hecker," Jackson said.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "Well, if that's all you wanted…?"

"There was one other thing," Jackson admitted. "In the Process Chamber. Something I'd like you to take a look at."

"Is it important?"

"Oh yes." Jackson's voice was suddenly low and slightly sinister, causing the girls to shudder. "It's certainly important."

The girls heard the door to the Process Chamber close behind them. When they stepped out of the storeroom, the corridor was empty.

If they had looked out just a few moments before, as Nurse Phillips followed Jackson and Carlisle into the Process Chamber, they would have been surprised to see the young nurse taking a syringe from her jacket pocket.

* * *

"Not as easy as I thought," the Doctor confessed. "Looks like we'll have to reset them all individually." He closed up the cover on the side of the stumpy receptor and moved on to the next one.

"I'll do the other side," Colonel Devenish offered.

"Sure you can manage?"

"I just watched you. Looked easy enough. I'm not a complete dork, you know."

The Doctor grinned inside his helmet. "Never thought you were."

"I did wonder about you though," Devenish admitted. "But Jackson was willing to give you the time of day."

"And you respect his judgment."

"I used to. Now…" Devenish unclipped the inspection hatch on the side of the receptor. "I'm not sure I trust him anymore."

"Dubious ethics," the Doctor guessed, moving on to another of the receptors.

"Oh, he's always had those. But recently…I don't know. It's nothing you can put your finger on. But he's _changed_."

The Doctor closed up the cover and moved on down the line. "Why are you telling me?" he asked curiously.

"Because you're from off base. I don't know who you are, but I reckon I can trust you."

"Suggesting you can't trust your own team," the Doctor realized.

"Suggesting I don't know if I can't trust them or not," Devenish corrected. "There's something going on here on my base. Something I don't understand. Something I don't like."

"Something to do with the people?"

"Or perhaps I'm just getting paranoid. But then this sabotage…"

"If it was sabotage," the Doctor corrected.

"You said you'd be able to tell, once you checked the receptors," Devenish reminded him. "So you tell me."

The Doctor closed the cover of the receptor he'd just reset and stood up. He turned to find Devenish facing him, his face distorted through the thick visor of the helmet. "Look." The Doctor pointed along the path made by the two parallel lines of receptors. Instead of disappearing over the lunar horizon, the path now shimmered in the heat. The gray dust on either side of the path was now pale sand. A line of blue sky cut downwards from the black heavens.

"It worked!" Devenish cried. "Doctor, you're a genius!"

"Thanks," the Doctor said modestly. "We'd better reset the rest of them. And, yes, I am a genius. Because you're not paranoid at all. It would take a genius to spot it, but what happened here was definitely sabotage."

* * *

The girls hadn't even reached the door to the Process Chamber when they heard the noise. Something slammed back into the other side of the door. Shouting and grunts echoed out from the room, punctuated by something metal clattering to the floor.

"Hold her!" Jackson's voice shouted.

Alex and Amy didn't know if they should go in and help or stay where they were. But who needed help? _What the hell is going on? _Alex wondered.

In just a few moments, the noise died down. Alex pressed her ear to the door. This was becoming a habit.

"She's tougher than she looks," Jackson commented. "Which could be useful."

Alex couldn't hear the reply. Was he talking about Major Carlisle or Nurse Phillips? Based on the prior conversation she had overheard, Alex was willing to bet Carlisle.

"I've programmed a Blank. One of the soldiers," Jackson was saying now. "If the Doctor manages to repair the systems, the Blank can simply disable them again. But in light of what Major Carlisle said, you had better send him in anyway."

"I'm on it. The Doctor and Devenish went outside to reset the receptors." Nurse Phillips' voice was faint but audible now. She was moving back towards the door.

"In the worst case, they'll be stuck back on Earth," Jackson said. "Worst for us, that is. It could be a lot worse for them."

Alex slowly backed away, feeling a wave of terror wash over her. She didn't know what they meant by a Blank, but one thing was perfectly clear – the Doctor, _her _Doctor, was in danger and she and Amy were the only ones who could help him. But how?

"What?" Amy asked, seeing the frightened look on Alex's face. "What did they say? What's going on?"

"The Doctor's in danger," Alex whispered. The doorknob handle suddenly twisted. Alex pushed Amy into the storeroom. "Quick!" she hissed. "In here!"

* * *

The desert stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. The Doctor and Colonel Devenish had reached the last of the receptors.

"It always amazes me," Devenish said, watching the Doctor make the final adjustments, "the way you can just walk off the moon into the desert. The whole notion that you can be in two places at once."

"That's what quantum mechanics is all about," the Doctor told him.

"I know that. At least, I know it intellectually. The reality of it, that's rather different."

"I know what you mean. It's all well and good at the atomic level. But when it's actually people and places… You know, this is surprisingly sophisticated. I didn't think there was a direct link from Earth to the moon until T-Mat got going and that won't be for a while yet." The Doctor stood up. "There we are. All done. There's no charge."

Devenish reached up and unclipped his helmet. He twisted it, and lifted it off his head, taking a deep breath of the warm, dry desert air. "This is just so liberating."

The Doctor removed his own helmet. "Gets hot in these things, doesn't it."

"Here in the desert, but not on the moon." Devenish bounced experimentally on his feet. "Feel that Earth gravity. Every time I come back, I decide I need to go on a diet."

* * *

From their hiding place behind the storeroom door, Amy and Alex watched Nurse Phillips and Professor Jackson emerge from the Process Chamber. There was no sign of Major Carlisle. Jackson made his way to the observation room. Nurse Phillips hurried away down the corridor.

Amy waited until they were both out of sight before speaking. "Okay, what's the plan? We following Jackson or Nurse Phillips?"

Alex bit her lip. "I don't know. I feel like we should check on Major Carlisle."

"You could do that and I'll follow Nurse Phillips," Amy suggested.

Alex quickly shook her head. "No, no, no splitting up. Something bad could happen to one of us, sending the other into a total tizzy trying to figure out what to do."

Amy nodded, seeing her logic. "So what do you suggest?"

Alex paced in the tiny storeroom for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "We go after Nurse Phillips. She's probably going to go program that Blank. It'll be easier to stop her than whatever Jackson's doing."

"And we don't even really know what happened to Major Carlisle, so we can't really help her," Amy added ruefully.

"But we might find out with Nurse Phillips." Alex could feel a tightness in her stomach as she thought about the Doctor ending up on Earth or dying and leaving her and Amy all alone on the moon. If Nurse Phillips was going to do something to try and hurt him, she was going to meet the combined wrath of Amy Pond and Alex Locke.

Amy nodded, knowing better than to ask how she was feeling. Alex was clearly distressed at the thought of losing the Doctor, and Amy could understand that. She didn't want the Doctor to die or get stranded on Earth either.

Stepping out of the storeroom, careful to make as little noise as possible, Amy and Alex ran down the corridor after Nurse Phillips.

* * *

A figure stood in the shadows close to the bottom of the metal stairway down to the basement levels. Stock-still, the soldier might have been on guard duty – except that his eyes were closed. His face was relaxed and slack. His arms hung limply by his side, his shoulders slumped forwards.

Nurse Phillips watched him for a few moments, her mouth twisting into the trace of a smile. "It is time," she said softly.

The soldier's eyes snapped open. He straightened up, alert and ready.

"You know what to do," Nurse Phillips told him. She watched the soldier march stiffly away before returning to the stairs.

The metal treads echoed under her feet, masking the sound of lighter footsteps below. Amy and Alex glanced up at the disappearing figure before hurrying after the soldier.

Keeping well back, they followed the dark figure through the maze of pipework and cables, past control consoles and computer terminals. He seemed to know exactly where he was headed. Finally, the soldier stopped in front of a control panel mounted on the wall. He stared at it for several seconds, and both girls were tempted to ask him what he was doing.

Then, the soldier turned and picked up a length of metal pipe that was lying nearby. He weighted it in his hand, then smashed it down on the controls.

Sparks erupted from the console. The constant hum of the machinery changed in pitch, becoming labored and uncertain.

Alex leapt forward. "Stop that!" she screeched. "Stop that now!"

The solder seemed not to hear her. Again and again, he smashed the pipe down on the console. A whole section exploded. Smoke billowed out from a panel.

Alex ran forward, jumping on the man's back as Amy grabbed his wrist, pulling hard to try and unbalance him. Alex kicked and throttled, tearing at his hair, but the soldier barely noticed. He simply tore his wrist free and twisted sideways sharply, causing Alex to lose her grip and hit the floor hard, landing on her back. The soldier slammed the pipe down once more.

Apparently satisfied, the soldier moved along. He dropped the pipe, which clattered to the floor and rolled away, bent and dented from its work. The soldier reached out, lacing his fingers through a mass of wires…and ripped them away. Sparks crackled around the broken ends. The lights dimmed for a moment, then came back up again. A klaxon began to sound. The surviving parts of the control console were lit up with red warning lights, flashing erratically.

"Right, that's enough!" As Alex struggled to get back up, Amy ran at the man. She lowered her shoulder, hammering into him from behind.

The soldier was slammed forwards into the wall. His body jolted and shook as he hit the broken ends of the live wires. The lights flickered again, then went out completely.

The last thing the girls saw before the darkness descended was the solder turning towards them, his face blackened, eyes staring and unblinking. No expression. Blank.

* * *

The helmet was only inches away from him across the ground. But the Doctor was never going to reach it.

Colonel Devenish collapsed to his knees, his hands scrabbling at his throat as he tried to breathe. The desert sand shimmered in the heat, blurring into the cold gray landscape of the moon.

The Doctor's own breaths were painful gasps now. His throat burned for lack of air. The cold was freezing his skin, drying his eyes, tightening across his whole body. He tried to crawl towards Devenish. But the Colonel was as far away as the helmet – inches. Inches out of reach as the cold airless night closed in.

* * *

Amy and Alex blinked as after a few unsettling moments, the lights abruptly came back on. The noise of the equipment seemed to stabilize, and Alex guessed a secondary generator or emergency system of some sort had cut in to take over the damaged systems. The soldier was still staring blankly at them, just as he had before the lights failed.

Alex got to her feet, feeling a rush of fury run through her. This man might have just killed the Doctor and she was going to be damned if she let him get away with it. "What the hell are you doing?" she shouted. "Do you realize what you've just done?!" Beside her, Amy braced herself for an attack.

But the man didn't move. He just stood, staring. Unmoving. Then, slowly, his eyes closed. His shoulders slumped slightly, like he had fallen asleep while still on his feet.

_As if he'd been switched off, _Alex thought. Like a computer program that had reached the end, completed its task, and simply stopped.

* * *

On the lunar surface, a sudden, impossible breeze stirred the dust between the lines of receptors. Two space helmets – one white, one red – lay half-buried. A gloved hand was stretched out towards one of the helmets in a final desperate dying attempt to reach it.

Then, the breeze was gone, taking with it the last of the air. Leaving only the dust and the dead…

A/N: MEGA CLIFFHANGER! Aren't I evil?! Again, a noticeable lack of fluff in this chapter, but I PROMISE that will change in the later chapters and the Pandorica chapters! Besides, it'll be interesting to see how Alex reacts to what happened to the Doctor... }:)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- That's good to know! I'm glad to hear you're starting to get into it. :) And don't worry, the fluff will be back soon! Think of this adventure as having a bit more suspense and drama in it than romance. :) For the stories based on episodes, I copy the lines from transcript sites and add in the Alex bits as I go along. I know some people copy and paste the whole transcript into a Word document and go from there, and I may try doing that, because my current method takes a while to do. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yeah, it does seem rather random but, having read the book, I promise it ties into something awesome! Glad you love this bit! :)

**rycbar15 **- Lol, it IS rather long, isn't it? In my Word document, the episodes all encompass 1 chapter so this chapter is technically Chapter 24. Had to shorten it though. :) And thanks! That's the dream! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Glad you like the lunar mystery! Thanks! :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- The prisoners are there because they know top-secret government info that the government cannot risk getting out. So, instead of putting them in a common Earth prison where they can blab, they're isolated on the moon. And I don't think they're chosen for the process for specific reasons. They're just there and they can't really say no. Hope that helps! Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you're enjoying this episode! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Glad you love the plotline! For this adventure, there are roughly 13 chapters to it, but I think I can edit that down to at least 11 chapters, maybe less. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, she can be lordly, can't she? Another trait of the Doctor's to rub off on her. :) Oh, I can't say! But I'm glad you're taking the time to try and figure it out! It'll be a while until we learn the truth, so that gives you time to come up with some theories. :) Lol, the psychic paper thing is hilarious! Imagine if they did that in a real episode... :) Yeah, she does spend an awful lot of time on his lap, doesn't she? Can't blame her though. It's a nice place to sit. :) Yep, Amy will ask the Doctor about the ring, but not until the Pandorica episodes. And yes, Rory is coming back pretty soon! :D

Thank you to those who reviewed and to those that favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	49. Apollo 23 Part 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

A rasping breath wracked the Doctor's whole body. He wheezed and choked, coughing until his throat was raw. The ground beneath him was warm and sharp, like tiny knives cutting into his palms as he pressed them down in an effort to steady his body.

He was lying on his back, staring up at an azure sky. The faintest wisp of cloud skittered across his vision. The sun was a burning disc that hurt his eyes.

Slowly, as the coughing and gasping died away and he caught his breath, the Doctor pushed himself upwards. He sat, staring around at the undulating landscape. Not the gray, barren moon, but the warm sandy desert. He climbed to his feet.

The lines of receptors were gone. The link was broken and they would be back on the moon. There was no sign either of the Doctor's helmet or of Colonel Devenish. The Doctor sighed and shook his head sadly, knowing all too well what that must mean.

"Sabotage," he murmured. The stiff desert breeze ruffled his hair and blew up a ground-hugging swirl of sand. "Sabotage and murder." He licked his finger and held it up, gauging the direction of the wind.

_Deep in the heart of Texas, _the Doctor remembered Devenish had said. Texas was enormous – the second largest U.S. state. But he was sure someone had mentioned that Base Hibiscus was close to Houston. Assuming that the quantum link had actually brought them to Texas somewhere near the base. If not, he could be anywhere. _There's no guarantee that this is even Earth,_ he thought.

"Could be worse," he said to himself. "It might have been Alaska."

After a while, the Doctor was beginning to wish it was Alaska. Without the helmet, his spacesuit wasn't sealed and the heat got trapped inside. He could tolerate extreme temperatures that humans couldn't, but even Time Lords had their limits. He stripped off the spacesuit and staggered on in his slacks and shirtsleeves, bow tie hanging untied around his neck. The breeze was cooling, but it whipped up the sand and blew it in his eyes so that he could hardly see.

In the distance, peering through the bright sun and the stinging sand, the Doctor could see a dark cloud. More sand, swirling across the desert towards him. A sandstorm? _God forbid it, _he thought as he looked around for a possible shelter. But there was none whatsoever.

As the whirling sand got closer, the Doctor saw that it was kicked up by a jeep, racing towards him through the desert. It slowed to a halt a few meters away, the engine idling. Three uniformed soldiers jumped out of the back of the jeep and ran towards him, unshouldering their assault rifles.

The Doctor stood up and reached out to sake the nearest soldier's hand. The soldier did take his hand, but dragged the Doctor forwards before spinning him around and wrenching his arm up behind his back. Together with another soldier, he marched the Doctor over to the jeep and shoved him roughly over the bonnet.

The Doctor gasped as his cheek pressed down on the hot metal. "Ouch! Careful!"

"This is a restricted area," another soldier barked.

"I kind of guessed that, actually."

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"I'm helping." The Doctor forced himself upright. He raised his hands in the air and turned around. "I've got papers, a pass, authorization, everything."

"Show me."

"Rightio." The Doctor shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. Except the pockets weren't there, and neither was his jacket. "Ah. Sorry. Left my paper – my papers, I should say – in my jacket. I'd go and get it but it's a bit of a way away."

"Gets hot out here," one of the soldiers said. It was the first half-friendly tone the Doctor had heard. "How far away's your jacket?"

"Quite a way, actually," the Doctor admitted. "I left it on the moon."

* * *

It seemed like an age before anyone came. The girls watched through a mass of pipes and cables. The soldier continued to stand in exactly the same spot, not moving at all.

"We have to stop doing this," Alex smiled to Amy.

Amy laughed a little under her breath, glad that Alex was able to make her laugh even in their situation.

Eventually, Nurse Phillips arrived, as they had expected she would. She sighed when she saw the charred mass of fused cables and wires. She inspected the soldier's face, gently turning it from side to side. "Come with me. We'd better get you to the medical center."

The soldier jerked upright at the sound of her voice. His shoulders straightened and his eyes opened again.

"Follow me. Let's get you sorted out."

Since they knew where the two were headed, the girls waited until they were long gone before emerging from their hiding place.

By the time they reached the medical center, Nurse Phillips was bandaging the soldier's hand. He sat on a chair in the small reception area. His face was cleaner, but showed several slight burns. He seemed to be behaving perfectly normally as he glanced up at Amy and Alex and smiled. But there was no recognition in the look.

_He should know who I am, _Alex thought, noticing this. _I gave him several foot-shaped bruises on his back. _

"What happened to you?" Amy asked.

"Oh, stupid accident," the soldier explained. "Burned my hand trying to fix a toasted sandwich."

"Your face as well, by the looks of it," Alex commented.

"Eye-level grill," Nurse Phillips dismissed. She finished attaching the bandage with surgical tape. "There, all done. Get a salad next time."

"Sure thing." The soldier stood up. "Sorry to be a bother."

"You remember what happened?" Alex asked, trying to keep the disdain and anger out of her voice. Even though the soldier didn't seem to have any memory of sabotaging the systems, Alex still felt angry at him for possibly causing harm to the Doctor.

Nurse Phillips frowned at her, but said nothing.

"Yeah," the soldier said. "Sure I do. Pretty much."

"That's fine," Nurse Phillips told him. "A touch of shock, that's normal. You'll be all set in a day or two. No worries."

"No worries," the soldier repeated, his voice devoid of expression. Then, happily, he added "Hey, I feel better already. Thanks."

_Talk about a speedy recovery, _Alex thought.

"Can I help you?" Nurse Phillips asked as soon as the soldier was gone.

"We thought maybe we could help you," Amy lied. "We heard there was a soldier injured."

"Oh?"

"One of the other men…saw him coming in, I guess. We didn't know how serious it was…"

"That's kind of you. But as you see, I'm managing fine."

"As we see," Alex agreed, privately thinking that she was doing it a little too well. "Sorry, didn't mean to imply you couldn't cope."

"It can be difficult with just me," Nurse Phillips admitted. "Professor Jackson has some medical training though, so that helps."

"I'm sure it does," Alex smiled but Amy noticed it was a crocodile one; fake and sinister, like one the Doctor would give an enemy.

* * *

One word changed everything. As soon as the Doctor mentioned the moon, the soldiers' demeanor completely changed. They helped him into the back of the jeep, and one even offered him chewing gum. The Doctor declined. All he could really concentrate on was that Alex and Amy were still stuck on the moon and he needed to get back to them.

_Alex, you mean,_ his subconscious told him. The Doctor did his best to ignore it.

"My spacesuit is about half a mile that way," he explained. "Any chance we can swing by and pick it up?"

"No problem," the driver assured him. The jeep then sped away, kicking up a storm of fine sand behind it.

Half an hour later, with the Doctor's spacesuit – but not his helmet – recovered, they arrived at Base Hibiscus. The base was made up of a collection of low brick-built structures. It looked every bit as incongruous sticking up from the desert as Base Diana had on the moon.

Guards on the gate waved the jeep through, and it screeched to a halt outside one of the low buildings. A sentry on duty outside glanced suspiciously at the Doctor before waving them all through. The interior of the building was more like an office than a military base. There were gray carpet tiles on the floor and blotches of color in expensive frames on the wall.

"You know," the Doctor said, looking at these, "modern art isn't really as bad as it's painted."

One of the soldiers was generous enough to smile. They continued in silence in the elevator to the third floor, where the Doctor was shown into an office. The door closed behind him, and he found himself facing an important-looking soldier across an imposing desk.

"I'm sorry if I'm supposed to know who you are," the Doctor said, sitting down. "General?" he hazarded, seeing the stars on the man's shoulders.

"General Walinski, and that's fine. I don't know who you are either. Though that is a bit more of a problem, given I've recently checked the files of everyone who's supposed to be on Base Diana."

"Guessing I wasn't on the list."

"Damn right you weren't. So who are you, and how did you get there? More to the point, how did you get back?"

"Well, that's a little difficult really. I'm an expert, sent in to help. They're having a bit of trouble with their quantum link, though I expect you know that."

"It's been noticed. Go on – you were sent to fix the link."

"I _did _fix it. But then it went wrong again and dumped me back in the desert. Colonel Devenish…" The Doctor's voice trailed off.

Walinski leaned forward. "Cliff Devenish – what about him?"

"He was with me, fixing the receptors. He didn't make it. I'm sorry."

Walinski leaned back, nodding slowly. "Good man, Devenish. So how come you made it back and he didn't? Chance, was it? Luck?"

"A bit of both," the Doctor admitted. "And maybe I can survive a little longer without oxygen."

Walinski leaned back even further. "You see, the trouble I'm having here is that people are dead and you turn up out of nowhere and seem to be an expert on a top secret system. I don't know if I can trust you."

The Doctor sucked in his cheeks. "That's your problem, not mine," he retorted.

"Don't be so sure."

"Devenish trusted me, if that helps. At least, he told me he did."

"You could be lying," Walinski pointed out. "Though you don't look like a liar."

_Don't go betting on that, _the Doctor thought, thinking briefly of the times he had to lie in the past. Aloud, he said "Good liars don't. But Devenish trusted me enough to agree when I told him the systems had been sabotaged."

Walinski's eyes narrowed. "How did you get to Diana?"

"My assistants, Miss Pond and Miss Locke, and I went up from the shopping center where the astronaut appeared."

Walinski visibly relaxed at this. "Typical CIA. They sent their own team up – local Brit team, I guess – and they didn't even tell us."

"Actually, Miss Locke is American," the Doctor said, figuring the General could be even more persuaded to help if he learned another American citizen was trapped up there. "Alexandria Nicole Locke."

Walinski nodded and stood up, towering over the seated Doctor, and strode to the door. He pulled it open and shouted "Get Agent Jennings in here now!"

Jennings arrived almost at once. He was nearly as tall as Walinski and just as broad. Unlike the General, Jennings was wearing a black suit. He also wore glasses, the lenses as dark as the suit.

"This Doctor guy one of yours?" Walinski demanded.

"Not so far as I know," Jennings answered.

"Hi, by the way," the Doctor said.

Jennings ignored him. "But Control doesn't always consult me personally before putting agents into the field. You want me to double check?"

The Doctor stood up. "Look, this is all very cozy and matey and fun, and we can play 'my boss is bigger than your boss' for as long as you like. But my friends are up on your moonbase, and there's no way for us to get to them and there's no way for them to get to us. Whether you know it or not, something's sabotaging your systems. They deliberately cut you off from the moon, and they did that for a reason. Now, I don't know what that reason is, not yet. But I think we should find out, don't you?"

"And why do you think someone would sabotage a base that's operated without problems for forty years?" Jennings inquired.

"I didn't say some_one_, I said some_thing_." The Doctor looked from Jennings to Walinski, and saw that they were both watching him closely. "And I don't know why. But if I had to hazard a guess, and I think I'm probably more qualified than anyone else here to do that, then I'd say…" He hesitated, wondering if the two men would be ready for what he was about to tell them.

"Yes?" Walinski prompted.

"I'd say you were being invaded."

* * *

Captain Reeve had organized rooms for the girls. Both were tempted to tell him about what they'd seen and overheard. But when it came down to it, neither were sure they could trust anyone. Captain Reeve seemed pleasant and friendly enough – certainly in contrast to Major Carlisle. But maybe he was just a bit too laid back.

_Could it all be an act?_ Alex wondered, remembering her suspicions about everyone here acting like something they weren't, like actors in a play.

God, when she saw the Doctor again, right after hugging him, she was going to slap the hell out of him.

"Looks like you could be staying with us for a while," Reeve said.

"Any news of the Doctor and Colonel Devenish yet?" Alex asked, the coil in her stomach tightening to where it was causing her physical pain.

"No. But it's a tricky job. The Colonel was on local comms only for some reason. Wasn't talking to us. That's not normal procedure. But they've got enough air for a few more hours yet, so Major Carlisle says we should leave it to them. They'll shout if they get a problem, or if they don't, we'll go looking when their air gets low."

"You seem to have a lot of spare living space," Amy said, noticing that Alex didn't look assured by this news. It seemed wise to change the subject.

Reeve nodded. "The number of people stationed here varies. We have capacity at the moment."

Amy nodded. She and Alex hadn't seen that many people. A few scientists in Jackson's team, Nurse Phillips, and the soldiers. "How many here at the moment?"

"Maybe twenty in all. Major Carlisle could tell you the exact number."

Reeve left the girls to 'settle in', though Alex wasn't sure what he thought they needed to do to settle in. It wasn't like they had anything to unpack. "I'm going to stay in here with you, if that's okay," Alex decided. She really didn't want to be all alone in a strange moonbase where she couldn't trust anyone. She didn't want to leave Amy alone either.

"It's fine, and thanks. I'm kinda nervous myself." Amy stretched out on the bed and stared up at the plain white ceiling. "No cobwebs," she announced. "Do they even have spiders in here?"

Alex shrugged and sat down in a nearby loveseat. "Some could have wandered through the quantum link, but they wouldn't survive for more than three seconds."

It was pointless conversation and they both knew it. The only reason they were even attempting it was to try and distract themselves from the worry that plagued them.

"I'm going to doze for a few minutes," Amy decided after a few minutes of total silence. "Just until the Doctor gets back. He won't be long. You know he won't leave us here alone."

Alex nodded and picked at a loose thread on the loveseat. "Go ahead." She could use some time to think anyway.

Amy was awoken what seemed like seconds later by a knocking at the door. She rolled over to see Alex was standing on the other side of the room, evidently in the process of pacing. "Who is it?" Amy called.

"Downham, ma'am."

Downham was a soldier. He stood to attention when Amy opened the door. "Yes?"

"The Doctor would like to speak to you ladies," Downham said, noticing Alex just over Amy's shoulder.

"The Doctor?!" Alex cried, feeling her heartbeat race in excitement. Yes! He was alive!

"You can cut the 'ladies' stuff," Alex told him, rushing over as her system pounded with adrenaline. "I'm Alex and that's Amy."

"This way…miss." He marched off down the corridor.

"How long was I asleep?" Amy asked Alex as they followed Downham down the corridor.

"About two hours."

"I hope you weren't bored."

"No, I was fine," Alex assured her. "Gave me some time to think."

"So, where are we going?" Amy asked Downham, wondering why the Doctor hadn't just come to find them – or Alex – himself.

"Communications Room."

"And that's where the Doctor is?" Alex asked hopefully. She needed to see him again, like he was the sun and she was one of those dying dinosaurs. _Ooh, bad analogy. _Still, the point was clear.

"Not exactly," Downham said carefully, noticing her desperation to see the Doctor again. "You need to speak to him on the radio link. They're bouncing the signal off a couple of satellites so we can have voice contact."

"Voice contact?" Amy repeated as Alex's heart plummeted. "Hang on – where exactly _is _the Doctor?"

The soldier hesitated in mid-stride, just slightly. "Base Hibiscus. He's on Earth, ma'am."

_EARTH?!_ Alex mentally shrieked. She felt another burst of hatred run through her towards the soldier who had unknowingly caused the sabotage and the people or things that had forced him to do it.

One thing was for sure; she was going to get the Doctor back and then, they would take care of the people here.

Captain Reeve was already talking on the radio when the girls arrived in the Communications Room.

"General Walinski, he's the officer in charge of Hibiscus," Reeve said quietly to the girls. Louder, he said "Sir, I have Miss Pond and Miss Locke with me now, if the Doctor's still there."

To the girls' surprise, the General ignored Reeve and kept on talking. _"…which means that our number one priority must be to get the quantum displacement link operating again._" He paused, then went on. "_Glad to hear that, Reeve. The Doctor is just here._"

"He's a bit slow on the uptake," Amy said quietly.

"There's a few seconds' delay," Reeve explained. "Should be more, but your Doctor friend has done something to boost the signal, but there's still a delay before they hear us, and another before we hear their reply."

"I had a teacher like that," Amy recalled.

"I'll give you guys some privacy," Reeve said. "I gather the Doctor wants to talk technical with you two without us non-techies getting confused and interrupting."

"I hope he wasn't too rude about it!" Alex called after Reeve as he left. He closed the door behind him, leaving Amy and Alex alone in the room.

"_Pond, Ally! Good to talk to you._" The Doctor's voice was slightly tinny over the speakers. "_Sorry I'm stuck down here. What do you mean?!_" He suddenly sounded offended. "_Of course I wasn't rude!_"

"A few seconds delay," Amy said. "This is going to be fun."

"_Now the first thing you girls need to know,_" the Doctor said, "_is that there's a slight delay… Oh. You do know. So it'll be a few seconds before you hear my reply to your question._"

"Gotcha," the girls said.

"_But I expect Reeve's clued you in, so you probably know that too, right?_"

"We do," Amy confirmed.

"_What do you mean by 'Gotcha'?_"

"No, no," Amy protested. "That was last time. The 'Gotcha' was for the slight delay bit."

"_Or was that your answer to the last question? Right, guessing it was… Ah, yes, you just said._"

Alex sighed loudly. This was fun. "Look Doc, is there a point to this conversation, or did you just call up to be all smug about having got back to Earth and left me and Amy stranded up here?" She paused a second before adding "And, either way, it's lovely to hear from you, Doc."

"She thought you were dead," Amy added helpfully.

Alex was about to protest but the Doctor's voice was just coming through. "_You're probably wondering why I've called, and it's not just me being smug about…_" He hesitated, then went on. "_Oh, you are. And it's lovely to hear you too, Ally._" Another pause, and then "_Alex! You have very little faith in me! It takes a lot to kill me! And, no need to worry, I'm not going anywhere._"

"Doctor?" Amy interrupted, before the two could begin flirting. "I'm guessing you have things to tell us, and we certainly have things to tell you. So rather than getting behind each other all the time, why don't you go first?"

"_Absolutely…yes,_" the Doctor said. Then, after a pause, "_You go first._"

"Me?" Amy questioned.

"_Oh, I'M going first?_" The Doctor sounded surprised. "_Okay, if you're sure._"

"I'm sure."

"_You want to go first? Is that what you mean by 'me'?_"

"No, no it isn't." Amy was getting exasperated while Alex giggled a little.

"_Sure you want to go first?_" He paused, allowing Alex to imagine Amy's voice coming out of the speakers at Base Hibiscus. "_Good, off you go then._"

Obviously, they were going to have to go first. But before either girl could start, the Doctor said "_Sorry, what do you mean by 'No, it isn't'?_"

In an effort to end this madness, Alex jumped in. "Doctor, just shut up. Whatever you're saying, whenever you hear this, just shut up and listen to me and Amy, otherwise I will find a way down there and slap you into a new regeneration. Got it?"

"_I've obviously misunderstood,_" the Doctor was saying. "_So let me tell you what's going on here, and you just won't BELIEVE what-,_" He broke off, apparently now hearing Alex's threat. "_Oh, all right then. No need to be so violent Ally. Shutting up now. Off you go._"

Amy's hands were like claws in front of her, miming the action of wringing the absent Doctor's neck while Alex just glared at the microphone, her eyes turning from light green to dark. Taking deep breaths, the girls then took turns describing what had happened to them. They told him about speaking to Liz Didbrook, and about seeing Nurse Phillips, Professor Jackson, and Major Carlisle go into the Process Chamber, Carlisle never coming out. They described their fight with the soldier – Alex was positive she heard the Doctor chuckling a little as she described how she jumped onto the soldier's back – and how he had just sort of switched off before being sent to the medical center by Nurse Phillips.

"And there he was, having his hand bandaged as if nothing had happened," Amy was saying now. "Well, nothing except he'd burned his hand. How can he _not_ remember? And how can he think this is all normal? I mean, I know the military aren't always the sharpest tools in the box, but even soldiers must have some critical abilities. They have to be able to shoot guns, don't they? So you'd hope they can tell one end from the other at least. Maybe I've been overestimating…"

"_Um, Amy?_" the Doctor interrupted. "_I know Alex said not to interrupt, but just so you know, I've got General Walinski with me here still. And a couple of other military people. Sorry, should have mentioned that earlier. It might be a bit late to tell you that by the time you hear me._"

Amy closed her eyes and cringed awkwardly while Alex stumbled back against the wall, her hands covering her mouth in a weak attempt to hide her laughing. "No, but seriously," Amy said quickly, "I was just kidding. I think soldiers are great. Lovely…uniforms. Sorry, Doctor, what was that? Oh, and a great sense of humor too, so they'll know what I mean."

There was an awkward pause that seemed to last forever, punctuated only by Alex's now audible snickering. Then, a voice Amy recognized as the General from his conversation with Captain Reeve earlier, said levelly "_That was a long few seconds._"

"Longest of my life," Amy muttered.

"_Alex, stop snickering!_" the Doctor scolded.

Alex quickly quieted, pushing herself off the wall and back over to Amy. "Don't be so harsh, Doc. It doesn't suit that handsome face of yours." Clearly, Alex was suffering from Flirt-With-The-Doctor withdrawal. "Anyway, that's what's been happening with us. So, the soldier's mind was affected somehow and it's got to be from Jackson's process. Jackson said he had programmed him and it seems Nurse Phillips is in league with him as well. To be honest, neither of us knows who to trust anymore." She paused, realizing just how alone she felt without him, even though Amy was standing right next to her. "I miss you, Doc. So does Amy. When are you coming back? We need you here." _I need you here._

There was another long pause. Then the Doctor's voice came through. "_My turn now, then, if you've finished._" There was a slight sputtering of embarrassment as Alex's comment about his face came through. "_Uh, uh…hmm, t-thank you, Ally. What? Oh, yes, I miss you girls too. Coming back? Well, slight problem there because the quantum link needs to be mended at your end. And I don't think there's anyone up there who can do it. Or at least, no one who wants to._"

"_You've confirmed Colonel Devenish's sabotage theory,_" Walinski jumped in. "_Though we still don't have a motive, unless the Doctor's right._"

_Right about what?_ Alex wondered. She wanted to ask this, but she figured her question would be answered in a moment.

Sure enough, the Doctor started explaining. "_You're spot on about Jackson's process,_" he told them. "_I don't know if Jackson is behind it, but the process has been hijacked. You remember I said that there's a void left by removing the patient's memories? And it needs to be filled with something else? I think that's what's happening. Something has found the empty spaces and sneaked in. Maybe that's how these 'Blanks' you mentioned are being programmed and controlled. Or perhaps that's a separate application of the process. But something is fixing on the blank spaces in the mind and taking up residence there._"

"You mean, like downloading software onto a blank bit of hard disk of computer memory?" Amy asked. "Sorry," she added.

"_I wish I could think of a good analogy,_" the Doctor went on, oblivious. "_Something went wrong with that poor Prisoner Nine, and Jackson put some of his own memories into the man's brain. That was how he knew ME, and how he recalled setting up the process in the first place. What Jackson does is he erases a bit of someone's memory, and into that space…_" He paused. "_Yes…_" He paused again. "_Oh, that's very good, yes. That's exactly what it's like. Downloading, I like that. Actually, I don't like it at all, but the analogy is good._"

Alex rolled her eyes. "So who's downloading stuff into people's brains?"

"_The question is who's downloading stuff into people's brains,_" Walinski said.

"_You both think so,_" the Doctor said. "_Well, the answer is – I don't know. But it's something that has an affinity with the human brain. Something that can transmit into the mind itself. Something that has a purpose in doing just that. Something that definitely ISN'T human._"

"_And that has hostile intentions,_" Walinski added.

"_Seems that way,_" the Doctor agreed. "_Hold tight, girls. I'm going to try to fix things from down here. I'll find a way to reconnect long enough for me to get back, then I can sort out the alien invaders, and we can all go home. Easy._"

"Oh yeah, easy," Amy said. Even over the radio, she could tell from his tone that the Doctor was more worried than he was letting on. Alex looked worried as well. She had started pacing again, at least.

"_Just make sure no one else gets to find out about this,_" the Doctor said. "_You're right not to trust anyone… Oh, glad you think so. But it probably won't be so easy…_"

* * *

In another room on Base Diana, the Doctor's voice came clearly through a small speaker wired into the main communications system.

"_I'll talk to you two again soon. If you need to call us, you can talk to the General here, or Agent Jennings. Or you can ask for Candace Hecker. She's in charge of research and…stuff. So she'll know what you're talking about. Probably. As much as anyone, anyway. Just sit tight till I sort something out._"

The uniformed figure in the room reached out and turned off the speaker. The Doctor was a problem, even stranded back on Earth. They would have to make sure he never got back to the moon.

A/N: Duh, duh, duh! Another cliffhanger! But not as horrible as the one in the last chapter. :)

Notes on reviews...

**The Type 40 TARDIS **- Thank you! I'm so glad you like the story, the original adventure, and Alex's character! :D I am going to do 'Death of the Doctor' from the Sarah-Jane Adventures. And yes, this will extend into Season 6 and beyond! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I have a habit for evilness, don't I? :) This chapter had another cliffhanger, but not as horrible as the last chapter. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Nope, he didn't die. :) Sorry, no double updates, unless I happen to be in a REALLY good mood...or it's my birthday. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yes, yes I did end it there. I'm so evil! :} Glad you like this novel-adventure! :) Actually, the leather thing in Martha's first episode was called a Slab, but I'm sure there's been another Blank at some point on the show. 50 years old after all... :)

**dream lighting **- Glad you like the 'Apollo 23' adventure! And don't worry, they'll be okay, but that doesn't mean I can't mess with them a little. :) I am doing 'Death of the Doctor' and Sarah-Jane and Jo will have some reactions to Alex. :)

**ShadowTeir **- I'll take the evil thing as a compliment. :) Don't feel bad about not reading 'Apollo 23' though I do recommend it. It's a pretty good book that characterized the Doctor and Amy pretty well. :) Glad you liked the chapter!

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, I'm not Moffat, but I'll take that as a compliment! :) Ooh, I've never thought about that! Hmm... The Oncoming Ally? No, may need to work on that. :) Yep, I'm doing more of the books, though another one won't appear until Season 6. So far, I have the books 'Touched by an Angel', 'Paradox Lost', 'Dead of Winter', 'Hunter's Moon', and I recently got 'Shroud of Sorrow', the first book to contain Clara. I haven't written these up, but I will say that 'Hunter's Moon' is very, very dramatic and suspenseful. }:) I know, I watch Doctor Who now and I wish Alex was there! I also imagine the other OCs I have dreamed up - one of them I'm in the process of writing - in the episodes. :) Hmm...my favorite constellation is Andromeda, because I like the story behind it. I love Greek mythology! :)

**moonsword17 **- I'll take that as a compliment, thanks! :)

**rycbar15 **- I know, not much fluff in this. :( On the bright side, we did see Alex suffering from the same fluff-withdrawal and her attempts to flirt with the Doctor. :) Right now, I'm working on the 'Death of the Doctor' chapters and after that there's 'A Christmas Carol' and then, Living the Life of Ally will be done!

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks!

**TheUltimateGuest **- No problem! And thanks! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	50. Apollo 23 Part 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

Of one thing, both girls were sure – they weren't going to 'just sit tight' until the Doctor sorted everything out. That might be days, or weeks even. And for all they knew, the bad guys – Jackson or the aliens, if there were actually any aliens – were already suspicious of them. According to the Doctor, they'd tried to kill him, and had actually killed Colonel Devenish, just for interfering.

Alex didn't doubt for a moment that the Doctor _would _be back. He wouldn't abandon Amy or her – _especially_ her. He wouldn't abandon the TARDIS either, which was still parked out on the lunar surface, Reeve's promises to bring it in having yet to be fulfilled. When the Doctor did get back, it would be useful to know who they could trust, and who'd had their mind fried and occupied by the alien invaders.

One encouraging thing was that the Doctor's theory made sense of some of the things Liz Didbrook had said. In between the gibberish and rubbish, she'd talked about 'them'. Even the poor prisoner who'd died after being processed had warned 'They're here'. Was that Jackson himself, his mind free of the alien influence, trying to warn them through someone else's body?

Alex was positive she couldn't trust Jackson or Nurse Phillips. Major Carlisle she was still in doubt about. She hadn't seen her for a while now. More contact with the Major might help her make a decision. Aside from that, there was no one, not even the ever-attentive and charming Captain Reeve, that she was sure they _could _trust.

_No one except Liz Didbrook, _Alex thought. _That speech of hers is really just a kind of code. She must've been an earlier victim of the process and it didn't go right or something. Those weird sentences must keep the aliens in her mind at bay. _

Alex quickly told Amy what she thought. Amy nodded. "It makes sense," she agreed. "We going to talk to Liz again?"

Alex grinned. "Absolutely!" She then led Amy off down the hall towards the Medical Center.

Upon reaching the Medical Center, Alex carefully peered around the door. She'd much rather Nurse Phillips not know they'd come back for another chat with her star patient.

No such luck. Alex bit back the impulse to groan. Nurse Phillips was standing at her desk in the small reception area. The fact that she was standing up was hopeful though. Unless she'd just arrived and was about to sit down. Alex waited, hardly daring to breathe, and ready to get herself and Amy out of sight should Nurse Phillips look towards the door. But she seemed intent on something on the desk. She reached down and turned a sheet of paper. She was reading something, a medical report probably.

After what seemed like ten years, Nurse Phillips straightened up, checked her watch, and headed purposefully towards the door.

Alex quickly pushed Amy down the corridor, running after her. With all her energy concentrated on watching her, Alex hadn't actually thought about what to do if Nurse Phillips actually left. She'd hoped the woman would go through into the main part of the Medical Center to check on someone or something so they could slip inside and get to Liz.

Amy opened the nearest door and hurried inside, Alex right after her. The room was dark and Amy quickly pushed the door almost shut behind them. She left a crack of light, watching until Nurse Phillips had walked past. The girls breathed heavy sighs of relief. They were about to open the door again when the lights came on.

"Holy Moly!" a gruff voice cried. "Who are _you_?"

The girls spun around. They were in a bedroom, identical to the ones Captain Reeve had assigned to them. Except that this was not either of their bedrooms. And the soldier it did belong to was sitting up in bed, metal dog-tags rattling against his bare chest.

Since Alex seemed totally stunned, Amy took it upon herself to try and talk their way out of this. "Oh, er, hi. Health and Safety, just checking your door. Making sure the hinges don't squeak. In the dark." She opened and closed the door a couple of times just to show. "See. No problem."

The soldier didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked rather irritated, angry even. He swung his bare legs out of the bed, and as the sheets looked like they were about to fall away, Amy pulled the door open, dragging Alex out into the corridor. "Give yourself an A1 Rating for your hinges!" she called back. "Sorry to disturb you!"

Once they were a safe distance away, Alex looked at her incredulously. "That was your big cover?" she exclaimed. "Checking door hinges?!"

"I didn't see you coming up with anything remarkable!" Amy retorted. "You just stood there gawking!"

"Well, the fact that he was in bed with very little on took me by surprise."

"Imagine if that were the Doctor though," Amy said mischievously. "You'd die from shock!"

"Too late," Alex muttered in spite of herself.

Amy froze. "What?!" she cried.

Alex gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ "Nothing," she tried. "Let's just go talk to Liz, alright?"

"Alexandria Nicole Locke, I am not moving from this spot until you tell me!" Amy cried. Alex turned back. Sure enough, Amy was standing still a few steps down, arms crossed, looking at her expectantly.

Alex sighed. "Oh, all right! I accidentally walked in on him changing in the pool."

Amy began laughing so hard, her knees started buckling. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "When did this happen?! More importantly, why didn't you tell me?!"

"Didn't seem worth mentioning," Alex lied.

"More like you were mortified beyond belief and so was he," Amy quipped. "What'd he look like? I know you saw him change back during the Prisoner Zero thing, but did you see anything more?"

"Amelia Jessica Pond!" Alex cried. "I-I don't know! When I realized what he was doing, I turned around as fast as I could."

Amy frowned. "That was a mistake. So, when did this happen anyway?"

Alex hesitated before answering. "It was after the Dream Lord thing. You…went off to do something and I went after the Doctor to ask him some questions."

Amy nodded, but Alex noticed that her face had gone a little sad. "Oh, right," she said. "Of course." But she still looked troubled.

"Amy?" Alex asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Amy said, just as a tear ran down her cheek. But Amy seemed not to notice it, as she went on. "It's just…it's funny Alex. I don't really remember what happened after the Doctor explained the psychic pollen to us. And I can't remember much about the dreams. I was pregnant in Leadworth but there was no boyfriend. It…it feels like there should be someone else there, but there's no one. It's just the three of us."

Alex tried not to let her true feelings show on her face. Was Amy remembering Rory? Well, probably not, but she could sense that her memories were wrong. That was good. Maybe Amy would be able to remember Rory soon.

"Oh, jeez," Amy suddenly exclaimed, extracting Alex from her thoughts. She looked over to see Amy staring at a drop of water on her finger. "Why am I crying? I must be going mental!"

_Not exactly, _Alex thought. "Um…there's probably just a lot of moisture in your eyes. Your body is trying to get rid of some of it. Happens to me all the time."

Amy nodded. "Oh, that makes sense!" She quickly wiped the rest of the water from her face. "All better?"

No, it wasn't, but Alex couldn't say that. Instead, she forced herself to nod and say "Yeah, everything's good."

"Great! Now, let's go talk to Liz."

Inside the Medical Center, there was a quiet, steady blip from the equipment. Liz was asleep, breathing regularly and calmly. Alex hoped she wasn't heavily sedated. She shook the young woman's shoulder gently. When that didn't work, she did it again more firmly.

After several seconds, Liz's eyes flickered open. "What? Is it time for milk and honey?"

"It's me, Alex. And Amy. We spoke to you before, remember?"

"Memory cheats," Liz said sleepily. "Other people's memories are not their own."

"I know. We know what you mean now. We know why you have to speak nonsense. It's to stop them getting a hold in your mind, so they don't realize that you're telling us things, isn't it?"

"I tried to tell everyone. I put a wolf in the wood."

"A spanner in the works?" Amy jumped in. "Is that what you mean?"

"A fly in the ointment," Liz confirmed.

"You mean the sabotage?" Amy was talking in a loud whisper, though she was pretty sure there was no one else about. "_You _sabotaged the systems, is that what you're saying?"

"Neglected children seek it. Soldiers stand to it."

"What?"

"An elastic band gets stretched and has it."

"A tension," Alex realized. "Attention. You sabotaged the systems to get attention? Well, you got me, Amy, and the Doctor, so it kinda worked."

Suddenly, Liz sat up. "Have you come to take me to the party? Will I see all the others now? I'm sleepy. I could go to the party. The sleepover party. All sleeping."

"What party?" Alex asked. "What do you mean?"

"Or am I too sleepy?" The woman slumped backwards on to her pillow. Her gray eyes closed. "You go for me. At quarter past nine, or just after. 21.17 it opens. But don't sleep over. Never sleep over. Waking is best. Gatecrashers not wanted, oh no. Naughty."

"Okay," Amy said. "Seriously confused now. So, where is this party you want us to gatecrash?" She put her hand on Liz's shoulder. "Where?"

The eyes snapped open again – vivid blue irises staring at the girls. "Pod 7," Liz said. "Party on." Then her eyes closed again, and she began to snore softly.

"Well, that was…strange," Amy said as she and Alex exited the room.

Alex was about to reply when she caught sight of a figure in the reception area. The figure turned sharply as the girls walked in.

"Oh, it's you," Alex said, feigning surprise, which wasn't really that difficult. "I don't think Nurse Phillips is here. We were just looking for her."

"No problem," Major Carlisle said shortly. "You know how long she'll be?"

Amy shook her head. "She wasn't here when we arrived."

"You girls and the Doctor – why are you _really _here?"

"To fix the systems," Amy replied. It came out like a question. Amy got the sense they were being interrogated.

"I just wonder if I can trust you," Major Carlisle said.

"Oh absolutely," Alex told her.

"Very trustworthy," Amy added. "Something you want to confess?" She felt a kick to the shin, indicating that had been going just a little too far.

"Tell me," Carlisle said slowly, "have you noticed anything odd since you arrived here on Diana?"

"Apart from the fact the quantum systems aren't working," Alex replied, wondering where she was going with this.

"Not the equipment, the people." Major Carlisle stared intently at her as if trying to read the answer in her intelligent eyes.

"The people?" _She's fishing for something, either to see how much we know about the processing or to see if we suspect anything at all. _She had to be careful on how she answered. She still wasn't sure if she could trust the Major or not. How she answered could mean the difference between life and death, liberty and…being processed. "No, everyone's been very good and helpful. Why do you ask?"

Major Carlisle's eyes narrowed slightly. "No reason. Just that I want to be sure my team is giving you all the help and attention you need."

"Oh, yes," Amy assured her. "We're getting all the attention we need." Then, as Major Carlisle turned to leave, Amy asked "What's in Pod 7?" Beside her, Alex tensed, awaiting the Major's response.

Carlisle paused, then turned back. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondered. Something someone said."

"Someone?"

"One of your team."

Major Carlisle nodded as if this made sense. "Pod 7 is a holding and processing area for new prisoners. We've had none for several months and none are due – even before the current transportation problems."

"So, what's in there?" Amy pressed.

"Nothing. Pod 7 is completely empty." Carlisle tilted her head slightly to one side. "Does that answer your question, Miss Pond?"

"It does, thank you, Major Carlisle."

"Then I'll leave you to it."

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Amy muttered to herself over and over as she and Alex went down the hall. "Why did I do that?"

"Don't beat yourself up," Alex said. "I think she was actually trying to help us."

"Really?" That got Amy's attention. "You think we can trust her then?"

Alex hesitated a little. "I'm not totally sure, but she doesn't seem to be all bad."

"She was practically grilling us in the Medical Center!"

"Or seeing if we suspected anything at all and trying to steer us in the right direction," Alex suggested. "But, if it makes you feel any better, we'll go to the cafeteria and stay there a while to make sure we're not being followed."

The girls headed to the cafeteria and got coffee's that tasted completely foul. Alex dumped hers in the trash after half a sip. She was pretty sure they weren't being followed. Major Carlisle had gone off towards the administration area. Pod 7 was on the other side of the base. Well away from everything else, it was a separate area extending out from the man part of the base. That made sense if it was where the prisoners arrived. Isolated and self-contained. But it also meant there was only one corridor leading to it.

To get to that one corridor, the girls had to pass the cell block. They stared out at the central hub, knowing now that there were people incarcerated there. The door at the far end of the long room was locked, a numeric keypad beside it. There was also a small, square glass plate like a fire alarm activator. Amy was tempted to break the plate, but Alex talked her out of it, saying it would probably set off an alarm and that there was no guarantee that it would unlock the door. And who knew what else it might do?

But they didn't know the code. Or did they?

"Remember what Liz said?" Alex said when Amy brought this up. "She said the party was at 21.17."

"That's a pretty strange time, even for an imaginary party," Amy conceded.

"She said '21.17 it opens'," Alex recalled. Alex quickly moved to the keypad and keyed in 2117. The door immediately slid open.

"Yes!" the girls cheered, high-fiving each-other in triumph. They then turned to check that there was no one there.

Amy let the door close behind them, then keyed the code in again to make sure they could get out. Happy that it worked both ways, she let the door close once more and allowed Alex to cautiously lead the way along the corridor to Pod 7.

The light gradually dimmed as she went along the corridor, augmented at first and eventually replaced by the blood-red glow of the emergency lighting. Alex guessed that as the area wasn't used, they didn't bother keeping the lights on all the time.

_If_ it really wasn't used.

The corridor ended in another door. Again, Alex keyed in the 2117 code. Again, the door silently slid open. And Amy and Alex stepped into a nightmare.

There were twenty tables, arranged in four rows of five and all illuminated by the eerie red lighting. Each table was about two meters long by a meter wide, all identical, plain, plastic and metal like you might find in a modern office.

Except that lying on each table was a body. Wires ran from pads attached to the bodies' temples to a monitor beside each table. Heartbeats blipped across a small screen. Temperatures rose and fell by fractions of a degree. All twenty bodies breathed to the same rhythm, so that the room itself sounded as if it was alive.

Amy and Alex walked slowly between the rows of tables. What was this place? A sick bay, or something more sinister?

All twenty bodies were wearing army uniforms. They were mostly men, but there were a few women too. All twenty had their eyes wide open, and all were staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

All except the soldier on the table closest to the door where Amy and Alex had come in. He was staring right at the girls as they moved along the rows of tables. The blip of his heartbeat went dead and his temperature fell, as he pulled the pads from his head and sat up.

* * *

The hot Texas sun reflected off the polished metal plates like they were mirrors. Candace Hecker, a brunette with shoulder-length hair, unpolished boots, and a rumpled uniform, watched Graham Haines repositioning one of the plates. Other scientists were checking the angles and connections of the other plates.

For once, Agent Jennings' sunglasses didn't seem out of place as he stood with General Walinski watching the work. Feeling both unnecessary and out of her depth, Candace joined them. She wasn't used to feeling this way, and she didn't like it.

"Will this work?" Walinski asked.

Candace shrugged. "Who knows? No one really understands how quantum displacement works, not since Charlie Flecknoe died."

"He set the systems up?" Jennings asked.

Candace nodded. "Invented it, built the equipment, got it working. Then got cancer and was dead in months. That was back in the eighties. He left loads of notes, but only a few people understand any of them. It's been enough to keep the systems working, but we've really been operating on a wing and a prayer."

"And now the wing's bust," Walinski commented. "But this Doctor – he seems to understand it."

"He doesn't look old enough to know diddly," Jennings remarked.

They watched the Doctor in his shirtsleeves running between the metal plates that ran in two parallel lines across the desert. He realigned some, checked the wires connecting others. Sometimes, he just nodded his approval.

"He looks older when he's busy," Walinski mused. "There's no question he knows his stuff. I mean, he can't be bluffing, can he?"

"His equations are brilliant and correct," Candace said. "His theory seems sound. He certainly understands the principles involved. He's…" She struggled to think of a less emotive word, but ultimately couldn't. "He's a genius. But even he says there's no guarantee this will work."

"So what's supposed to happen?" Jennings asked.

The Doctor came running up to them in time to hear the question. "The whole theory's bonkers," he said. "So probably nothing. But if I can resonate the plates at the same frequency as the receptors on the moon, that might establish an affinity between the two locations so they overlap again."

"You can fix it?" Walinski asked.

"In about three months with unlimited funding and resources, like the people who set it up – of course I can. No problem. But today? Well, sort of, maybe, a bit. Most likely it won't work at all. Or if it does, it won't be stable."

"So, forgive me, but what's the point?" Jennings demanded.

"There's always a chance it will work," Candace told him. "You've got to try."

"Absolutely," the Doctor agreed. He pulled a roll of paper from his pocket. Candace could see it was a sheaf of pages torn from a notebook and covered with handwritten scribbles. "It might not be safe for any of us to go through, but I've written some thoughts on how the systems can be repaired at the moonbase end. Assuming they want to repair them. But the advantage of paper is that it won't suffocate if it's left out on the moon." He stuffed the notes back in his pocket. "Now, I have a question," he said to Jennings.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you hot in that suit?"

* * *

It was even hotter inside the spacesuit. The Doctor found the close-fitting white cotton balaclava even more claustrophobic and stifling than his regular one.

"I'd rather be in my own spacesuit," he complained. "It's not so cumbersome."

"I don't know where you got it," Candace told him, "but you've lost the helmet, and ours don't fit. I'm looking forward to reverse-engineering the thing."

"Don't you dare," he warned her. "Not so much as a stitch of it."

"But-,"

The Doctor put his hand up. "Ah! End of."

With everyone cleared well out of the way, the Doctor stood at the end of the path formed between the rows of reflective metal plates. He operated the control on the side of his helmet that lowered the gold-tinted visor, blocking out the glare.

He held up his sonic screwdriver in a bulky, gloved hand. "Well, here we go," he murmured.

The tip of the screwdriver glowed into life. There was a hum of power from the generators attached to the plates. He adjusted the screwdriver setting slightly to alter the frequency. The air in front of the Doctor was shimmering with the heat. But maybe also with something else.

Between the lines of plates, the sky darkened. The sand was drained of color – gray and barren. A wind blew past the Doctor as air rushed into the area where there had been a vacuum, filling the path between the receptors on the moon.

"Oh yes," the Doctor announced. But his glee was tempered when he saw the figure swimming into existence in front of him.

Colonel Devenish's ravaged face stared back at the Doctor from where he lay on the surface of the moon. His gloved hand stretched out, as if pleading for help – help that had never come.

It was like walking into a storm, as if the air was rushing out again. The Doctor leaned into it, struggling forwards.

"_What's happening?_" Candace's voice asked inside his helmet. "_Is it working?_"

"Yes and no," the Doctor gasped as he stumbled onwards. "The displacement won't hold for long. If I'm inside the area when it fails, I'll be ripped apart. The local geography's trying to reassert itself."

"_Just leave your papers and get out._"

The Doctor had his sheaf of papers in his free hand. He pressed them down on the dusty ground close to Devenish's body. He could feel the papers fighting to escape and blow away. He needed to weigh them down, but even then they might be ripped apart when the displacement bubble burst.

Devenish's space helmet was close by, achingly close to the dead man's head. The Doctor rolled it on top of the papers. It wasn't like Devenish was going to be needing it anytime soon. The helmet trembled in the gale, but stayed put. Then, the Doctor took Devenish's outstretched hand.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I never meant to leave you here to die, and I'm not leaving you to get ripped apart now." The wind was with him as he dragged the man's body back into the Texan desert. The Doctor couldn't help but think that Alex, if she was here, would have done the same thing.

Close by lay another space helmet, red and gleaming. The Doctor stretched out a leg awkwardly, and kicked the helmet ahead of him. It rolled like tumbleweed across the cold lunar surface and out into the shimmering heat of the desert.

The Doctor followed after it, dragging Colonel Devenish's body. As soon as he was clear of the line of metal plates, he sank to his knees. Behind him, the plates exploded, one after another, all along the lines. Between them, a trail of stumbling footmarks and the path of a dragged body started abruptly, then led out of the pathway to where the Doctor was struggling out of his spacesuit.

"So close!" Candace cried, running over to him. "We almost did it. If only the link had stabilized."

"History is full of 'if only's'," the Doctor told her sadly. "That was our last chance. Our last way back to the moon." He pulled off a glove and hurled it to the ground. That was his last chance to save Ally. He should've raced to Base Diana and grabbed her, keeping a hand over her mouth as he pulled her back to Base Hibiscus.

General Walinski was standing beside Candace. The two of them exchanged looks.

"No," Walinski said to her, apparently knowing what she was about to say. "Absolutely not."

"What?" the Doctor asked. Was there another way to get to the moon? There had to be! He couldn't leave Alex up there all alone with an impending alien invasion! "Tell me."

"You said we'd lost our last chance to get back to the moon," Candace said. Walinski sighed and looked down at the ground as she went on. "There might be just another way."

* * *

The soldier's attention was fixed on Amy and Alex. He swung his legs over the side of the table in a single fluid movement and stood up.

"Nearest the door," Alex observed. "So you must be the guard."

The soldier didn't reply. He looked to be about the same age as Amy and Alex, with close-cropped fair hair. He walked calmly and purposefully towards them.

The girls backed away, keeping several tables between them. The soldier changed course, moving between tables, but always blocking their route to the door.

"Tell you what, we'll just be going," Amy said. "We can let ourselves out."

The soldier didn't seem to have heard. He was focused intently on the girls. As he got closer, his hands reached out, like a zombie in a cheap movie. Except that film zombies usually lumbered and lurched slowly after their victims, making them easier to outrun. This guy was walking briskly and with determination.

Amy and Alex split up, each running down a line of tables, cutting into the next row. The soldier marched after Amy, running parallel along the other side of tables, and cutting through so he was in the next aisle.

What if she stopped, and waited to see which way he went? Would the soldier just switch off, like the other one had?

She tried it. They faced each-other over the prone body of a young woman in army fatigues. "You just going to stand there all day?" Amy asked.

As if in answer, the soldier leaned forward, both hands on the edge of the table. Then, in a single movement, he vaulted across the table and the body lying on it, landing right beside Amy. She gave a shriek of surprise, Alex also screaming a little. Amy ran.

The soldier was no longer between her and the door. But he was right next to her. His hand grabbed Amy's hair, jerking her back as she moved.

"Get off!" she yelled.

"Amy!" Alex cried, running forwards.

"Alex! Just run!"

In desperation, Amy kicked backwards at the soldier, hoping to slam her foot into his shin. Instead, it caught the low pedestal beside the bed. The impact jarred right up through her leg, making her eyes water as much as the pain from having her hair pulled. The pedestal rocked as she kicked it. The equipment slid across the top and crashed to the floor. Wires stretched and tangled. A connection broke loose. An alarm sounded, an insistent low buzzer.

And, suddenly, Amy was free. The soldier let go of her hair. She was so surprised she didn't move, despite Alex calling for her. The soldier quickly but carefully lifted the equipment back onto the pedestal and reconnected the loose wire. The buzzer stopped. The soldier turned back towards Amy. His hands shot out again, but this time she managed to duck out of reach. She turned and ran, the soldier close behind her. His booted footsteps echoing in her ears as he closed on her.

The door was so far away, Alex standing there, waiting for her. Amy dodged around tables, raced along the aisles between them. But the soldier was right behind her. She felt his hand brush against her shoulder as he grabbed for her. Knew that before she reached the door, he would catch up with her. And when he did…

Gasping for breath, she ran faster. Past the table where the soldier chasing her had been sleeping. Just one row of tables between Amy and the door now.

Then her foot caught on the trailing wires that the soldier had pulled from his own temple and discarded. She slipped, stumbled, almost regained her balance, and fell.

"AMY!" Alex shrieked.

The back of Amy's head crashed into the floor. The ceiling above her shimmered and blurred. She stared up into the empty gray eyes of the soldier as his hands reached down and closed around her neck.

Amy didn't give the soldier a chance to tighten his grip. She rolled out of the way, breaking his grip. As she rolled, she kicked out at the nearest pedestal, sending equipment flying. As soon as she was on her feet, she ran – not for the door, but from bed to bed, ripping electrodes off the sleepers' temples and pushing over the monitoring equipment.

The solder set about picking up the monitors and reattaching the connections. He was meticulous and efficient. This was obviously a higher priority than chasing intruders.

"So, it's your job to keep them safe," Alex deduced. All the excitement of the last few minutes had caused her to not move an inch from her spot near the door. She stepped over to Amy, drawing her back a half step. "But safe for what?"

The girls watched the soldier reconnect another sleeper. The monitor blipped back into life. Temperature readings and blood pressure numbers rose to what Alex assumed was normal. The girls backed away slowly, not taking their eyes off the soldier as he worked. Would he decide they were a priority if he saw them escaping?

The door had shut behind them when they came in. Alex turned to look at the numbers on the keypad. It took her only a few seconds to key in the code, but she expected the soldier to be standing right next to them when she looked back.

"It's okay," Amy murmured, sensing her thoughts. While Alex keyed in the code, she had remained turned the other way, watching the solder resetting equipment on the other side of the room. "We're safe. He's still working."

Behind the girls, the door silently slid open. They turned to leave, just as a hand came down on one shoulder each, gripping them tight.

"What are you two doing here?"

* * *

They shared the back of a jeep back to Base Hibiscus – the Doctor, Candace, General Walinski, and Agent Jennings. The Doctor was nursing his spacesuit helmet. Neither Walinski nor Candace had elaborated on their suggestion he could still get back to the moon. Was there an emergency back-up system? Something so dangerous they didn't dare use it?

"We still have no proof," Walinski said above the sound of the engine, "that your theory about alien invaders has any validity. It's a bit wild, to say the least."

"The best theories are," the Doctor told him. "But whether I'm right or not, we need to re-establish a link with your base."

"It's a question of urgency," Candace said. "The technicians on Diana will be working on it. Jackson's brilliant. If anyone can fix this, he can."

"So, what if anyone _can't_ fix this?" Jennings shrugged when everyone shot him a look. "Just playing devil's advocate. But maybe no one can sort it, not even Jackson. And maybe – just maybe – the Doctor here is right. It doesn't have to be aliens, but if someone is sabotaging the systems at the moonbase end, it won't matter how brilliant Jackson is."

"Who do you think might be behind the damage?" the Doctor asked him. He sensed that Jennings wasn't convinced it was extraterrestrials.

"Hell, we've locked up a lot of dangerous and unpleasant people there, Doc. Any one of them could have friends willing to die to get them free, or even just to make a point."

"He's a dwarf," the Doctor said. "Do I look like a dwarf?"

Jennings frowned. "The saboteur? You mean he had to fit into some small space to access the systems?"

"No, no, no. _Doc_ is a dwarf. I'm not." Truthfully, this wasn't the real reason the Doctor disliked Jennings calling him that. It was because Alex often called him _Doc_. He was so used to hearing her cheerful, impish voice calling him that and he liked it. It was like when he called her _Ally_. Neither could stand anyone else calling them the nicknames one of them had for the other.

But the Doctor couldn't say any of that. That would just bring up too many questions he didn't want to answer – was Alex his girlfriend? How long had they been dating? Things like that. Thinking fast, he said "Sleepy, Sneezy, Dozy, Mick and Titch." He stopped, biting his lower lip as he thought about this. "No, hang on, that's not right, is it. Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful – doesn't end in 'ee' but I'm sure that's right, after all, he's another mood, isn't he?"

"And Doc," Candace put in. "That's right."

"Doc's not a mood," the Doctor said. "Which always worried me, but he is definitely diminutive. And I'm not. So don't call me Doc, okay – Agent _Jenn_?"

Jennings laughed. "Sure thing, _Doctor_. Though if you meet anyone as pretty as Snow White, you let me know where to find her, okay?"

"She's on the moon," the Doctor said. He thought of Alex's long light brown hair with the blonde streaked through it, her hazel eyes that changed colors every time he looked at her, her perfect pink lips, her tiny frame, her long legs, and her brilliant brain, just as beautiful as her outer appearance. Then, in a determined voice, he declared "And I'm going to get her back."

* * *

Graham Haines was already waiting for them when they arrived back at Base Hibiscus. He was all but bouncing up and down with excitement.

"The scans the Doctor set running before you left – they've finished. It's incredible," he told Candace.

"What's incredible?" Walinski demanded, jumping down from the jeep to join them.

"What he's done to the Herschel telescope for one thing, and all by remote control." Haines shook his head in admiration. "The man's a genius."

"Course he is," the Doctor said, striding swiftly past them. "So let's see what Herschel has to show us, shall we?"

Walinski, Jennings, Candace, and Haines all crammed into the General's office along with the Doctor. Haines had routed the scan results through to Walinski's computer screen.

"Not bad for a dwarf," Agent Jennings murmured quietly.

"Excuse me?" Haines cried, looking confused.

"It just looks like a load of bright colors against a dark background," Walinski jumped in. "Someone care to tell me what it actually means?"

"It means the Doctor's right," Candace said.

"It means trouble," the Doctor corrected.

"These orange sections, like the stripes in a rainbow," Candace explained, "they're bursts of energy. This is calibrated like an MRI scanner. Magnetic Resonance, like you get in the brain."

"It detects brain waves," Haines explained. "In simple terms," he added, catching a glare from Candace.

"And where are these brain waves?"

"We can't tell where they're coming from," the Doctor admitted. "But the point of arrival here…" He pointed to the end of the rainbow stripe. "That's your Base Diana. Specifically, it's Professor Jackson's Process Chamber."

There was silence for a while as they all stared at the rainbow pattern on the screen.

"Is this happening all the time?" Agent Jennings asked.

"No, it comes in bursts," Haines told him. "But, get this – the bursts coincide with the logged schedule for use of the process equipment. It drains the power, so they have to log it."

"Jackson fires up his machine," the Doctor said, "and alien brain waves zoom in at exactly the same moment. Time and again. It's not a coincidence."

"And it's getting worse," Candace revealed. "While Haines was putting through the data feed, I took a look at the back end of this rainbow of ours. Zoomed the Herschel as far out as it will go. This is real time, people."

She worked at Walinski's keyboard for a few moments. The image on the screen was replaced by a strobing pattern of red light across the darkness.

"That is constant," Jennings marveled. "Right?"

"Right," Candace confirmed. "Not controlled bursts anymore, but a constant stream. The good news is it hasn't hit Diana yet – this is all upstream. But it's on its way, whatever it is."

"Reinforcements," the Doctor explained. "Downloading, remember? So far they've been sending bursts of mental activity. Like one alien brain at a time. Think of it like copying files to a CD, one after another."

"And this?" Walinski tapped the screen.

"This is a constant download. This is a heap more data all coming at once. They just increased their bandwidth so they can send more than one brain at a time."

"How many are we talking about?" Jennings wondered.

The Doctor shrugged. "One each for everyone on Base Diana to begin with."

"To begin with?" Haines whistled. "What then?"

"Then one each for everyone on Earth." The Doctor looked around at the grim faces of the others. "They've accelerated their plans, stepped up a gear. Perhaps this was always their intention. Or maybe something's frightened them into thinking they have to move more quickly. That's why they cut the link. That's why this…" He pointed at the screen. "…is on its way. Once they have their reinforcements, they'll reconnect the link and come through to Earth in force. We're running out of time."

"Buy why? What could have frightened them so much they've changed their plans?" Walinski asked.

The Doctor grinned suddenly. "Me. They know I can stop them. But I can't do it from here. I have to get back to the moon, and I think you know a way I can get there."

Haines saw the look between Walinski and Candace. "You cannot be serious," he said. "Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"Doctor," Walinski said, ignoring him, "we need to show you something."

* * *

The soldier had almost finished reconnecting all the sleepers to the equipment. Amy, Alex, and Captain Reeve stood in the open doorway. Reeve watched in astonishment.

"It's Private Dyson," Reeve said. "He's supposed to be back at Hibiscus. In fact, all of these guys are. What are they still doing here?"

"I'm guessing your guys at Hibiscus think they're still up here going about their normal duties," Alex said. "Someone's been lying. Using your own secrecy against you to cover up what's really happening."

"Come on," Amy urged. "We have to get out of here. Once he's finished, he's programmed to come after us."

"Programmed?" Reeve shook his head, bewildered. It was almost comical to see the oh-so-cool Captain confused and astounded. "What do you mean? These people are sick. We have to help them!"

"Yes, we do." Amy pushed him back through the door into the corridor beyond. "But we can't do it on our own. And we have to know who's behind this."

"Nurse Phillips must know they're here."

"I'm sure she does." Alex stepped out and the door slid shut. "Hang on." Amy turned to stare at Reeve. "How did you know we were in here?"

"I was in the security control room. I saw the door in the holding area had been opened. There was no authorization, so I came to check."

"They must have a way of overriding that when they need to come here," Alex mused, "so that no one detects it."

"But who?" Reeve asked.

Amy and Alex were hurrying down the corridor. "Nurse Phillips and Professor Jackson," Amy called back.

"_Jackson's _in on this too? What's going on?"

They reached the end of the corridor and Alex keyed open the door. "It's kind of difficult to explain," she said over her shoulder.

"Try me," Reeve challenged.

"Look, Professor Jackson's process removes memories from the human brains," Amy explained. "I think those people in there have had their brains wiped completely clean."

"Good job, Amy," Alex complimented. "Jackson talked about 'Blanks'. That's what those people are. Literally, waiting to have a new personality imprinted into the empty brain."

"You mean, like a mind-swap?"

"Yeah. Except the Doctor thinks that whatever is going to take over their brains is alien."

Reeve laughed. "You're kidding, right?" He stopped laughing as both girls glared at him. "Okay, not kidding. So what do you two suggest we do about this?"

"Arrest Jackson and Nurse Phillips," Alex said swiftly. She turned to look out of the huge window at the central hub containing the cells. "At least you've got somewhere to keep them. Solitary confinement."

Reeve nodded slowly. "I'll have to clear it with Major Carlisle. She might take a bit of convincing."

"No!" Amy cried sharply. "I think she's in on this too!

Alex shrugged. "I'm not so sure."

"Andi Carlisle? No way!" Reeve gave a sudden snort of laughter. "She's not an alien, she's always like that!"

"We can't risk it," Amy insisted. "Just you and us for now, till we find out more."

"How do we do that?"

"From Jackson and Phillips."

Reeve nodded. "Makes sense. We'll go to my quarters first though. There's something I think we'll need."

"Handcuffs?"

Reeve shook his head. "Gun. Come on, let's do this. And whatever happens, there's going to be hell to pay, so pray that you two are right."

"No," Alex argued. Her arms were crossed and a serious look was on her face, one that reminded Amy of the Doctor. "You pray that we're wrong."

A/N: This was originally two separate chapters, but I combined them for you all, because today's the 50th chapter! :D Oh God, I never thought the story would be THIS long! :) I would've updated earlier, but I had a bunch of math and history homework that I know I'll never use in the future.

Notes on reviews...

**TimeyWimey12 **- I hope you got caught up! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - **Glad to hear you've read all those books! I love them, though I will admit 'Dead of Winter' doesn't have the best characterization of the Doctor, Amy and Rory. That will change in my version though. :) The Sirius star is pretty cool too, and I have to look up Pleiades star. I've been insanely busy lately. :( I know, she meets other Doctor's! I don't think that will ever NOT get exciting! :D

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Aw, I'm sorry. This chapter doesn't have too bad a cliffhanger though, so that helps. :) Lol, the delayed connection bit with Earth is pretty funny! :) Glad you liked the chapter!

**mayfire21 **- Lol, that part is pretty funny! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yep, I'm doing 'Death of the Doctor'. I love it when companions meet too! My only problem with the Moffat era is that it pretty much discards companions from the Russell T. Davies era. We only see and hear a few brief mentions of past companions. Good thing this is AU though. :) 'Death of the Doctor' comes after another original adventure of mine titled 'Alex's Birthday', which comes after 'Space and Time', which comes after the Pandorica episodes. :) Glad you liked that bit! It is rather funny. Glad you liked the chapters! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I know! No fluff! :( Hmm, I think there are maybe six chapters in this adventure left, give or take. But don't worry; I've got a Dalex moment planned for the last chapter in the 'Apollo 23' adventure. :)

**jesterlover **- That's okay. I don't mind! Ugh, I hate not having Wi-Fi. My frustration with that is on par with Clara's frustration with the internet in 'The Bells of St. John'. :) Glad you love the chapters! :)

**Lazyandloveit **- I recommend you read 'Apollo 23'. It's really good! For the 'Apollo 23' adventure, there are probably about six chapters left, but I haven't actually counted cause I'm trying to combine them together. 'The Pandorica Opens' and 'The Big Bang' are each 3 chapters long, which is the norm for regular episodes. :)

**Captain Cynthia **- Well, I put two chapters together, so a longer chapter, I think that's pretty special! I'm glad you love the story. It means a lot! :) Hmm...a hint? The vaguest one I can give without directly revealing when it occurs (because I want it to be a surprise) is that it kicks everything off. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Nah, I couldn't kill the Doc off. Wouldn't be much of a show if he was dead... :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	51. Apollo 23 Part 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

There were just the four of them in the jeep – the Doctor, Candace, Agent Jennings, and General Walinski. The General had insisted on driving. Candace was in the passenger seat beside him.

"I don't want anyone else knowing we even thought about this, unless we have to do it," Walinski told her as they pulled out of the base.

A cloud of sand followed their progress, thrown up by the wheels as they sped across the empty desert. There were no landmarks, no signs, not even a road. But Walinski seemed to know exactly where they were going.

"You know this is crazy," Candace told him.

Walinski nodded. "Crazy may be all we have left, Candace."

"You know what they're talking about?" Jennings asked the Doctor from their position in the back of the jeep.

"I can make a pretty good guess," the Doctor admitted happily. He was grinning like a kid in a candy store. "You?"

"Nope. Crazy, that I understand, but nothing else. Hey – this whole thing is crazy, start to finish."

"It's not finished yet," the Doctor reminded him, his expression clouding over as he thought about Alex being stuck up on the moon with a bunch of aliens who had taken over everyone's minds.

"Tell me, are you serious about these aliens? I mean, _seriously _serious?"

"Very seriously serious. Though I do notice you and the General haven't been kicking up a fuss and insisting there's no such thing as alien life or the whole idea is complete nonsense."

Jennings took off his sunglasses and polished them on a spotless white handkerchief before replacing them. "I guess Walinski's read some of the same files I have. UNIT, Torchwood, Operation Yellow Book – the real deal, not the sanitized cover-up stuff they put out under the Freedom of Information."

"UNIT?" the Doctor repeated. "You know who _I _am, then?"

Jennings smiled thinly. "I would if you were a good deal older."

"Believe me," the Doctor told him, "I'm a good deal older."

They drove for about an hour, the sun scorching down from a clear blue sky. Finally, in the distance, the Doctor could make out something that wasn't just more sand.

Jennings had seen it too. "What is that? It looks like a building. A spire of some sort." The Doctor didn't answer, but his grin was back.

As they got closer, the shape resolved itself through the shimmering heat into a tall, circular, white tower. It tapered at the top, ending in a sharp-looking spike that thrust up into the sky.

"It's still a long way off," Jennings said. "Is that where we're headed?" he called out to Walinski. "Not that there's anything else out here," he said to the Doctor.

But the Doctor wasn't listening. He was intent on the growing structure ahead of them, gleaming in the sunlight.

The jeep bumped up a sharp incline, like the edge of a crater. It was now apparent that the structure was far taller than just the section visible above the edge of the 'crater'. The ground dropped away into a vast open bowl scooped out of the desert. Walinski stopped the vehicle at the rim, throwing up clouds of sand as he skidded to a halt.

"You are _so _kidding me," Jennings exclaimed, leaping out of the back of the jeep.

The Doctor was bouncing on the balls of his feet with enthusiasm, very much resembling an excited Alex. "That is…fantastic," he decided. "Brilliant. Fab, if I can use a very sixties word – and I think under the circumstances I can." He grinned. "Oh, Ally would love this!"

The four of them stood at the edge of the 'crater', looking across at the enormous structure.

"It always gets me," Walinski confessed. "I don't come out here often, but every time I do, I'm staggered by the sheer size of it. The engineering that went into _that_."

"Three hundred and sixty-three feet tall," Candace informed them.

"That's about the same as St. Paul's Cathedral," the Doctor commented. "What's she weigh?"

"Fully fuelled, over three thousand tons."

"That is one hell of a thing," Jennings said.

Below them, several low buildings were clustered around the edge of the crater. They were well away from the main structure in the middle, though roads had been built between them. Huge pipes ran from one of the buildings to the enormous raised square of the launch pad. A massive tower of scaffolding rose from the pad, high above the edge of the crater where the Doctor was standing. And braced against it by supporting struts, standing proud and defiant against the sky, was a huge rocket.

It was predominantly white, with black markings and 'USA' written in huge letters down the side towards the bottom. Two-thirds of the way up, it tapered before continuing as the narrower cylinder that they had seen above the lip of the artificial crater.

"The Saturn Five," Walinski said. "Biggest launch vehicle ever built by Man. That one's serial number is SA-521, and it doesn't officially exist."

"You said there were several secret Apollo missions to the moon, to set up Base Diana," the Doctor recalled.

"That's right," Candace confirmed. "Apollo 18 to Apollo 22. Then they got the quantum displacement systems activated and working, so they didn't need the trouble and expense of another rocket."

"But they already had one waiting," Walinski picked up. "Couldn't easily get rid of it without attracting attention and raising a few questions. The officially aborted the Apollo 18 and 19 rockets, and the back-up Skylab launch vehicle were already decommissioned and on display at Houston, Kennedy, and the Space and Rocket Center at Hunsville, Alabama."

"So this one stayed here," Candace finished. "Notionally as an emergency back-up, ready to be fuelled for take-off at a week's notice."

"Except that was thirty years ago," Walinski told them. "Who knows what condition she's really in now?"

"And we don't have a week," the Doctor reminded them. "We have twenty-four hours at most to get her ready." He clapped his hands together excitedly. "And we'll need to speed up the journey too. Apollo 11 took four days to reach the moon. I want to be there in forty-eight hours."

"This baby will be quicker than the first moonshots," Candace assured him. "They found a way to use the M3 Variant fuel developed by the British Rocket Group for their aborted Mars Probe Missions way back. That'll shave a lot off the journey time."

The Doctor brandished his sonic screwdriver. "And I can shave off even more."

"You know," Candace reflected, "this is not sounding as crazy as I thought it would. If you'd told me yesterday that we'd be seriously considering getting that thing ready for launch, I'd have said you were mad. But somehow, now we're here, looking at her... Well, it sounds so plausible."

"If that thing will actually work after all this time," Jennings said. "And if you can find anyone experienced and crazy enough to agree to fly it."

"So we're looking for three astronauts," Walinski summarized.

"Two," the Doctor corrected. "You've got me already."

"Like you're trained up for this sort of thing," Candace retorted.

"Got my Mars-Venus license," the Doctor said, apparently affronted. "Probably better qualified than anyone else you can rustle up. Ask Jennings here, he's read the files."

Jennings nodded. "Don't ask," he said. "Just believe."

After a moment's silence, Candace said "Pat Ashton is notionally in charge of keeping that thing in shape. He's got experience on the shuttle, so he can probably pilot it."

"And Marty Garrett is back from his shopping trip," Jennings added. "He has more hours as Technical Officer on Base Diana than anyone. Be a good idea to take him anyway to help sort out the problems there."

"Garrett's the astronaut who turned up at the burger bar, yes?" the Doctor checked. "Then I only have one question before we start getting this thing literally off the ground."

"And what's that?" Walinski asked.

The Doctor nodded at the colossal rocket in front of them. "Does she have a name?"

Walinski laughed. "She sure does, though it's not very imaginative. She may not officially exist, but you are now looking at Apollo 23."

* * *

With his automatic pistol in a shoulder holster under his uniform jacket, Captain Reeve led the way to Jackson's office.

"Not all aliens are afraid of guns," Amy warned him.

Once again, Reeve surprised them by taking the statement seriously and not questioning how they might have come by this information. "His body's human even if his mind is alien."

"Fair enough. Let's hope he realizes that."

"We'll make sure he does."

Jackson's door was closed. Alex half-hoped he wasn't in his office. She'd much rather have the Doctor next to her, completely confident about what was about to go down and flashing her that grin that made her feel safe, even in the face of danger. But the Doctor was trapped on Earth and they had already passed the empty Process Chamber. Next port of call would be Jackson's living quarters.

"Leave this to me, okay?" Reeve said, knocking on the door.

"You're the man with the gun," Amy agreed. "You can do the talking."

Alex stayed silent. She was getting a bad feeling. What if they couldn't trust Reeve? _He's got a gun though, doesn't he?_ Her mind argued. Maybe she was being a little paranoid.

Jackson's voice was muffled by the door as he called for them to enter. He was working at his desk, and stood up as Reeve, Amy, and Alex came in.

"Captain, Miss Pond, Miss Locke. What a delightful surprise. What, may I ask, brings you to my humble abode? Do, please, clear a space and sit down. Can I get you some tea?" He gestured to the metal water heater nearby.

"We're not here to chat, Professor," Reeve said shortly.

"Oh, that's a pity. Then why are you here, may I ask?"

In answer, Reeve drew his gun. "I'm afraid the game's up, Professor Jackson. Miss Pond and Miss Locke have been doing a bit of investigating on their own account. They know everything."

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Everything? Oh, I seriously doubt that."

"You're not denying it then," Alex noticed.

"I'm not quite sure yet what I'm being accused of, so no – I'm not denying anything at the moment."

"Miss Pond and Miss Locke have been to Pod 7," Reeve said. "They've seen what's inside. They know that you've been downloading alien minds into the blank bodies created by your process."

"Do they now?" Jackson looked thoughtful rather than anxious, which unnerved Alex.

_He knows something we don't, _she thought. She backed away a little from Reeve, but not enough for anyone to notice.

"Yes, we do," Amy told him, not noticing Alex's heightened nerves. All she wanted to do was wipe the smugness from Jackson's tone and the half-smile from his face. "So like Captain Reeve says, the game's up. You and Nurse Phillips and whoever else you've got control over will have to come quietly."

Jackson sat down again. "And what are you going to do with us, young lady? Shoot us?"

"No," Amy told him. "We're going to lock you in the empty cells in the prison hub. We'll keep you there until the Doctor comes back. He'll know what to do with you."

"Except that the Doctor isn't coming back. How can he?"

"He'll find a way," Amy said, sounding more confident than she felt. "It's all over, Jackson. You're in a whole heap of trouble, and you know it."

Jackson nodded slowly. "I was right to accelerate the schedule and disable the quantum systems. Whoever sabotaged them originally did us a favor there. This is getting out of hand. The sooner we take over the whole of Base Diana and make preparations to infiltrate the minds of the people of Earth, the better."

Amy gave a snort of derisive laughter. "You just don't get it, do you? It's all over! The invasion's off. In case you haven't noticed, Captain Reeve has a gun pointing at you."

Jackson cleared his throat, a strangely apologetic sound. "I'm afraid it's you that doesn't 'get it', as you say, Miss Pond. In case you hadn't noticed, Captain Reeve's gun is not pointing at _me_."

Amy felt the color drain from her face. She looked over at Alex. Her friend was looking behind Amy, a strangely calm look on her face. "Amy, don't panic," she said easily.

"The gun is pointing at _you_, Miss Pond."

Above the pistol pointing straight at Amy and Alex, Captain Reeve smiled. But his eyes were cold and gray as stone. "I'm so sorry," he said quietly. "But I couldn't risk you telling anyone else what you'd found out. After all, you never know who you can trust these days, do you?"

"Apparently not." Amy could have kicked herself. Then again, Reeve had found her and Alex in Pod 7. If one of them had realized he was being controlled by the aliens, he'd still have brought them to Jackson.

"Frankly, I kind of like this," Alex piped up. Everyone turned to stare at her and Amy was stunned to see a gleeful but slightly sinister smile on her face. "Takes all the guesswork out of everything." She then calmly turned to Jackson, ignoring Reeve and his loaded gun. "So, what are you going to do with us then? Put us through your process?"

How was she being so calm about this? Alex was acting a lot like the Doctor right now, easily laughing off the danger and acting like she had already won. Amy half-wondered whether the Doctor had been able to do some kind of mind-swap with Alex and he was the one actually here right now.

"Of course," Jackson said in a matter-of-fact tone, though even he seemed a little surprised by Alex's dismissiveness. "But the schedule is very precise. We can only instil one of our minds into a human brain at certain predetermined times. The signals from our home world are timed to the second." He smiled. "But rest assured, we are fixing that. Soon there will be a constant supply of thought and personality data that we can tap into and siphon off at will."

"Of course you can," Alex smiled back at him. "Why couldn't you?"

_The Doctor's going to kill her when he finds out about this,_ Amy thought. After all the times Alex had berated him for baiting aliens, here she was doing the same thing!

"The next signal isn't due for a few hours yet," Reeve said. "I suggest we adopt Miss Pond's own plan and lock her and Miss Locke in the hub until then."

"There's a spare cell now that Nine is no longer with us," Jackson agreed. "Very well. I was going to start downloading into the Blanks in Pod 7, but we can wipe and replace in a single operation."

"Sounds wonderful," Alex complimented, but there was an underlying darkness to her voice.

"I'm afraid not," Jackson corrected her, not noticing the darkness. "There will be considerable pain."

"You don't sound too upset about it," Amy observed.

Jackson seemed surprised at the comment. "Why would I be? It's not me who'll be feeling the pain."

"Not yet…" Alex sang, purposefully allowing her voice to trail off.

"What do you mean?"

Alex leaned over the desk so that she was up close and personal with Jackson. "Here's a very good piece of advice, Prof. Prof. Can I call you that? Well, I already am, so I suppose I can. Our friend, the Doctor? Aside from being a very handsome man, he's also a very, very dangerous one. I've seen aliens like the Daleks – have you heard of the Daleks? Very pissy race. Probably cause they look like R2D2 on steroids – but anyway, try to destroy him because they fear him so much. And he's _defeated _them. And, if you know the Daleks, that's a pretty big accomplishment.

"The point here, Prof, is that the Doctor is not someone you want to tangle with. Mind-switching people? That's strike one. Harming me and Amy? That's strike two. But planning a full-scale invasion of the _Earth_? That's strike three. And with those strikes, you're unleashing some pretty damn terrifying hell on yourself. Now, you seem like a smart person. So, on behalf of the Doctor, I'm going to give you a chance. One chance to call this whole thing off, put everyone's mind back in order, and leave. Go back to ET Land or wherever it is you come from. Because if you don't..." Alex's voice trailed off.

Jackson fixed his gray eyes on her, regarding her without expression. "Take them away," he ordered.

Alex shrugged, not very surprised by this. "Very well. One chance. But you'll be sorry."

* * *

"Okay, that was impressive," Amy admitted. "But have you been _drugged _though? Are you high? Because only a crazy person would do something like that!"

Alex shrugged. "The Doctor does it all the time."

Amy snorted. "Like I said, are you high?"

It seemed as though the base was deserted. Alex guessed that when the aliens had brought forward their plans, Reeve had consigned all the soldiers to their quarters, or made sure they were busy well away from Pod 7 and their cells.

Their only moment of hope on the way back to the central hub was when a uniformed figure appeared from a doorway ahead of them. Should they call for help? Alex considered it. Would Reeve really shoot them, even with someone else there to witness it? It took her less than a moment to decide he would – he could explain it away. Blame her and Amy for the sabotage or something. He might just shoot all of them.

Or the soldier in front of them might already have been taken over. The figure turned and Alex saw that it was Major Carlisle. She tensed up. The Major had probably already been turned but Alex still felt that little twinge of doubt.

"What's going on?" Carlisle demanded.

"I'm putting them in the cells," Reeve explained.

"Why?"

"Because we know," Alex said, deciding to test her. "We know everything about your plan, about who you really are and what's going on here." Carlisle stared back at her, her expression giving nothing away.

"They've seen Pod 7," Reeve elaborated.

"Which is more than I have," Carlisle retorted.

"But you've been processed. So you know what's in there."

Carlisle blinked. "Of course." She drew her handgun. "All right, Captain. I'll take them from here."

"Thank you Major," Reeve said. "But I want to see them in a cell myself."

Alex barely paid attention though. Her mind was going into overdrive. She had seen Carlisle blink. She had seen the uncertainty in her eyes. Speaking of…Alex checked the Major's eyes. They were a pretty chocolate brown. She then remembered how she had thought the amount of gray-eyed people here was weird.

_Of course!_ She mentally cried. _Carlisle hasn't been processed, or at least not fully. Something must have gone wrong during her processing session. That Blank must've done something when he sabotaged the systems! Carlisle still has her mind, but there must be enough of the alien in her head to allow her to play along with all this. She's been helping us all along! And the eye color must be a symptom of the processing. Everyone who's been processed has gray eyes but she still has her eye color!_

Alex was pulled out of her sudden realizations by Carlisle jabbing her handgun into Amy's ribs. "Move it," she ordered.

Alex glanced over. Amy had at least two seconds to grab the gun. It was a shame Alex was on the wrong side. She could easily grab that gun and knock Reeve out with it. But it was up to Amy. And the girl, who still didn't know about Major Carlisle, seemed frozen with fear.

Alex gently nudged her to try and get her to do it. Amy looked over at her, confused, and the moment was lost. Reluctantly, Carlisle withdrew the gun and motioned for the girls to continue on down the corridor.

As they approached the hub, Alex knew there were no chances left. There was no way back and the only other escape route from the hub area was down the corridor to Pod 7. No way out. Unless…

There was something stirring at the back of her mind. It was something to do with the route to Pod 7. _Come on Alexandria! You figured out Carlisle. This should be easy!_

It came to her as the door slid open and they entered the foyer area with its huge windows looking out at the prison block at the hub of Base Diana. If they could just get to the far end of the log room, to the door to the corridor down to Pod 7.

Major Carlisle roughly pushed Amy forwards, as if sensing what Alex was planning. To Alex's surprise, Amy went staggering across the foyer, although it was in a very fake manner. Gaining courage, Alex kicked Reeve in the shin and immediately sprinted forwards.

Alex glanced back briefly. Carlisle had stepped in front of Reeve, effectively blocking the Captain's gun. Carlisle's own gun was still in her hand, but her hand was by her side as she watched the girls. She smiled, clearly pleased with her handiwork.

Amy caught sight of Alex and continued staggering backwards, but quickly turned and kept going, running as fast as she could behind Alex.

"Stop them!" Reeve yelled.

"Oh, don't worry," Carlisle replied. "Where can they go? What can they do?"

Alex and Amy knew exactly what they could do, if only they could get there. Neither turned back as they heard Carlisle's shout of 'realization'. "If they set off the evacuation alarm, they'll open all the doors. They'll release the prisoners!"

_I knew that glass plate did something,_ Alex thought. Releasing the prisoners seemed like a very good idea.

Amy jabbed at the glass plate with her curled elbow, shattering it. Immediately, a klaxon started to sound. Red emergency lighting cut in, flashing in time with the noise of the alarm. The doors at either end of the foyer area slid open – and so did the doors all along it. The doors to the cells.

Captain Reeve was staring in horror at the opening doors, his gun raised. Major Carlisle looked along the length of the room at Amy and Alex. There was the ghost of a smile on her face.

Then the prisoners appeared in the doorways, and they were not what either girl had expected at all.

Neither were sure what they _had _expected – large, fierce-looking men with broken noses and a wealth of tattoos maybe. Not thin, emaciated figures in ill-fitting overalls. Some of the men were barely out of their teens. There were women too, their faces haunted and eyes sunken. All of them looked half dead with exhaustion and despair. In Alex's opinion, it was a scene straight out of _Schindler's List_.

If they ever had a moment of distraction, a moment to get past Reeve and escape, then this was it. But neither girl took it. Alex immediately started towards a young woman who barely looked eighteen, shivering and cowering under the alarms and harsh lights.

Amy fell back against the wall, trembling in horror and pity. "Oh, you poor people," she murmured. "What have they done to you?"

* * *

The Mission Control building at the Johnson Space Center in Houston had three main floors. The first two contained identical control rooms. The third floor was allocated to the U.S. Department of Defense, and housed a mission control suite very similar to the others. Except that on the third floor, there were no cameras, no press access, no way for details of military-funded space projects to leave the room.

It was impossible for any other agency – even NASA itself – to get access to this floor, let alone 'borrow' it to control a secret launch of their own. It took Agent Jennings eleven minutes to get agreement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Candace Hecker personally chose the control staff. Flight Controller was Daniel Bardell, veteran of a dozen shuttle launches. Jennings, Candace, and Walinski watched from the back of the room as Bardell checked each of his senior technicians was happy.

"I need a _Go _or a _No-Go_ decision from each of you."

"I'm getting some seriously weird readings here from one of the crew," the Medical Officer revealed.

The Doctor's voice came over the speakers loud and clear. "_Ignore that. Otherwise all right?_"

Bardell nodded his agreement to the medical officer.

"I guess. That's a Go, then, Flight."

It was incredible, Candace thought, that just twenty-four hours earlier, no one had really believed the huge Saturn V would ever leave the ground. Now it was fuelled and ready, waiting in the secret crater several hundred miles away in the vast, empty desert. The crew was installed in the Command Module, a tiny capsule at the top of the enormous structure. The Doctor's non-stop, frenetic work leading a team of technicians had achieved the impossible.

"Go, Flight," confirmed the last of the technicians.

"Then let's get this baby off the ground," Bardell said. "We are at T-minus 40…39…38…"

Jennings leaned over to Candace and quietly asked "You seriously think this is going to work?"

"The Doctor does."

"You really respect that guy, don't you?"

Candace nodded. "I've seen him working the last day. Never mind six impossible things before breakfast. He'll get through sixty and still have time to make the toast."

"He knows how to get the best out of other people, too," Walinski put in. "He inspires them. His enthusiasm rubs off." The General turned back to face the main screen at the front of the room. As well as numerous data feeds and graphs, it showed a live video feed of the huge rocket, smoke drifting from beneath it.

Overlaid on this main image was the countdown. 19…18…17…

"Guidance release," a technician announced.

15…14…13…12…11…10…

"Main engine start."

Fire and smoke erupted from the bottom of the rocket. It trembled on the launch pad.

"All Stage One engines, thrust okay."

The metal gantries from the launch tower to the side of the rocket swung clear. Cables dropped away.

"Umbilical disconnected."

Slowly, almost ponderously, the Saturn V began to lift. At first it seemed like it would rise only inches from the pad on its cushion of smoke and flame.

"We have lift-off."

Then it gathered speed. A cascade of ice crumbled from the sides of the rocket, so cold from the liquefied fuel inside, and fell in chunks into the roaring flames spewing from the engines. The rocket continued to rise.

"Apollo 23 has cleared the tower," a technician declared as the engines passed over the scaffolding structure that had supported the rocket.

Less than a minute later, the spacecraft reached the speed of sound. A minute and a half after that, all fuel exhausted, the first stage dropped away and the second stage rockets fired, powering Apollo 23 onwards.

There was a smattering of applause in the control room. Candace couldn't suppress a grin. She was pleased to see that Walinski and Jennings were both smiling too. "Well done," Walinski told her.

"That's the easy part over," Jennings joked. "Now it's up to the Doctor."

Candace checked her watch. "With the adapted M3 Variant fuel and the modifications the Doctor made, they should achieve lunar orbit in about eighteen hours. They'll land as soon as they can after that."

"So long as nothing goes wrong," Jennings said.

"You're a pessimist," Walinski told him.

"I'm a realist," Jennings countered. "If the Doctor's right and there's an alien invasion force gathering up there, how much do you want to bet they know he's coming?"

"But what can they do?" Candace asked.

"I guess we'll find out," Jennings said quietly.

A voice rang out from the speakers. A single word from the most experienced of the crew of Apollo 23 as they began their journey. "_Geronimo!_"

* * *

Several hours out from lunar orbit, the third stage of the Saturn V disengaged to reveal the pod where the Lunar Excursion Module was stored. The tiny Service Module with the main capsule – the Command Module – attached to it swung around to dock with the LEM, the craft that would actually land on the moon's surface.

All that now remained of the huge craft that had taken off from the Texan desert was a stubby cylinder with a single rocket engine, attached nose-first to a fragile module largely made out of thick metal foil. With its four landing legs folded underneath itself, the LEM looked like a glittering spider ready to pounce.

"You reckon they know you're coming?" Pat Ashton asked.

The three astronauts were making the final checks before entering lunar orbit. The Doctor was in the middle of the three chairs, Pat Ashton on one side and Marty Garrett on the other. Ashton was the Command Module pilot – he would stay in orbit while the Doctor and Garrett descended to the moon in the LEM.

"Oh, they know," the Doctor said without turning from the controls he was checking. "They'll have seen us coming."

"Base Diana might be on the dark side of the moon," Garrett said, "but there are satellites to bounce radio signals down to them. They'll have tracked us most of the way." He grinned. "Probably wondering who we are and what we're doing."

"They'll be waiting for you, then," Ashton said. "You ready for that?"

"I'm ready for anything," the Doctor told him. "Question is – are they ready for me?"

"You got some experience of tackling alien invaders then?" Garrett asked. His tone was suddenly serious. His eyes seemed to lose color as he turned slightly to watch the Doctor answer.

"Just a bit. Well, quite a lot actually." The Doctor adjusted a dial and tapped a gauge. "That's funny." He glanced at Garrett. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. I don't expect they'll give me much trouble."

Ashton leaned forward to examine the same dial the Doctor had tapped, straining against the straps holding him into his seat. "Looks like a radio wave," he muttered. "But there's nothing on the speakers. Nothing from Houston."

"There wouldn't be," the Doctor said. "That's coming from the opposite direction." He pointed a gloved hand towards another readout. "See? A signal of some sort. But what's it for?"

"It's for me," Garrett replied, his voice devoid of expression. A moment later, his booted foot slammed into the center of the control console.

Sparks erupted from shattered dials and gauges. A mass of red indicator lights blazed into life. A buzzer sounded insistently. Garrett drew his foot back, ready to kick out again. The whole ship lurched, throwing him sideways in his seat. His colorless gray eyes glared across at the Doctor, who was already unstrapping and floating clear of his seat.

"What the hell?!" Ashton yelled above the alarms and the explosions. "Are you crazy?!"

"Possessed more like!" the Doctor yelled back. "Get this thing under control!"

Ashton struggled with his straps, floating clear of his seat to grab a small fire extinguisher. Garrett was also free, kicking against a bulkhead to float after the Doctor. There was no escape in the tiny cabin.

"_What's going on up there?_" Bardell's voice was tinny and distorted by the speakers. "_We've got alarms going like crazy down here. You guys okay?_"

"Not now!" Ashton shouted back. "We've got problems!"

Garrett was holding a heavy metal spanner. He swung it at the Doctor, who managed to roll backwards out of the way. The movement spun Garrett too, disorientating him as he turned lazily in the zero gravity.

"I'll get him out of your way!" the Doctor shouted to Ashton. "It's me he's after."

"There's nowhere to go!" Ashton pointed out. But his voice was lost as another alarm went off. Ashton punched the button to reset it. "We're venting fuel. That's not good." He glanced around as he worked, wondering what he could do to help the Doctor, wondering what had happened to Garrett.

But the capsule behind him was empty.

* * *

The docking linkway between the Command Module and the LEM was only a few meters long. The Doctor launched himself through the hatch from the main capsule, glancing back to check that Garrett was following him. With luck, Ashton would be able to sort out the problems caused by Garrett's foot. If not, then it didn't really matter if the Doctor could escape Garrett or not – they'd all be dead.

If he'd had time and thought about it, the Doctor would have brought his helmet. Without that, it didn't matter that he was wearing his spacesuit. The Apollo craft was so fragile, designed to be as light as possible, not to endure an attack from a possessed man. What had Amy and Alex said they were called? Blanks.

That made sense. The radio signal, the transmission was a download of some sort – instructions beamed into Garrett's head. The man's eyes were pale gray as he floated down the linkway after the Doctor, as if the humanity had been drained out of him as well as the color.

"When did they get to you?" the Doctor asked.

Garrett didn't answer. No chance in engaging him in conversation while the Doctor thought of a plan, then.

"Not in your instructions to answer, I suppose." The Doctor gently pushed off from a control console in the LEM, floating across the small craft. Garrett had to change course to follow him, flailing for a while in the weightless environment before he could adjust.

"Is it a switch, in the true sense of the word?" the Doctor wondered out loud. "Your mind primed and ready to be switched off, changed for a new set of instructions? Presumably instructions to ensure that I don't make it back to the moon."

Garrett was braced against the opposite side of the LEM, ready to launch himself at the Doctor.

"Maybe you had to gauge if I was a threat first. Hence the questions about my experience with alien invaders."

In a blur of motion that defied the graceful weightlessness the Doctor was experiencing, Garrett flew across the LEM. His hand snatched at the Doctor.

But the Doctor was already pushing himself away, out of reach. "Maybe that's why you ended up on Earth. Someone realized you'd been got at and sent you for a burger…" He remembered Amy and Alex recounting their story over the radio. "Aha! Liz Didbrook, at a guess. The original saboteur, trying to attract attention when she realized something was terribly wrong on the moonbase. Then I guess Jackson realized that breaking the quantum link wasn't such a bad idea after all, so he could work in peace."

Again, Garrett's sudden movement was a fraction of a second too slow. He crashed into a bulkhead. The whole craft shuddered. The Doctor could see the metal skin of the LEM shimmer as it stretched under the impact.

"I guess – that is, I _hope_ – you're more used to the shuttle," the Doctor said. "If you remember anything of your own experience." He'd managed to maneuver himself closer to the linkway back to the Command Module. He'd need to get out of here fast and close the door.

Garrett's blank face twitched in what might have been the hint of a smile.

"You think that if I shut the hatch, you can just open it again from this side," the Doctor said. "And you're right. There's no way to lock it. Except, to open it again you'd have to still be inside the LEM."

The Doctor moved as he was speaking, pushing against the solid bulk of a storage locker. Immediately, Garrett hurled himself after the Doctor. He kicked out strongly against the wall behind him with both feet at once.

"They had to keep the weight right down, you know," the Doctor continued. "And the walls in here are so light, so fragile, they're like tin foil."

But his words were lost in the sudden explosion of noise as Garrett's feet kicked through the thin metal membrane of the LEM. The fragile skin was all that protected the occupants of the craft from the freezing vacuum of space.

Explosive decompression. The spaceship slammed sideways as the air was sucked out. Garrett's face was suddenly a mask of surprise, pain, and fear. For a fraction of a moment, his eyes were pale blue, staring back at the Doctor. Then he was gone, tumbling away into the vast blackness of space.

The Doctor braced himself against the wall of the linkway. Once he moved the hatch slightly, the air rushing past him slammed it shut. The Doctor spun the locking wheel. "Turn the oxygen pumps off in the LEM!" the Doctor gasped. "Otherwise it'll tear apart as the air escapes!"

Ashton battled to stabilize the capsule as it bucked and twisted, rolled and shook. Finally, the craft settled down and Ashton turned in his seat. "Where's Garrett?"

The Doctor was looking through one of the thick triangular windows, sadly watching a tiny figure spinning away into the inky distance. "He went outside," he said sadly. "He might be quite some time."

A/N: A big action-packed chapter here! Who liked Alex's 'Doctor' moment? I felt that she really needed to have some brilliant moments and she had two here! :) And, GASP, what will happen to Amy and Alex?!

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- That part is pretty creepy, isn't it? Speaking of zombies, I wish they would put some in a Doctor Who episode. I think it would be pretty cool, even though you can essentially outrun a zombie. :) Aw, the Doctor misses Alex! That Snow White part is in the original book but refers to Amy, so I changed it here. :) Lol, don't procrastinate too much! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Thank you! I'm still in shock that it's over 50 chapters! Nope, the part with Rory was not in the original book. I put that in myself. :) According to Wikipedia, 'Apollo 23' takes place between 'Victory of the Daleks' and 'The Time of Angels', but I changed it here. :) I love those episodes too. Time and Space is hilarious. :) I know, I wish they would bring in a few more companions from previous seasons. But we'll see some of them in this series. :) I can't wait for the 50th Anniversary, or 'The Day of the Doctor', as it's now called. Thank you again! I'm glad this story is different from others and is almost on par with the actual show! :) Lol, Alex is cool, but I may be biased. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you got caught up! Yeah, we got to some of the crap part in this chapter. What will happen to Amy and Alex?! :)

**NunquamAlius - **Yep, from a Doctor Who book. And thanks! I'm glad this adventure is being well-received! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Nope, not too much of a cliffhanger and not too much of one here either. Thanks! I can't believe it's this long! :) Wow, I didn't realize I'm that close to 350,000! I'm very wordy in my writing, lol. :) I like that moment too along with the 'don't call me Doc' conversation. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! Glad you love this adventure! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, yeah, I think it still counts. I'm guilty of doing that too, mostly in really horrible situations the characters find themselves in or long rambling sections I don't have the patience to read. :) I hate those too, which is why I really try to keep the characters as true to their TV selves as possible. :) Yay, 50 chapters later and still on board! *claps for reader* I'm glad you like how the Dalex relationship is evolving. I feel that it's important for them to get to know each-other as friends first before moving in romantically. :) Yep, Alex is going to meet Rose in the 50th Anniversary special aka 'The Day of the Doctor' (minor note, I think they could've been a bit more creative with the title). I have to see how the special goes, but I think it's safe to say there will be a few jealous moments, but also some bonding moments. Alex will also meet Rose in a story I'm planning that takes place before that, where she meets the other Doctors. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Glad you liked the joining of the chapters! This chapter was originally one whole chapter and a quarter of another. :) Lol, good to know I still have your attention! :)

**babestac99 **- Don't worry. In the long run, the Doctor and Alex will have a happy ending, but that doesn't mean they won't face some challenges along the way. After all, it wouldn't be very realistic if their relationship was completely Disney-movie happy, would it? :) Thank you! I'm SO glad you like the story! :D

**Lazyandloveit - **I'm glad to hear that my chapters make your day! And you really should read _Apollo 23_. It's really good! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	52. Apollo 23 Part 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

A cloud of gray dust kicked up from the main motor of the Lunar Module's decent stage. The wide pads settled into the lunar landscape. The dust floated gently down to the ground and everything was still again.

The hatchway opened. A figure in a red spacesuit clambered down the ladder. It bounced experimentally on its feet in the dusty surface. It mimed licking its finger through the spherical helmet and holding it up to check the non-existent wind. "This way, I think," the Doctor said, though he knew no one could hear him.

He blew upwards from the side of his mouth in an effort to detach a loose clump of hair that had flopped into his eyes. Maybe he needed of those balaclava-like things that Garrett and Reeve and the others had worn under their helmets. Or maybe he could just stand on his head. He bounced again in the low gravity. Maybe not.

The Doctor glanced back at the LEM as he walked away from it. There was a dark gash down one side of it. The Doctor had done his best to patch the hole, for neatness as much as anything. In their full spacesuits, he and Ashton had pumped the air out of the Command Module before the Doctor had entered the LEM for the descent. The Doctor looked up, wondering if he'd catch a glimpse of Ashton going overhead. But the orbit would take a while yet. As soon as he was back on the right side of the moon, Ashton would report to Houston and Hibiscus. Now, the Doctor was on his own.

Reaching the top of a shallow rise, the Doctor saw Base Diana lying in its shallow crater, almost exactly where he had expected to find it. He made no attempt to stay hidden – they knew he was coming. He strode down the incline towards the base, stuffing his hands absentmindedly into pockets his spacesuit didn't have.

Whether they were waiting for him or not, the main airlock was a bit obvious. There must be another way in. The Doctor walked slowly around the base, expecting any moment to see white-spacesuited figures coming after him. But he saw no one. Not until he spotted Amy.

He caught sight of her hair first, a splash of color against the white and gray. She was watching from a round porthole. The Doctor waved and she waved back, then pointed to one side, the way she wanted him to go. The Doctor gave a clumsy thumbs-up hampered by his bulky glove, and followed her directions. Sure enough, a short way along was a small airlock. He pressed the access panel, and the door slowly swung open. The Doctor kept his helmet on, even though he could hear the air rushing in. Best to be careful. He might need to step outside again in a hurry.

But when the inner door opened, there was only Amy. She hugged him, struggling to get her arms around the large spacesuit. The Doctor removed his helmet and finally brushed the hair back from his eyes.

"Been itching to do that for ages," he told her. "So what have you been up to, Pond – having fun?"

"We have to get away from here," Amy said without preamble. "They'll have seen you, or detected the airlock opening or something. We can't trust anyone, not anymore. Jackson's accelerated the process. You know about the process?"

"Whoa, slow down!" The Doctor stripped off his spacesuit and adjusted his bowtie. He grabbed his jacket from a nearby shelf and straightened it before putting it on. "Yes, I know about Jackson's process. And I'm fine thanks, pleased to see you too. Met some people, mended their rocket, fought off an alien assassin and here I am."

"Good for you." She didn't sound impressed. "Come on, they've been after me for hours."

"Hold on." The Doctor looked around curiously. "Where's Alex?"

"They got her," Amy calmly informed him. "Something went wrong though. She's in a coma."

The Doctor stiffened. No. No, no, no, no. Alex could _not _be in a coma. She just couldn't! When he found the aliens responsible for that… Then, something clicked. Why was Amy acting so calm about this? She and Alex were best friends; she should be hysterical right now, dragging him to see her before he even asked. In fact, Amy probably wouldn't have left Alex's side if she had any say in it.

_Something's wrong,_ the Doctor thought. He decided to test Amy. "Well good," he said. "Troublesome girl just slows us down anyway. Thinks she's so bloody clever just because she went to Octavian." He felt horrible for saying these things, but he knew Alex would understand.

Amy nodded, apparently accepting this, and led the way through the base. Before long, they reached the cafeteria. Amy glanced inside, then stepped back to let the Doctor see. The place was a mess, broken crockery strewn across the floor. Star-shaped patterns of dust and fragments where plates and bowls had broken apart.

"You'd think they'd have cleared it up," Amy commented.

"What happened?"

"Riot. Alex and I let prisoners out. I got away from the bad guys in the confusion while the prisoners went on the rampage. Alex didn't."

The Doctor crouched down to examine the remains of a plate. "They were throwing stuff," Amy explained, seeing him notice this. "But the soldiers rounded them up. Plates and cups against guns – no contest really."

The Doctor straightened up, dusting his hands down his lapels. "And you? What – you ran and hid?"

"Of course. I've been hiding for days. What else could I do?"

The Doctor nodded. He looked into her eyes and smiled sadly. "What else could you do?" he agreed.

"So, what's the plan? How do we stop the Talerians now you're back?"

"Talerians?" the Doctor repeated.

"That's what they call themselves. I overheard."

"Interesting." The Doctor drummed his fingers together. "Yes, that makes sense. Um, plan, yes, right. Well, we need to get to a transmitter. The radio we spoke on when I was stuck on Earth, that'll do."

"Then what?"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Then I can adjust the frequency, boost the signal, and send a jamming wave so no more Talerians can come through. Dealing with the ones already here will be easy enough. They'll be trapped so we can blow up the base and kill the lot of them." He paused, waiting to see if Amy reacted. But she said nothing.

"So they'll all die horribly, and serve them right," he added. "Okay?"

"Fine. Sounds good to me." Amy turned to go.

"I was afraid it might," the Doctor murmured as he followed her down the corridor.

He soon recognized the section they were in, and was pleased if slightly surprised that they were close to the Communications Room. "I sort of assumed the main computer systems would be somewhere near here," the Doctor said. "Makes sense to keep them together."

"The processors, maybe," Amy said. "But not the data storage. That's all oxygenated hydrogen molecules. The spin of the electrons equates to the binary ones and zeroes. It's very cheap and highly efficient. Or so they tell me."

"But a bit fragile and rather bulky," the Doctor added. "I suppose water hasn't been an issue till now though, so it makes sense. Cutting-edge stuff for this day and age. I didn't realize you were an expert."

Amy paused in mid-step. "Captain Reeve was telling me about it."

"I see, I see," the Doctor said casually, like it wasn't really important. In the same tone, he went on "You're not really taking me to the Communications Room, are you?"

"No," Amy said at once. She stopped. "Ah. No…" She frowned. "I had a better idea."

"Thought so. I could tell. Written all over your face. I could see it in your eyes." The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out again. "Your expressionless face. Your cold, gray eyes that are usually so bright and intelligent. So caring, but you didn't even blink when I said I'd kill the aliens and not even try to save the people they've mind-wiped. You also didn't care about Alex. The Amy I know would've slapped the hell out of me for talking about Alex the way I did and would've stayed by her side as much as she could and beg me to help her. And then there's the crockery in the canteen."

"What?" Amy was still, face blank as the Doctor shone his screwdriver in her eyes.

"It hadn't been thrown at anyone. You can tell by the pattern it made when it broke. Those plates were dropped. Your Talerian masters like to put on a bit of a show, do they?"

Her voice was completely level. "I don't know what you mean."

"If that's true, it's only because you've not been programmed with the information. But you're up to date on the local data storage, so that must be important. A race that can download itself into people's brains must be conscientious enough to keep back-ups after all." The Doctor stepped closer, adjusting the settings on the sonic screwdriver. "Now then, where are you, Amy? Are you still in there somewhere? They must be using some sort of alpha-wave inhibitor to suppress the host personality…"

From behind him, the Doctor heard the sound of someone clapping. Amy's eyes closed and her head tilted forwards, as if she was falling asleep. The Doctor turned slowly round.

Professor Jackson and Captain Reeve were standing behind him. Reeve was holding a gun. Hurrying to join them was Major Carlisle, her face as blank and expressionless as Amy's had been.

"Shame." The Doctor pocketed his screwdriver. "Thought I'd have more time than that."

"Time to carry out your ridiculous plan to jam our signals?" Jackson sneered.

"Oh, that wasn't my plan," the Doctor told him. "Made that up for Amy when I saw she was under the influence." He grinned widely. "I've got a different ridiculous plan to defeat you."

"Well, whatever it is, it's over," Reeve snapped.

"And what about Amy – is she over?"

"Her program came to an end when we arrived," Jackson said. "The Blank can follow a simple set of instructions, then afterwards it is again simply…Blank."

The Doctor took a step forwards, but Reeve jabbed his gun in warning. "If you've hurt her…"

Jackson laughed. "Empty threats, Doctor. You know, the hardest part was programming in enough information so that she could cope with any questions you might have – about us, Base Diana, anything. But when it comes down to it, you're not so impressive after all. We needn't have bothered."

"But then I wouldn't know that you're really Talerians."

"Which probably means nothing to you," Reeve dismissed.

The Doctor shrugged. "What about Alex, then? Is she really in a coma or was that something you lot made up for my benefit?"

There was a small silence, during which the Doctor noticed that Jackson, Reeve, and Carlisle all looked slightly baffled. Whatever had happened to Alex, it wasn't something they had expected.

"She practically begged to be processed first," Jackson said. The Doctor mentally swore. Alex and her bloody selflessness. "We got her in the chair pretty easy. Didn't even struggle. Miss Pond was screaming at her, telling her to shut up and stop it. It got so bad, Reeve had to knock her out. Just seconds after the process began, Miss Locke began screaming uncontrollably. I shut off the equipment but…she had already fallen unconscious. I examined her. She's in a coma. She wouldn't respond to any attempts to wake her up."

The Doctor felt his stomach tighten. Alex's mind must have gone all DEFCON when Jackson had tried to implant a Talerian in her mind. With no easy way to get it out, Alex's mind must've shut down. "And where is she now?"

"There wasn't any need to monitor her. Everything else in her body is functioning normally. Heartbeat's stable, she's still breathing, it's just her mind. You'll see her soon. We put her in a cell in case she wakes up any time soon."

The Doctor nodded. "So Alex is in a coma. Got it. So where is Amy? What have you done with her mind, her essence, her personality?"

"We've wiped it," Jackson said simply. "It's gone. Forever. And soon, your mind will follow. The next transmission is due in an hour. You will be blanked, and then imprinted with a new personality, with one of us."

"What a surprise. But that still gives me an hour. An hour for you to tell me all about who you are, what you're up to, why you've decided to invade Earth. An hour for a chat and cup of tea – what do you say?"

"I say, an hour for you to ponder your fate and see what your meddling has done to your friends. An hour in a cell in the prison hub while I prepare the Process Chamber." Jackson smiled, but the expression did not reach his cold, gray eyes. "This time, Doctor, there really is no escape."

* * *

The gun jabbed painfully in the Doctor's ribs.

"I'm going to enjoy locking you up to await your fate," Captain Reeve said. "Just as I enjoyed locking up your friends."

"I'm sure," the Doctor said dryly.

Jackson was already striding off down the corridor. "I'll need some help," he called back.

"You go," Major Carlisle told Reeve, unholstering her own pistol. Her mouth twisted into a vicious smile. "I'll deal with these two. My turn to have fun."

Reeve stared back at her for a moment. Then he nodded. "I'll see you again soon, Doctor. And I shall watch every moment of the process with interest."

"Bye then," the Doctor told him, not in the least bit worried. "See you later."

Reeve's face showed a flicker of amusement at the Doctor's apparent indifference. Then he turned on his heel and marched off down the corridor after Jackson.

Carlisle turned back to the Doctor and Amy. Her gun was aimed unerringly at the Doctor.

"Funny how some life forms can be so clever and yet miss the obvious," the Doctor mused. "Mind you, humans are the same."

"What do you mean?" Carlisle demanded.

The Doctor leaned towards her. He tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially. "I mean, that your eyes are the wrong color. They're chocolate brown, and if you're really a Talerian, they should be gray like Jackson's and Reeve's. And Amy's."

Major Carlisle's smile was more genuine now. She glanced over her shoulder, checking that Jackson and Reeve had gone. "Perhaps they're color blind. They did actually process me, so they have an excuse."

"What went wrong?"

Carlisle shrugged. "Power failure at a critical point, I think. It's all a bit muzzy, to be honest. I can sort of hear one of them, like it's trapped in my head. So I've got some clues as to how to play along. But I'm hoping you can fill in the blanks."

"That's what I'm here for." The Doctor took Amy's lifeless hand, feeling for her faint pulse. "Literally to fill in the Blanks with their own personalities again."

"I tried to help her and Alex," Carlisle explained as the Doctor inspected Amy's eyes. "I gave Amy a chance to grab my gun, but I think she was too scared. Alex figured out that I hadn't been processed. I saw the realization in her eyes and she nudged Amy to try and get her to take it." Carlisle smiled. "She's very bright, that girl."

The Doctor nodded, trying to control the worry he felt about Alex. "She is," he agreed solemnly. "What happened next?"

"I helped them let the prisoners out."

"Was there really a riot?" the Doctor wondered. "Amy said that was how she escaped. Except of course, she didn't."

Carlisle shook her head. "The prisoners are in no state to cause trouble. A distraction, no more. She and Alex could have made a run for it, but they… Well, I guess they were just shocked. They seemed to want to help them. Alex jumped into action, trying to help one prisoner."

The Doctor sighed sadly. Alex and her selflessness was going to be the death of him. "That sounds like Amy and Alex."

"Reeve got them. They tried to blank Alex out but…well, you know what happened. They managed to blank Amy out, or whatever, and here we are. Is there anything you can do for them? For anybody here? I don't know Jackson, not really, but Jim Reeve was a good man."

"Let's hope he still is," the Doctor said. "And that we can find where they've stored him."

"Stored him? What do you mean?"

"I mean they kept a back-up copy of his personality. At least, I'm hoping they did."

All the time they had been talking, the Doctor had been examining Amy – checking her pulse, her eyes, looking for any sign of self-will or consciousness. There was nothing.

"So what's the plan?" Carlisle asked.

"Amy asked me that." The Doctor turned and looked into the Major's eyes. "Double bluff? No, I don't think so." Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her hand, including the gun. But he wasn't trying to get the gun from her; he shook her hand, gun and all. "Welcome to the team. And the team plan is to get to the main computer facility right after I see Alex and examine her. You know where that is?"

Carlisle nodded, still startled by the Doctor's sudden handshake. "What do we do with your other friend?"

"She can come with us." The Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver. "Quick bit of optical stimulation and she'll respond to simple verbal instructions. I hope."

"Quick bit of what?"

"I'm going to shine a light in her eyes."

* * *

They didn't run into anyone on the way to the cells, which was a little strange in the Doctor's opinion, but he figured Jackson had called for all hands on deck in another part of the base.

Alex had been left in a cell right next to the door. The Doctor peeked in the round porthole as Carslile swiped a card through the door lock. The glass was distorted, allowing him to only get a blurry image of someone inside. The second the door was open, the Doctor rushed inside.

Alex was lying on a steel bench, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together like she was lying in a coffin. The Doctor knelt down next to her and hurriedly scanned the sonic over her. "Oh, Ally," he breathed, looking at the results. "What did they do to you?"

"What's wrong?" Carlisle asked from her place by the door. Her gun was out by her side, ready to ward off anyone that happened to come along.

The Doctor didn't answer right away. Instead, he peeled one of Alex's eyes open. A burst of hazel stared back at him, but a second later, a tiny speck of gray appeared, followed by a few more specks. The Doctor watched as Alex's eyes battled for a dominance of color. The hazel would overpower the gray but the gray would always appear a few seconds later, trying to take over. He sighed and closed her eye.

"She's in a coma alright," the Doctor finally confirmed. "But the weird thing is, her brain is still active. It's keeping her body systems operating and it's doing something else." He brushed Alex's hair away from her forehead. "I need to go inside her mind and see what's going on."

"You're going to do what?" Carlisle started but the Doctor didn't hear her as he pressed his forehead to Alex's and entered her mind.

To his surprise, the Doctor found himself in the TARDIS library. He looked around at the towering shelves full of jewel-toned books, the numerous leather club chairs and couches, and then at the fireplace. He actually had to blink twice to fully absorb the hospital bed sitting by it.

He made his way over to see Alex in the hospital bed, a blanket over her legs. An IV was attached to her and she was staring wistfully at the fire. She looked up when she heard him coming. "Doctor!" she cried gleefully. She scooted over a little and patted the spot next to her. "Come sit."

The Doctor smiled at her, glad to see her. "I like this," he said as he sat down next to her on the hospital bed, swinging his legs up. "Better than that hallway I saw last time."

"I think I'm here to feel safe," Alex admitted. "I feel safe in the TARDIS and the library is my favorite place in it."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" the Doctor teased. Alex giggled and he smiled. He had missed hearing that giggling. "Now…" He reached over and lightly wacked her on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Alex cried, giving him a look. "What was that for?!"

"For throwing yourself at the Talerians," the Doctor said, giving her a stern look. "You knew your mind would go haywire on them."

"It was to save Amy!" Alex cried. "I figured they'd try to…experiment and it would delay their plans a little."

The Doctor's expression darkened. "_Never _do that again, Alexandria," he warned. "I don't like seeing you in such pain, let alone hearing about you screaming uncontrollably." His expression softened to one of pleading and he leaned closer to Alex, to where their foreheads were touching. "_Please_, Ally."

"Okay," Alex agreed softly. "I won't offer my mind up again. I promise."

"Thank you." He then became aware of how close he and Alex were, almost to where their lips were touching. He could kiss her if he wanted to. Granted, it wasn't her physical body, but it would probably still be the same.

Alex was also aware of this too. She nervously bit her lip and she saw the Doctor's eyes darken, but not in anger. This was in want, and need, and passion. Alex wanted to run her tongue over his lower lip, even though she knew he wasn't physically here. She wanted to grab his tweed jacket and kiss him senseless, trying to pour out the worry and nerves she had felt ever since he first went out on the moon and replace them with happiness and passion and love.

But she couldn't, for two reasons. One, he wasn't physically here. It was only his mind. And two, there was an impending alien invasion happening right outside the safe confines of her mind. Ever so reluctantly, she pulled back and the Doctor, once he noticed, followed suit.

"So," the Doctor coughed, "did a Talerian get inside your head?"

Alex nodded. "Yep. Over there." She nodded across the room and the Doctor was once again surprised.

In one corner of the library was a large steel box that appeared to be bolted to the floor. The Doctor watched in amazement as something inside thrashed around, banging against the walls, but unable to cause any damage. After a moment, it went silent. "Is that-?"

"Yes," Alex confirmed.

"How?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that when Jackson started the process, I felt something crawling around in my mind. A second later, those bombs started attacking and then…I was in here and that was over there." The box banged again but soon silenced. "It's been doing that for a while now. It won't get out though. That box is pretty strong."

"How do you know that?"

Alex shrugged. "It's kinda like it's programmed in my head. I can't really explain it."

"Well if the Talerian is trapped, why are you still in a coma?"

"I think my mind is reluctant to let me out because that thing will still be in here. It wants me to be in total control, no unwelcome visitors allowed."

"Speaking of unwelcome visitors," the Doctor said, throwing an arm around Alex's shoulders to pull her closer. "Why hasn't your mind thrown me out yet?"

Alex smiled a little. "I guess it's finally recognizing that you're not a threat."

"Good."

The two were silent for a little while and Alex rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder. He played with her hair a little, wrapping various locks around his finger and letting them drop, watching the slight curls he had formed. After a while, Alex murmured "You had better go and stop the aliens. You're no use staying in here."

"I don't want to leave you," the Doctor admitted.

"I seriously doubt Jackson is going to do anything. Not until I'm awake, that is. Oh, I meant to ask, how's Amy?"

The Doctor cringed a little and hesitated before answering. "They blanked her out. The Talerians turned her into a Blank."

"Really?" She looked calm, but the Doctor knew that she was actually very upset, a fact confirmed when the fire in the fireplace died.

"Ally, it's okay." He pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head.

"Can you restore her?" Alex wondered. "Tell me you can."

"I think so," the Doctor said slowly. He didn't want to give her or himself any false hope. "They should keep back-ups."

"If you find hers, you better look for mine as well."

The Doctor frowned. "What do you mean? You're in a coma because the Talerian entered your mind and your brain doesn't want two people to be in the same body."

Alex cocked her head. "Not necessarily, now that I think about it." She turned around and lifted her pillow before pulling out a partially completed puzzle. "I found this when I first arrived. It didn't make a ton of sense to me, but I think I get it now."

The Doctor studied the puzzle as Alex straightened the pillow back to its original position. The puzzle was of Alex herself, dressed as she was, set against a TARDIS blue background. Every part of the puzzle was complete except for the area around one of Alex's eyes.

"I think some of my personality was taken," Alex said, leaning over to tap the puzzle a little.

"There's no other puzzle pieces?" the Doctor asked, looking around.

"Not that I've seen. Jackson got a little of my personality. That could be another reason I'm in a coma. My mind refuses to release me until I'm full again."

The Doctor let out a long sigh. The only way to get Alex out of her coma was to find her backup – assuming there even _was_ one – and give it to her. Hopefully, the Talerian in her head would be forced to vacate if this happened.

"You'd better go," Alex urged him, taking the puzzle back and sitting it on her lap. "I'll be fine. You better stay safe though."

The Doctor smirked at her. "I make no promises, Ally." He leaned over and kissed her forehead before retracting out of her mind.

He found himself in the cell again, Alex lying still beneath him, and Major Carlisle staring at him. "What were you doing?" she cried. "You were dead still for five minutes!"

"Five minutes? Felt a lot longer." The Doctor stood up, but not before planting a quick kiss on Alex's forehead. "Right! Let's go Major!" He then raced out the door.

Major Carlisle took a quick look at Alex, wondering just who she was to the Doctor. Then, she let out a determined sigh, closed the cell door, and ran after the Doctor.

* * *

Access to the computer facility was on the other side of the base. But with the Doctor and Amy accompanied by Major Carlisle, there was a chance they could make it without being challenged. If they were, Carlisle had her gun – either to bluff she was taking her prisoners to the hub, or for defense.

"There are only a few of the guys left who haven't been processed," Carlisle explained. "A lot of the others don't even know they've been blanked. They're programmed to act as normal until they're ordered otherwise. Means we have no idea who we can trust. But I guess that bears out your theory they're keeping the original personalities on file somewhere. Somehow."

"I guess it does," the Doctor agreed. "They'd need to reload the original personality data temporarily, with an instruction to blank it out or override it when necessary."

He stopped at a junction of two corridors. Behind him, Amy kept walking, silent and blank-faced, and cannoned into the back of him. "Yeah, right, when I said to follow me, I kind of meant 'and stop when I stop' sort of thing, right?" She didn't answer, but stood waiting for the Doctor and Carlisle to move on.

"She's very literal-minded," Carlisle observed.

"Not usually." The Doctor sighed. "Someone is going to be in _so _much trouble for this," he said quietly. "Right – onwards!"

They passed a couple of soldiers, who acknowledged Major Carlisle, but didn't seem concerned or worried by the fact she was with the Doctor and Amy. Carlisle kept her gun out of sight, but ready in case she needed it.

Gradually, as they moved along, the base seemed less utilized. There was dust on the floor, and the lighting was at a lower level. "No one comes here much," Carlisle explained. "Just for maintenance. Like the quantum displacement equipment, the computer facility is in the basement, built into the bedrock under the crater. For good reason."

"Oh? What reason is that, then?" the Doctor asked.

Before she could reply, a white-coated man stepped out of a side corridor just in front of them. He stared in surprise at the Doctor and Amy, then looked enquiringly at Carlisle. "What are you doing here? Professor Jackson's put this whole area off limits, except for his personal assistants."

"I know that, Gregman!" Carlisle snapped. Her hand edged towards her gun.

But Gregman was quicker. He pulled a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at the Doctor. "I shall have to report this. You'd better have a very good reason for being here. The Doctor is meant to be in a cell awaiting his turn in the Process Chamber. I know, because Professor Jackson sent me to connect a back-up unit ready for the transfer."

"Ah, so you _do_ keep back-ups," the Doctor nodded. "That's good to know. It means we're heading the right way."

"Not any longer." Gregman jabbed the gun towards Carlisle. "Keep your sidearm holstered, Major," he warned.

Carlisle raised her hands to show she had no intention of going for her gun. As she did so, a figure pushed past her. She assumed it was the Doctor, but it wasn't. It was Amy.

Blank-faced, she walked slowly towards Gregman. He frowned, watching her. "You can stop now," he told her. "Your programming is at an end. Just blank out. Stop!"

But she kept walking, past Gregman and on down the corridor. Confused, the scientist turned, tracking her with the gun. "I said stop! Stop, or I'll-,"

His words became a grunt of surprise and pain as the butt of Carlisle's gun thumped into the back of his head. Gregman collapsed to the floor, and Carlisle stood over the unconscious man, gun aimed.

"Just leave him," the Doctor ordered, striding past.

"But-,"

"If you shoot him, we can never return the real Gregman's mind to his body," the Doctor pointed out. "Now stop dithering, and come on."

He turned down the side corridor from which Gregman had come. "This way, Amy!"

"She'd stopped," Carlisle said as she followed the Doctor. "She'd stopped, like you told her to when we did. Then she started walking again and distracted Gregman. Was that deliberate? Can she have done it on purpose, do you think?" They both paused, waiting for Amy to catch up with them. She shuffled along like a sleepwalker, eyes wide and staring, unseeing.

"Possibly," the Doctor figured. "If they don't completely remove the original personality, then perhaps something's still in there somewhere. Deep down, waiting for something to latch on to. Desperate to reassert itself. An instinct, a spark in the darkness. A little touch of Amy in the night."

They reached a security door. Carlisle keyed in her code and the door swung open. "At least they haven't recoded it," she remarked.

The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the keypad. "No, but I have. Reset it to the factory settings, they'll never guess. The code is now 1234."

Beyond the door, a metal stairway descended into darkness. From below they could hear a constant drip-drip of water. It was like descending into a cave system. The metal walls of the base soon gave way to dark rock, glistening with condensation.

"Vacuum-sealed to save having to clad the whole place in airtight panels," the Doctor said.

He started down the stairs, his feet echoing on the steps. Carlisle followed, with Amy close behind. The door swung shut with an ominous clang, leaving them in near darkness.

"It's like descending into the depths of hell itself," the Doctor commented.

"Oh, and you'd know what that's like, would you?" Carlisle retorted. Her voice was strained and nervous and she followed the Doctor.

He paused to look back up at her. His face was shadowed and grave. "Do I really need to answer that?"

Carlisle shivered. There was something in the way he said it that told her she didn't want to know about some of the places he had been. And hell could very well be one of them. With Amy close behind her, she followed the Doctor down into the depths below Base Diana.

* * *

A glimmer of light from far below was their only illumination. It grew slowly but steadily as the Doctor, Carlisle, and Amy made their way down the stairs. They seemed to descend forever, into the depths of the moon. The walls glistened and sweated.

"They must pump the water through using the quantum displacement system," the Doctor guessed.

"No, it was here already," Carlisle revealed.

"Really?"

"A huge underground lake. You may have heard that NASA found minute quantities of water on the moon. No one was meant to know anything at all about it, but news got out."

"You mean there was a leak?" The Doctor grinned but Carlisle didn't seem to appreciate the joke. The Doctor cleared his throat and went on. "So there's actually quite a bit of water here. That's a surprise. Isn't it?" He looked confused for a moment, then his face cleared. "Yes, must be. Just checking."

"Base Diana was positioned right on top of the water. Seemed stupid not to make use of the natural resources."

The Doctor ran his finger down the damp rock wall, then licked it. "Sustenance, hygiene, and computer storage with data held in the H2O molecules. What more does anyone need?"

At the bottom of the steps, they found themselves in a vast underground cavern. Banks of computer equipment stretched off into the distance. Fluorescent light strips cast puddles of stark light between the aisles of machinery. Huge metal pipes were visible at the far end of the cavern, bringing in water from the reservoir. Transparent tubes ran between the banks of equipment, carrying water and the data held within its molecules, around the systems. The Doctor could see tiny bubbles of air being carried along, indicating the end of one parcel of data and the start of another.

He clapped his hands together, delighted and impressed, and hurried over to a console. "Most of this is storage," he explained. "Data streaming – literally. Great stuff!" _Oh Ally, you would love this._

The screen lit up and the Doctor rattled away at a keyboard. He displayed a schematic of the reservoir and water system. It showed where the water was purified and then held in various tanks to service the drinking supply and bathrooms as well as the data storage.

"The water is electrolyzed here, before being pumped into the computer systems as needed," the Doctor said, pointing to a point on the plan where water entered the cavern. "Light would be a quicker medium, but they were after efficiency and durability rather than speed, plus the water cools the systems as well. Brilliant! Conventional systems with hard drives and flash memory for the day-to-day tasks, and everything offloaded and backed-up to the hydrogen dioxide for the longer term."

"So how does that help?" Carlisle wondered.

"We've got Amy's physical body." The Doctor turned and nodded at his expressionless friend standing silent and immobile beside them. "Now we need to find her brain. She shouldn't be just a pretty face, you know. Alex either."

"Goes without saying," Carlisle told him.

"What's this?" The Doctor was pointing to another tank. "It's connected into the reservoir system, but there's a flow valve keeping it isolated."

"Looks like the inert gas for the fire suppression systems. Worst case scenario – if we run out of the gas before the fire's out, then the valve opens and it draws in water. Not ideal, given we're so dependent on electrical stuff."

"But could be the only option, the last resort." The Doctor nodded. "Makes sense. Whoever designed this place used belts and braces all round."

"Is that how you got back here?" Carlisle asked.

"I suppose so. Big braces though. Enormous. Right…" He turned his attention back to the display screen and started opening files of indexes and data listings. "Let's find Amy and Alex…"

It didn't take the Doctor long to find what he was looking for. "I'll say this for them, they're efficient."

He showed Carlisle the screen, which displayed a list of the personnel of Base Diana. Against almost all of them was a catalogue number. At the bottom of the list was: _Amy Pond – E-19-K3_ and _Alex Locke – H-22-A2_. Below that were several other names, listed as 'Pending'. At the bottom of this pending list was 'Doctor'.

"What's it mean?" Carlisle asked.

"It means we've found them. You're on the list too, look." He pointed to Carlisle's name.

"Doesn't mean I'm a bad person."

"All the others are. Potentially anyway. Until we get this sorted."

The Doctor walked slowly along one of the aisles. Carlisle and Amy followed, Carlisle watching with interest, Amy expressionless.

The storage was rather like metal filing cabinets. Each aisle was labelled with a letter, and each cabinet within each aisle was numbered. The individual drawers bore letters, marked in black by a simple steel handle.

"This is aisle E, so I guess we're looking for storage cabinet 19," Carlisle guessed

"Drawer K." The Doctor ran his finger down the front of Cabinet 19 until it met the K. He tapped the letter. "Moment of truth. Who lives here, do you think?"

The Doctor pulled out the shallow drawer. Inside, the space was lined with dark foam padding. Nestling in numbered compartments cut into the foam were ten glass phials filled with colorless liquid. A wire connected the stopper of each phial into a junction box at the back of the drawer. Very carefully, the Doctor lifted phial 3 clear of the padding. The wire trailed from a small clip attached to the top of the stopper. Inside the phial, another wire hung down into the liquid. The Doctor unclipped the wire from the top and lifted the phial up to the light. He gave it a gentle shake, bubbles rising to the surface.

"Is that it?" Carlisle asked in a whisper. She pointed at Amy. "Is that…_her_?"

The Doctor stared intently at the colorless liquid. "Amy in a bottle," he breathed. "Pond water." He laughed. "Yes, I like that. Pond water. Now, time to get Ally!"

The Doctor dove down to aisle H and then to storage cabinet 22. He quickly pulled out A, the top drawer, and peered inside. Alex's phial was the second one inside, though, unlike Amy's, hers didn't have that much liquid in it. There only appeared to be about an inch of liquid inside.

"Oh, Ally, you were right," the Doctor murmured.

Carlisle squinted at the phial. "They didn't get very much of her."

"Alex is very strong. Jackson's process machine is nothing for her brain." The Doctor pocketed Alex's phial, not wanting it to get out of his sight. "Only problem is, now that I've found you and Alex, we need to get you all back to the Process Chamber and see if we can download the real you into your brain."

From above and behind them came the sound of something heavy slamming into metal.

"The door?" Carlisle guessed.

"The door," the Doctor agreed. "They've found us."

"Gregman must have woken up. Getting to the Process Chamber might be trickier than you thought."

"No problem. We'll take the back way." The Doctor clicked his tongue. "Er, _is _there a back way?"

"No."

"Any way at all, back or otherwise? Emergency exit? Fire escape? Cat flap?"

Carlisle was shaking her head. "There's only one exit, Doctor. We're stuck down here." The sound of the banging was getting louder and more insistent. "And that door won't keep them out for long."

A/N: And we're back to the cliffhanger endings! I'm so evil. :} What will happen?!

Notes on reviews...

**zcool1 **- Glad to hear you love the story! It means a lot! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- She'll meet BOTH! In the story I'm planning, Alex travels back in time to work out a time discrepancy and meets a lot of the Doctor's companions, both new series and classic series. And she'll meet Jack and the Torchwood team in this story. :) Yeah, an adventure with her and the new series companions would be awesome! :) Yeah, I always refer to her as 'Alex'. I think the name 'Ally' is just reserved for the Doctor. :) Glad you liked her own 'Oncoming Storm' moment! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- _Schindler's List _is a movie that takes place during the Holocaust in WWII. If you've ever seen photos from the concentration camps then...you'll understand why I chose to describe the prisoners in respect to that movie. :( We found out what happened to Amy and Alex here. :( But hope is not lost! :) Yeah, I like Carlisle and when I read the book the first time, I never saw the part with Garret coming. :) Glad you like this adventure! And I answered your sister's question in the post above this one. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yep, the Doctor made it! With Garret gone, there wasn't anymore danger...not until he got to the moon, at least. :) Glad you loved Alex's 'Doctor' moment! Those two really rub off on the other, don't they? :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! And the Doctor came, so not all is lost! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you loved Alex's 'Doctor' moment! You're right, those two really affect each-other. :) *squeals* I have broken the barrier! *squeals again* Lol, this story is so long! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Glad you loved Alex's 'Doctor' moment and that you like realistic stories! Relationships aren't easy, and the Doctor and Alex's won't be an exception... :)

**Doctor **- Thank you! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- We got another mega cliffhanger here. :) Glad you loved Alex's 'Doctor' moment. Yeah, we really do need a name for that! Any suggestions? I can't think of anything at the moment. :) Yep, Amy thinks outside the box, doesn't she? :) I'm so glad to hear that! Dropping an OC into the mix isn't as easy as it looks, especially with the original character interactions. :) Glad you agree with me about the title. They really should've been a bit more inventive with that title. :) I love Rose too, she's tied for my favorite companion along with Amy and Rory. I don't think Alex would be majorly jealous of her, since she knows how the Doctor/Rose relationship works out. Knowing Alex's track-record with selflessness, she'd probably end up feeling sorry for them. Lol, Alex IS pretty sweet, isn't she? :) *applauds the reader's violin playing* Thank you! And don't worry, I never get tired of hearing that! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	53. Apollo 23 Part 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

The sound of the door crashing open was unmistakable. The Doctor spun around on the spot, slapping his forehead repeatedly with the heel of his hand. "Think, think, think!" he snapped to himself. "Ah!" He stopped his rapid revolutions. "They don't know we're down here."

"Yes they do," Carlisle argued. "Gregman knew we were heading this way."

"And the door was locked and sabotaged. But they don't _know_, not for sure. They just think they do."

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Makes sense. But they'll be down those stairs in a minute, and then they'll know they know."

The Doctor leaned forward. "No, they won't. Because I've got a plan."

"Quick plan?" They could hear feet on the metal stairway.

"Very quick."

"So what do we do?"

"We keep Amy safe." The Doctor pushed the phial of liquid that was Amy's personality and memories into his top pocket, above the one where he put Alex's, and patted it gently.

"Is that it?" Carlisle asked.

"No, no, no. The clever bit is…"

"Yes?"

"…We hide."

Carlisle stared at him. "Is that it? The great plan? We _hide_?!"

The Doctor shrugged and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Unless you've got a better plan. One that doesn't involve shooting anyone. I want everyone's body intact so we can put their brains back where they're supposed to be."

Carlisle glanced back towards the stairs. "We hide."

The Doctor and Major Carlisle hurried quietly down the aisle. The cavern was vast and it would take Jackson and whoever else was with him a while to search it.

"Stay close to me," the Doctor whispered to Amy. "Maybe not quite that close," he added as she stepped right up next to him, shoulder to shoulder. "There's close and there's _close_-close. Just close will do. Within reach and out of sight."

The Doctor ducked behind the end of the line of storage banks. Carlisle was right with him, and Amy mirrored his actions a moment later. Peering out, they could just see the vague silhouettes of several figures at the other end of the cavern. The constant drip-drip of water made it difficult to hear what they were saying, but Carlisle was sure one of them was Jackson, and Reeve was with him as well. There were about half a dozen in all.

"He's brought some help," she whispered to the Doctor.

"Pity. But never mind." The Doctor reached in his index finger and thumb into his top pocket and carefully pulled out the phial of liquid. He held it out to Amy. "You take this," he told her. "If one of us can get you to the Process Chamber, it'll be better if you've got it with you. Otherwise we'll spend forever trying to get mind and body together in the same place."

"You sure she can keep it safe?" Carlisle asked.

"Can you?" the Doctor asked Amy.

"Yes," she said, her expression not changing in the slightest.

"Good. And from now on, whisper, okay?"

"Did they hear?" Carlisle wondered. "Someone's coming this way."

"Not sure," the Doctor admitted. "Let's keep moving, try to stay ahead of them, and maybe sneak past to the stairs."

As they hurried across the next aisle and ducked into shadows, the Doctor said to Amy "That phial is important. Or rather, the water inside it is. I want you to keep it with you. Don't care where you keep it, so long as it stays safe and it isn't separated from you. We need to combine the data in that water with your physical embodiment at some point, okay?"

"Okay," Amy whispered back. She held the phial up to inspect it, expression still blank.

"Good. So, remember that." The Doctor looked out, checking to see if any of Jackson's people were close by. "Or remember as much as you can. It's a lot to swallow, I know."

Carlisle was checking too. "We can get to that next bay, I think."

The Doctor nodded. "Closer to the stairs. Come on."

Someone was talking in the connecting aisle as they ran for the next area of cover, against the glistening, wet wall of the cavern. The searchers were closing in.

"So far, so good," the Doctor whispered.

"Way to go yet," Carlisle pointed out.

Beside her, the Doctor gave a sudden gasp. His mouth opened in surprise, eyes wide. "What is it?" Carlisle asked urgently.

"Drip of water went down the back of my neck."

"Oh, thanks for that," Carlisle retorted, rolling her eyes.

They both quickly as something dropped to the floor beside them. The glass phial clattered and rolled, stopping at the Doctor's feet. He scooped it up quickly. "I told you to keep this safe!" he hissed at Amy.

"Doctor, the stopper's come off," Carlisle noticed. "It's empty."

The Doctor held up the phial. She was right. "Where's it gone? Where's the water?" He looked around, close to panic. There were small puddles of water all across the floor, from dripping condensation. "Any one of these puddles could actually be Amy."

"Shh!" Carlisle warned. "Too late to worry about that now."

"But how do we get her back?"

"Let's worry about it later, okay?" Carlisle told him. "Right now, we have to get out of here."

"It's all clear now," Amy whispered.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "Come on then, next bay, right?"

"Right," Carlisle agreed.

They ran as quickly and quietly as they could to the next pool of shadow. The stairway was only about fifteen meters away now. But there was a soldier standing there.

"You think he knows you've switched sides?" the Doctor asked. "Or rather, that you haven't?"

"Probably," Carlisle admitted. "But it might be worth a try. I can distract him while you and Amy get past."

"I don't think that will work," Amy disagreed.

The Doctor and Carlisle both turned towards her. "A glimmer of self-will?" the Doctor wondered. "Or is her programming taking hold again?"

"That's a thought," Amy said. Suddenly, she reached out and pulled Carlisle's pistol from its holster. She aimed it at the Doctor and Carlisle.

Captain Reeve stepped out from the shadows behind Amy. He smiled with satisfaction and called over his shoulder "Over here! We got them!"

"I have to trick the Doctor," Amy said slowly. "I have to take him to the Process Chamber."

"Yeah, we did that bit earlier," the Doctor told her. "She's somehow reverted to her previous programming." He fixed Reeve with a piercing stare. "Maybe your process isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"The circumstances changed and her previous programming became relevant again, that's all."

Jackson hurried up from behind, two more soldiers with him. "Your little excursion has saved you the ordeal of time in the hub, Doctor. Nothing more. We're ready to process you now." He nodded to Amy. "I'll allow Miss Pond to show you the way."

In response, Amy jabbed the gun forwards. "Move. Up the stairs."

Jackson's laughter echoed around the cavern. "We're going to the Process Chamber, Doctor. And once we get there, you will become an empty Blank, ready to be imprinted with a Talerian mind."

Hands raised, the Doctor and Carlisle walked to the dimly lit metal stairway. The soldier guarding the bottom stepped aside to allow them past. Amy was close behind them, Jackson and the others walking slowly across the cavern.

"Doctor! Major Carlisle!" Amy called to them as they started up the stairs.

They both turned to see what she wanted. The gun was steady in her hand.

"You wanted to know where the water in the phial went," Amy said quietly. "Well, I did what you said. I kept it close to me, I kept it safe. I drank it."

The Doctor froze. "You did _what_?!"

"Least of our problems," Carlisle hissed.

"But she _drank_ it! I can't just stick my finger down her throat…" The Doctor hesitated, inspecting his fingers as he considered. "No, no I can't."

"Can't what, Doctor?" Jackson demanded as he reached the bottom of the stairs and stood close behind Amy. "Do enlighten us."

As she was standing in front of him, Jackson couldn't see Amy's expressionless face relax into a smile. Then she winked. "Whatever you do," she said to the Doctor and Carlisle, "don't try to… _Run_!" On 'Run', she turned and fired the gun at the nearest light. The fluorescent tube exploded, sparks showering down.

Reeve gave a cry of surprise and anger. Jackson dashed forwards,

Amy was backing away up the stairs after the Doctor and Carlisle, aiming the gun back at the soldiers. "You running yet?" she demanded. "I don't hear you running!" She turned to race after them.

The Doctor and Carlisle ran, with Amy close behind. But not close enough. A hand grabbed her ankle, pulling her leg away from under her. She crashed painfully down on the metal stairs. The Doctor turned and started back to where Reeve was dragging Amy down the steps.

But Carlisle grabbed his arm. "We can't help her if we're all caught! With us free, she has a chance. Come on!"

They took the rest of the stairs two at a time, hearing the booted feet of the soldiers echoing after them. The door at the top had been smashed open. The Doctor pulled it shut again behind them, heaving and jamming it in place.

"They got Amy," he said. But he was grinning like a maniac. "She's okay! She got her mind back."

"Seems so. Because she drank the water?"

"Must be," the Doctor said. He scratched his head, exciting his hair into spikes. "They must be using a holographic storage model. The complete dataset is repeated in every tiny drop of water. Like if you break a hologram, each broken piece doesn't just show a broken part of the whole like a jigsaw puzzle. They each hold a smaller version of the complete picture. How diluted must that data have been by the time it hit her bloodstream? But her brain managed to get the information out and rebuild her mind. Filled in the blanks." He shook his head in awe. "You humans are wonderful."

The door trembled and shook as someone tried to wrench it open from the other side.

"Doctor," Carslile said with exaggerated patience, "I'm very happy for Amy, and I'm glad you know all about holograms. But she's a prisoner. They'll just blank her again and this time, they might not keep a copy. Plus we're trapped on a base on the dark side of the moon that's been taken over by invading aliens. Maybe we should get away from here before they open that door?"

Right on cue, there was a wrenching, scraping sound from the door. It opened a centimeter, then jammed again.

"I suppose," the Doctor agreed. "But we're not going far. As soon as they're out, I need to go back down there."

"But we just escaped from back down there!"

The Doctor strode off down the corridor. "Yes, but that was before I had a plan."

Carlisle hurried after him. "And now you do?"

The Doctor spun around and grabbed Carlisle's shoulders, looking her right in the face. "Oh _boy_, do I have a plan," he said.

* * *

They waited in a storeroom off the main corridor. Carlisle assured the Doctor that Jackson and the others would have to pass this way en route from the cavern housing the computer facility to the Process Chamber.

The Doctor held the open just a fraction. He sat cross-legged on the floor, looking out. Carlisle stood beside him, also watching.

They didn't have to wait very long before Jackson strode angrily past, followed by Reeve. Several soldiers escorted Amy after them. She looked glum, but defiant. "See you soon, Pond," the Doctor murmured.

"I was afraid you were about to mount a daring but foolhardy rescue attempt," Carlisle said after they'd gone.

The Doctor eased the door open. "I am. But not in the way they expect."

"So what do we do?"

The Doctor checked both ways along the corridor before stepping out of the room. "I assume you know where the controls are for the fire-fighting systems."

Carlisle nodded. "Main control room. Why?"

"Because that's where I need you to be."

"You want me to make sure the fire control systems don't work?"

"No, no, no. That's the last thing I want." The Doctor took a deep breath, sucking air through his teeth. "I want you to make sure no one can override the system and turn it off."

"And where will you be? Starting a fire?"

"Only a metaphorical one."

Carlisle frowned. "Do you ever explain anything properly?"

"All right, you want an explanation? I'll keep it simple. If you take a glass of water, right? And you throw it into the ocean, okay?"

"The glass?"

"Just the water in the glass. Well, doesn't matter for the explanation, but throwing stuff other than water into the sea isn't generally good. Now, you mix up the ocean, let's just pretend you can do that, so that the glass of water you just threw in is mixed in with all the other water, millions of billions of liters of water."

"With the water from my glass in there somewhere all mixed up. So what?"

"So now comes the clever part. You take the glass you didn't throw in as well, and you scoop out another glassful of water from the same ocean. Doesn't matter where from. What have you got?"

Carlisle blinked, then shrugged. "A glass of salty water, I guess."

"Exactly. But in that water, mixed in somewhere, is just a tiny part, a few molecules, of the _same glass of water _you started with. Guaranteed."

Major Carlisle thought about that. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Have you, like, done it?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"Liar."

"Okay, so no, I haven't actually done it as such. But there are so many molecules of water in that one glass that you'd get some of them back again no matter where you scooped out you second glass."

"And this somehow relates to your plan?"

"It does."

Carlisle nodded. "Well, I hope you know what you're doing, because I still don't have a clue."

_Ally would understand, _the Doctor thought. But, rather than saying that and risking offending Carlisle, he said confidently "I know what I'm doing. I'm just not sure if it will work."

* * *

There was no point in fighting. Amy had tried that last time and it did no good. She needed to slow them down to give the Doctor as much time as possible to rescue her. She knew he would, somehow. She walked as slowly as she dared. She took her time getting into the chair on the Process Chamber. She clenched her muscles, hoping that would leave some slack after they tied the straps.

Nurse Phillips watched her. Judging by her smile, she was obviously enjoying Amy's predicament. "There will be some pain," she said. "I'm sure you'll remember."

"I'll remember all right," Amy told her. "And you've been through it too, you know."

"Not me. This body, but not _me_."

"That's enough!" Jackson snapped. "Start setting things up. Full transmission will start soon, and I want her blanked before that and ready to receive the next available Talerian."

Jackson took over from Nurse Phillips, strapping Amy's ankles first. Amy just smiled. "He'll stop you," she said quietly, surprised at how confident she sounded. "Him and Alex. They always do."

Jackson didn't answer. But he hesitated just long enough for Amy to know he was worried. He flinched as the phone on the wall buzzed.

"Probably him now," Amy said. "Don't keep him waiting."

"Quiet!" Jackson snarled. He crossed the room and picked up the phone. "Yes?" Amy watched Jackson frown. "He's what? But that makes no sense at all, what's he doing there?" Jackson listened for a while before answering. "I have no idea, but you'd better get down there and stop him. We don't need his body, we'll soon have plenty of those. It's a pity, because the Doctor's body would make a good receptacle. But he has become more trouble than his body is worth. So kill him." Jackson slammed the phone back on its cradle.

Amy was at once full of excitement and trepidation. Did the Doctor know they'd discovered whatever he was up to? Knowing him, that could be part of his plan. But then again, knowing the Doctor, it might not have occurred to him at all…

"It's started," she said calmly. "I told you, you've no chance."

Jackson yanked the straps tight around her wrists.

* * *

"Step away from the controls, Doctor!" Reeve's shout echoed around the cavern. "Now! Or I'll shoot you dead where you stand!"

The Doctor punched a final key, nodded with satisfaction, and stepped aside. Reeve and several soldiers came running up.

"What have you been doing?" Reeve demanded.

"Not much. Just changed some routings."

One of the soldiers was typing rapidly, watching the display screen as he displayed a log of recent actions.

"Well?" Reeve asked.

"He's changed the flow, opened some valves, accessed computer storage." The soldier shook his head. "Doesn't make any sense. It looks from this like he's vented the inert gas from the fire systems and filled the tank with…" The solider checked the readings in a smaller window on the screen. "With water from the reservoir, and also from data storage."

"What data did he use?" Reeve held his gun close to the Doctor's face. "I hope you think it was worth it."

"I think it was worth it," the Doctor smiled.

The soldier looked up at Reeve. "He used the back-ups. The water soring all the human mind imprints."

The Doctor was looking distinctly pleased with himself. "That's right. You're all in there, I'm pleased to say. All mixed up together in the fire suppression tank. Molecules swirling round. The tiniest part of your data in every drip and drop of water in there."

Reeve laughed. "I don't know what you thought you were doing, but you've destroyed them! You've killed all those people you were so desperate to save!"

"You think so?" the Doctor murmured challengingly.

Reeve glanced away, just for a second, sharing the joke with the other soldiers. Just for a second, but it was all the Doctor needed. He whipped out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the nearest fire alarm – on the opposite wall.

The small glass panel on the alarm point shattered. A siren cut in immediately. The display screen the soldier was using flashed up a message: _Fire Alert – Inert Gas Sprinklers Activated._

"It'll take a little while for the water to get along the pipes to the sprinklers," the Doctor said. He almost had to shout to be heard above the alarm. "Major Carlisle should have locked open all the internal doors and bulkheads, and rigged it so all the sprinklers will go off, not just the ones in this area. I also opened a constant flow from the main reservoir so there'll be plenty of water."

"You're mad," Reeve exclaimed. "If Jackson had wiped your mind, he'd have done you a favor. As it is, he won't need to."

Reeve took a step back. He gripped his gun in both hands, aiming straight at the Doctor. On the far side of the cavern, water burst from a roof-mounted sprinkler. Then from another, and another. All across the vast space, water fell like rain.

"I might have known you didn't really have a plan at all," Reeve said. His finger tightened on the trigger.

"I have a brilliant plan. The only downside…" the Doctor told Reeve as a sprinkler directly above showered water down around them "…is that we all get wet."

"The only downside," Reeve retorted, "is that you die." He pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed off the rock walls.

* * *

"I am so glad to see you!" Amy cried as Major Carlisle entered the Process Chamber and raced over to begin undoing the straps holding her into the chair. "How did the Doctor do it? No, forget that. First tell me _what _he's done."

The last strap came free and Carlisle stepped back to let Amy out of the process chair. Nearby, a soldier stood lazily as if he was asleep. His head was nodded forward on his chest and his eyes were closed. Water from the sprinklers ran down his face and dripped from his hair.

"Don't ask me," Carlisle said. "Everyone's like this. Nurse Phillips is the same in the observation room, just like the guards outside."

"Everyone except Jackson," Amy told her. "He legged it when the guard there got the slumps. It's like…" She rubbed furiously at her wrist to try to get some circulation back. "It's like that soldier was when he blanked out after sabotaging the systems."

"Is that what the Doctor's done? Blanked them all again somehow?"

"Let's ask him. And he needs to know it didn't work on Jackson, so come on."

"Let's hope we can turn these sprinklers off soon."

They passed several soldiers on the way. All of them were slumped forward, as if sleeping. By the time they reached the cavern, Amy and Carlisle were both completely drenched. "I'll never be dry again!" Amy complained.

"I suppose it _is _just water," Carlisle said as they started down the steps. Water ran and dripped through the metal mesh of the treads under their feet.

"Oh, thanks for that," Amy said. "Goodness knows how much of it I've swallowed."

"But it hasn't affected us."

"Apart from making us wet. Still…" Amy said as they reached the bottom of the step and saw the Doctor. Despite the situation, she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the sight. "Could be worse."

He was holding up Captain Reeve's slumped body from behind, standing directly under a sprinkler head. The water splashed and cascaded off the two of them. The Doctor's hair was plastered down the side of his face, covering one eye. He glared at Amy. "It's not _that_ funny!"

"What are you doing?" Amy shouted above the sound of the water.

"If I let him go, he'll fall."

"You shouldn't have moved him," Carlisle said. "The others are balanced all right."

Several soldiers were standing close by, heads bowed and shoulders slumped. Another was sprawled forwards over a keyboard and display screen.

"I was just doing a little experiment. Here, help me put him down. Yes, here, under the sprinkler. I want him to get a really good dose. Let's see if it speeds things up."

Carlisle carefully removed the pistol from Reeve's hand. "Bit late for that," the Doctor informed her. "He's already taken his shot."

"What? Where?" Amy exclaimed. "Are you hurt?"

"No, he missed. It was just as the effect of the water got to him. Lucky for me. He slumped forward and the shot bounced off the floor somewhere."

"So don't keep us in suspense!" Amy begged. "What is it with this water? Why are they all blanked out?"

"Their minds are trying desperately to adapt."

On the floor between them, Reeve groaned and moved, curling into a protective ball.

"Looks like it's working," the Doctor went on.

"What did you do?" Carlisle asked. "What's in the water?"

"_They_ are. Their minds, at least. Remember what I said about a glass of water in the ocean? I mixed all the water containing the backed-up minds into the tank that's feeding the sprinklers. Just like Amy's own brain managed to latch on to her mind imprint when she drank her back-up, Captain Reeve is absorbing the tiniest part of his own mind through his skin."

"In the water from the sprinklers," Carlisle realized. "Holograms."

"You what?" Amy said. "Look, am I the only person here who speaks human?"

"The whole of the mind-print encoded in every molecule," the Doctor explained. "Every drop of water that touches us contains the diluted mind-prints of everyone Jackson wiped. The first effect is to purge the brain of the alien influence, it's rejected as the human brain struggles to reabsorb its own pattern from the water."

Reeve was uncurling now and trying to sit up. He looked around in confusion.

"The more water that hits the skin, the quicker the process," the Doctor finished triumphantly.

"Um, one obvious question," Amy said. "If everyone's mind is in every drop of water, how does Reeve's brain know which data to absorb? Won't he get a bit of everyone's mind? Won't that make him one crazy, mixed-up person?"

The Doctor smiled and clasped his hands together behind his back. "No, that's the clever thing. Because the brain should be able to identify its own mind-print and just take the data that belongs to it. Like recognizing your own car in amongst hundreds in the supermarket car park."

"I often get the wrong car," Carlisle told him.

Amy walked slowly around the Doctor. He turned to keep facing towards her. "You've got your fingers crossed behind your back, haven't you?" she accused.

The Doctor's smile became slightly fixed. "Might have."

"You have no idea if this is going to work or not?"

"The theory's sound," he protested. "Mostly."

Carlisle gestured to Captain Reeve, now getting groggily to his feet. "I think we're about to find out."

Reeve was looking around, confused.

"He'll be fine," the Doctor assured them. "Really, fine."

"Who in blazes are you?" Reeve demanded. "What am I doing down here?"

"He's confused," Amy said, pointing out the obvious. "Maybe it hasn't worked."

"No, it's just that the real Captain Reeve never met us," the Doctor explained. "We didn't arrive until after he'd been blanked."

"Major?" Reeve asked. "What's going on?"

"It's a bit tricky to explain," Carlisle admitted. "But it's good to have you back, Captain Reeve."

"What's the last thing you remember?" the Doctor inquired, shining his sonic screwdriver in Reeve's startled face.

"I was with Professor Jackson and Nurse Phillips, in the Process Chamber. They wanted me to look at something. Then…" He shook his head. "Then this. What's happening?"

"Alien invasion," the Doctor said casually. "Don't worry about it. But we'll need your help."

Reeve looked at the three of them: the Doctor grinning manically; Amy smiling in relief and amusement; the usually ice-calm Carlisle as drenched as the rest of them as the water continued to shower down. "And you wondered if I was mad," he said.

Amy was starting to shiver. She was soaked through. "Can't we turn the sprinklers off now?"

"Seems so," the Doctor said. "Now that everyone's blanked out." He turned and headed for the stairs, splashing through the deepening puddles.

"Except Jackson," Carlisle pointed out.

The Doctor froze in mid step. "What?"

"It didn't seem to affect Jackson," Amy confirmed. "He did a runner. Probably hiding out somewhere, or having a calm cup of that tea of his while he plots his next fiendish move. I mean, there's not much he can do on his own, is there?"

"Why didn't it affect Jackson?" the Doctor demanded. He stared accusingly at Reeve.

"Don't ask me," he protested. "You're the expert. I just got here, remember?"

The Doctor was running again, but this time towards the aisles of data storage. His foot slapped down in a puddle close to Amy, splashing her legs. "Oh, cheers."

The Doctor ignored her, frantically pulling open drawers in the huge cabinets. The others hurried to join him. Amy was in time to see him pause as he opened one drawer. They were full of phials and colorless liquid.

"The phials are all connected to the main systems. I pumped all the water out and into the tank for the sprinklers. Then they get refilled from main storage… If Jackson's phial was in here, he must have been mixed in with the others."

The Doctor barely glanced at the contents of the drawer before slamming it shut again. He pulled open the next drawer down, and they all saw that one of the phials was missing. "It's okay, that's you, Amy." The Doctor turned and grinned at her. "I did a pond water joke. Probably not worth repeating though." He pushed the drawer shut again. The next drawer down was full, and the next.

It was then that Amy noticed that someone was missing. "Oh my God, Alex!" she shrieked. She looked at Doctor, her eyes wide and alarmed. "Where is she?! In all the excitement, I forgot! She was processed before me and…and…" She turned to give Reeve a sharp look. "_You _knocked me out!"

"Not me!" Reeve protested.

"His alien counterpart, Amy," the Doctor corrected. "And don't worry, she's fine. Still in a coma though."

"A coma?!"

"Calm down," the Doctor drilled. "She's perfectly safe. I have her back-up right here." He patted his jacket pocket. "Didn't get much of her, thankfully. All we have to do is give this to her and she'll be back."

After easing Amy, the Doctor moved down to the next cabinet. Three drawers down, another phial was missing. The Doctor tapped the empty slot with his finger. "Want to bet that's the real Professor Jackson?"

* * *

The Control Room was the best place to start looking for Jackson, Major Carlisle suggested. They could also turn off the sprinklers before the base flooded. The Doctor sent Captain Reeve to check on the prisoners in the hub and to give Alex her back-up.

"She's a cute brunette, can't miss her," the Doctor directed. "Purple tank-top, white shorts, brown boots, large earrings. She'll be the one still unconscious. And _don't drop that_." Once the Doctor had handed the phial off to Reeve, he added "The prisoners were all blanked by Jackson in the last few days. I'm hoping the sprinkler systems work over in the cells too and it isn't a separate system."

"Should do," Reeve said. "But I'll go take a look."

It didn't take Reeve long to find Alex. Hers was the only cell that didn't have shouting coming from it. Reeve quickly unlocked it and ducked inside, holding the phial like it was a life-line, which it kinda was. The Doctor would kill him if he dropped it and it spilled.

Reeve whistled a little as got his first look at Alex. The Doctor had been wrong about her being cute; she was _hot_. Hesitantly, Reeve undid the phial and poured the liquid into Alex's mouth. He then pressed her throat to get her to swallow.

Inside Alex's mind, Alex was staring at the puzzle in her lap. She didn't know how long she'd been in here – being in a coma, it was a little hard to track time – but she guessed it had been quite a while. Where was the Doctor? What was he doing? Did he get captured? She groaned. God, it sucked being so useless!

Suddenly, Alex felt something happening. The banging from the Talerians prison was decreasing dramatically. Alex looked down at the puzzle. To her shock, several new pieces had appeared on the board. All she had to do was arrange them.

Alex wasted no time in arranging the puzzle pieces. Upon clicking the final piece into place, Alex heard a loud roar come from the steel box and then what sounded like something exploding. The steel box then dissolved, revealing nothing in the area where it had stood.

Alex grinned and unplugged her IV and jumped out of the hospital bed, leaving the puzzle there. She then ran over to the library doors and threw them open. She was free.

Alex opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a small area, staring up at a gray ceiling, and she was lying on something hard, cold, and…wet.

"Ah!" she shrieked, jumping up. Sure enough, she was completely drenched. "Ugh!" She used her hands to try and get the water off her body but only succeeded in spreading the water even more. "I'm going to kill him!" she shrieked, tugging the sweater away from her waist and pulling it on.

"Um, hello?" a familiar voice said hesitantly.

Alex whirled around to see none other than Captain Reeve. "Hello!" she greeted. She could tell that this was the real Captain; his eyes were a nice emerald green. "You must be the real Captain Reeve. Nice to meet you. I'm Alex. Now, as much as I would love to stay and chat, I've got a certain Doctor to yell at. Where is he?"

"Control Room," Reeve directed.

"Thanks," Alex beamed before racing off.

She grimaced as she ran through puddles of water, thanking God she had decided to wear mid-calf length boots today. She tried to ignore the tingly feeling her body was getting from being in all this water, and simply concentrated on getting to the Control Room.

* * *

Only certain parts of the base were covered by security cameras. Once she'd turned off the sprinklers, Carlisle checked each camera's image in turn. Most showed soldiers and staff standing slumped from the effects of water. There was no sign of Jackson.

"How long before they start to recover properly?" Amy wondered, looking at a soldier collapsed across the end of the main control console.

"Shouldn't be too long," the Doctor answered. "The ones closest to sprinklers should start to wake up first, like Reeve. Though he drank quite a lot too, I think. His mouth was open because he was threatening me when he blanked out."

"I thought he was shooting you," Carlisle said.

"That too. He was multi-tasking."

Suddenly, the sound of someone running through the hall rang out and a minute later, a figure appeared in the doorway. "Doctor!" Alex cried, rushing forwards and throwing herself into the Doctor's arms.

The Doctor gripped her tightly and lifted her off the ground, Alex's legs latching around his waist. Amy watched the exchange with a smile on her face. Carlisle just looked shocked.

"Ally! Good to see you in the flesh!" the Doctor cried, spinning her around a little.

Alex laughed. "Doctor! Put me down!" Once he did, her smile turned into a frown. "WATER?!" she screeched. "Really?!"

The Doctor winced, bracing himself for a slap. "I'm sorry, but there was no other way!"

Alex let out a long huff of air. "Well, you're off the hook. _This_ time."

"Yes, Ally," the Doctor smiled at her.

"So what did I miss? What's with all the unconscious soldiers I passed?"

"The Doctor's going to revive everyone and put their minds back to normal with some glass-of-water-in-the-ocean theory," Amy babbled. "I don't really get it but it works. And can I just say that it's great to see you?"

Alex laughed and pulled Amy into a hug. "Don't worry, I'll ask him later. And it is fantastic to see you as well."

Their conversation was interrupted by an insistent bleeping from one of the consoles. "Local radio signal," Carlisle explained, having recovered from her shock of seeing the Doctor and Alex acting so couple-like. "Who can that be?" She worked the controls and a voice echoed out of nearby speakers.

_"…repeat, this is Lieutenant Ashton passing over Base Diana. Can anyone hear me? Come in, please, Base Diana._"

The Doctor took the microphone. "Oh, hi, this is the Doctor. Good to know you're okay. We seem to have things pretty much under control down here. How are you?"

"_I'm fine,_" Ashton replied. "_Good to know you're all sorted. Just one thing…_"

"You want to know when you can head home?" the Doctor guessed.

"_Apart from that. There's like, lightning up here. I don't know how else to describe it._"

"Lightning?" Alex frowned. "That's impossible."

The Doctor rubbed his wet hair vigorously. "Not really. Not _lightning_-lightning. What's it look like?"

"_A streak of light,_" Ashton answered. "_Like someone's turned on a huge searchlight. I can see it shining across space. Brilliant white light, I can barely look it's so bright._"

"And where's it shining?" Carlisle asked.

"_That's just it. It's shining right at Base Diana. Right at __**you**__._"

There was silence for several moments. The Doctor's frown deepened and he and Alex exchanged identical looks of worry.

Finally, Ashton spoke again. "_Hey, look, I'm going to be passing round the other side of the moon in a couple of minutes, so we'll lose contact. But I thought you should know. I'll leave that with you guys, okay?_"

Carlisle told him to call in again on his next orbit, and cut the connection.

"What is it?" Amy asked the Doctor. "Something Jackson's done?"

"Their Plan B," the Doctor said gravely. "Should have guessed they'd have one. Jackson's sent them a message and told them to forget thought pattern transference now that we've un-blanked their people here."

"But, that's good isn't it?" Carlisle asked.

"Not good," Alex replied, seeing where the Doctor was going with this.

"Not if I'm right about that light beam," the Doctor added.

"Why, what is it?" the Major asked.

"I think it's a concentrated stream of data. They're not just transferring consciousness and brain wave patterns this time."

The main screen was still displaying the view from one of the security cameras. It showed an intersection of several corridors. Two soldiers were slumped by a doorway. In the middle of the intersection, the air seemed to shimmer. A vague shape was forming within the trembling air. Shadows darkened and became more substantial. The shimmer faded, and in its place stood a figure.

The creature was about the same height as a man. But the limbs were swollen and smooth. Its head was joined directly to the body with no neck, poking out of the plates of metallic body armor that hung around the creature's torso. A single, huge oval-shaped eye stared out from a bulbous head that was breaking out into glutinous pustules. Stubby clawed fingers clutched a brutal-looking gun made of gray metal.

Slime dripped from the creature's pale green skin as it walked slowly towards the camera. It paused for a moment, as if staring into the Control Room. A hole opened between its eye – a wide slash of a mouth, filled with ragged teeth. It raised its glutinous, clawed hands, aiming the gun at the camera. The end of the weapon glowed a livid red, and the scream blackened out.

"I thought it was just increased bandwidth to send through more Talerian minds. But actually it's a matter transmission beam. Looks like the Talerians are here in force," the Doctor said quietly. "And in person."

"Doctor, you couldn't know," Alex soothed.

But her words were interrupted as the door to the Control Room slammed open. In the doorway stood another of the bulbous, slimy creatures. Its mouth split into what might have been a smile, and it raised its gun.

A/N: Another evil cliffhanger! But at least we got Alex and Amy back in this chapter!

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Glad you liked the part where the Doctor was in Alex's mind! We needed some fluff after the huge lack of it in the previous chapters. :) Yep, Alex and Jack will get along great. They'll have a great friendship and, further along, it'll be a bit brother-sister like between them...won't stop Jack from flirting with her though! Glad you liked the chapter!

**Gwilwillith **- Glad you liked the chapter! Yes, they need to kiss! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yeah, the pond water joke is pretty good. :) I thought about doing a 'locke' joke, like Loch Ness, but it didn't fit in anywhere. Glad you liked the fluffy bit in Alex's head! We really needed one after the withdrawal in the last several chapters. :) I'm glad you like this adventure! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- They made it out in this chapter...only for the alien to arrive. :{ But Alex is back, so I think that makes up for the cliffhanger ending. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yep, a lot of confusing bits in the last chapter. But Amy's back permanently now and so is Alex! Yes, they need to get past their issues soon...when is the real question though. :) Glad you liked the chapter!

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- No, I haven't seen 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' or read it, but I've read about it. We did read 'Of Mice and Men' in my 10th grade English class, and that has a really sad ending. :( Don't worry, there will be plenty of epic moments in the Pandorica episodes! :) Oh yes, how will the Doctor react to Alex and Jack in the same room... :) Ooh, those are some good ones! When I read your review in art class today, the name 'Brain Storm' came to mind, but I have a feeling that's going to the proverbial drawing board. :)

Thank you to those that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	54. Apollo 23 Part 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Apollo 23 _by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

As soon as the hideous creature appeared in the doorway, Major Carlisle hurled herself across the room. Her shoulder knocked the gun sideways. A blast of energy hurtled across the room and exploded on the wall, sending out sparks.

The Talerian's slimy hide was contracted as Carlisle cannoned into the creature's armor, pressing it into the skin. But the skin was tightly sprung, like the surface of a balloon, and she found herself bouncing off and crashing to the floor.

With a roar of anger, the creature took several squelching steps forwards. It raised its gun again. Amy dragged Carlisle back while the Doctor positioned himself in front of Alex and watched with apparent interest.

"You'll probably want to keep us alive," he told the Talerian. "Jackson, or whatever his real name is, wants to wipe our minds."

The creature hesitated, gun still aimed at Carlisle as Amy helped her up. Then it gave another roar, and fired.

At the same moment, the blanked and unconscious soldier sprawled across the control console groaned and straightened up. Distracted, the creature turned towards the movement. Again, its shot went wide, blasting part of the console to pieces. The soldier stared in shocked amazement.

Alex looked around and, over the Doctor's shoulder, threw the nearest thing she could find at the creature – a coffee cup. Cold dregs of coffee dripped from the cup as it turned in the air. But, like Carlisle, it just bounced off the creature's armor.

"Alex!" the Doctor hissed.

The recovering soldier's training cut in, overcoming his shock in a moment. He picked up the chair from beside the console, raised it, and charged. The wheeled base of the chair hammered into the Talerian, forcing it backwards. It bumped heavily into the wall, its whole body shimmering like jelly and armor plates rattling.

His momentum kept the soldier going. The girls stared in fascinated horror as the chair's base squashed into the creature's belly. One of the wheels on the chair was jammed between two of the loose armor plates, stretching the skin behind inwards like it was made of thin rubber. Any moment, the skin would spring back into shape and the soldier would be hurled off like he'd fallen on to a trampoline.

Except it didn't happen. The sharp surround of the wheel cut into the Talerian's skin. It pierced the rubbery hide, making the smallest of holes. But it was enough. With a rumbling, gurgling, anguished cry, the Talerian _burst_. Gray-green gunge erupted from its punctured skin and the whole body seemed to deflate. The bulbous arms flailed aimlessly, before losing their form and substance. The gun clattered to the floor. In a few seconds, all that was left was a pool of gooey liquid and metallic, armored plates lying across the shriveled-up hide of the creature, like a deflated balloon.

Alex inched her way out from behind the Doctor. "Oh my God," she murmured as she stared at the goo. "It's like those Slitheen you told me about, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded. "Except not as explosive and without the need of acetic acid. Well, this answers one of my questions." He knelt down beside the creature's remains. He dipped his fingers in the goo, and for one awful moment, Alex was afraid he was going to lick it.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the Doctor cut her off. "Relax, Ally," he drilled, giving her a look that loosely translated as _I'm a Professional_. He instead sniffed at the goo curiously, then wiped it off on the lapel of his jacket.

"What question is that?" Carlisle wondered. She looked pale and shaken, but nowhere near as confused and shocked as the soldier, still holding the gunge-spattered chair.

"Why they want human bodies. Their own are obviously far too fragile. Humans, for all your failings, really are quite robust. Not like viscous liquid-based creatures such as Mr. Blobby-Balloon here."

"How many of them are there?" Alex asked.

"And what do we do?" Amy jumped in. "Throw darts at them?"

"You got any darts?" the Doctor asked her.

"Well, no."

"Not really an option, is it?"

They all looked up as a bing-bong chime sounded. "Public address system," Carlisle explained. "Never known it used before, though."

Jackson's voice came through loud and clear. "_This is Androparg to all Talerian forces. Commander Raraarg has decreed that we need the humans alive as mind-fodder for our initial strike force to infiltrate planet Earth. Make sure all weapons are set to stun. And be careful, some of the Blanks are waking up and going rogue._" There was a pause before he added "_And to any humans listening, surrender or you will be shot. That is all._" The voice cut out.

"Charming," Amy decided.

"We know where he is now," Carlisle said, checking the control console. "That was broadcast from Jackson's office."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Terrific. Then it's obvious what we do. You and you…" He pointed to Carlisle and then to the still bewildered soldier. "… Find Captain Reeve and get everyone together somewhere you can defend. The canteen would be good, because then you can get croissants and hot drinks and those buns with the slightly cinnamon flavor."

"What about you, me, and Amy?" Alex questioned.

"We're continuing with the hot drink theme – by going for a cup of tea with Professor Jackson and Commander Raraarg."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the way?" Amy asked as they started down yet another corridor. They all looked the same to her. All the doors were open, she noticed – part of the Doctor's plan with the fire systems so the sprinklers would go off throughout the base.

"Depends on where you think we're going."

"Jackson's office?"

The Doctor made a noncommittal sound.

Alex smirked. "You're lost, aren't you?"

He made the same sound again. Ahead of them, the bulbous figure of a Talerian stepped out of an open doorway. It didn't see them as it walked with a blubbery gait away down the corridor.

"There we are, just what we need," the Doctor said happily. "Come on." He hurried to catch up with the alien, pulling Alex along after him.

"What?" Alex mouthed. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Asking directions." The Doctor quickened his pace, forcing Alex and Amy to practically sprint to keep up with him. "I know, men generally don't, but Time Lords aren't proud. At least, not this one. Oi! You there!" he called. "Yes, you with the blobby face and one eye."

The Talerian stopped and slowly turned towards them, raising its gun. It gave a gargling noise that might have been surprise or laughter.

"Glad we found you," the Doctor said. "Jackson wants to see us. You'll know him as Androparg. So if you could just point us in the right direction?"

The Talerian jabbed its gun towards them in response.

"Or show us!" Amy quickly suggested. "That'd be great. Oh, you coming too?"

"There'll be tea," the Doctor promised. "Maybe biscuits. I probably have a jammy dodger of my own somewhere. Usually do." He patted his pockets. "No?"

They passed several more Talerians on the way. But quite the largest and most revolting Talerian that Alex had seen so far was waiting inside Jackson's office. Professor Jackson himself was sitting at his desk. Even with the grotesque, glutinous alien standing close by watching them, Alex was again impressed by the view out of the large window behind Jackson. Bathed in pale evening sunlight, the gray moon looked somehow warm and majestic rather than colorless and desolate.

"You must be Raraarg," the Doctor said with delight. He held out the hand not holding Alex's, regarded the alien's blobby appendage, and decided "Maybe not."

"What an unexpected pleasure," Jackson said. "And Miss Locke, so nice to see you conscious again." He dismissed the Talerian who had brought them and looked from the Doctor, to Alex, to Amy, and back again. "You've come to surrender?"

"We came for tea, actually," the Doctor replied. "I assume the offer still stands?"

The huge Talerian leader shuddered and growled.

"Tea," Jackson mused. "I had to drink it at first to maintain the illusion that I was still Jackson. But now I actually find it quite pleasant. I must confess it's one of the few things I find invigorates this rather strange body I have acquired."

"That'll be the caffeine and tannin," the Doctor informed him. "I'm sure it's good for the soul." He turned to the Talerian leader Raraarg. "You should try it."

This provoked more growls and wobbles.

"No," the Doctor agreed. "It might upset your rather delicate insides, mightn't it? Must be a problem having a balloon body like that. Any little wound and you don't bleed, you _rupture_. Any change in atmospheric pressure and you either squash up and implode, or the internal pressure makes you explode. I can see why you might envy humans. But you can't just take their bodies, you know."

"Why not?" Jackson asked.

"Because you can't!" Alex cried. "It's not right. It's not fair. It's _murder_."

"What does Professor Jackson think about it?" the Doctor asked. "I assume he's still inside you somewhere. As the first to be taken over, you'd need to preserve his memories and emotions so you could survive undetected. If you'd just blanked out, people would notice. Worse than just forgetting names – you'd have forgotten everything."

Jackson nodded. "He's in here," he confirmed, tapping his forehead. "Just. The tiniest hint of him. And he knows it. I can feel what's left of his mind struggling to reassert itself. But you know what? It gets fainter and more desperate all the time. And soon, he'll be gone completely."

"Except for the back-up," Alex pointed out.

"I assume there is a back-up?" the Doctor guessed.

Jackson smiled. "You know there is." He pulled open a drawer in the desk and took out a glass phial of colorless liquid. "I could have destroyed it. But that really would be murder." He set the phial down on the desk in front of him. "The human mind…" he mused.

"Plus you never knew if you might need him back, did you?"

"You still might," Alex said, "if his equipment goes wrong, or some memory you need has faded away."

"There is that," Jackson agreed.

"So what happens now?" Amy asked, glancing apprehensively at the shuddering alien beside them. "Your blob-men won't win against trained soldiers."

"You'd be surprised," Jackson said. "We can wait, and more Talerian troops are on the way. This is just the first wave. As soon as I boost the signal from Jackson's process equipment, the main force will latch on to it and transfer here from Taleria."

"Just as you latched on to it in the first place, I assume?" the Doctor prompted.

Jackson smiled thinly. "Jackson – the real Jackson – didn't even realize his process was emitting a signal. It was faint, but it was enough. Our bodies are dying, Doctor. Every generation of Talerians is born more fragile than the one before. We are constantly looking for a new form, a replacement for our frail structure. Imagine my sense of euphoria when my mind was transported along the link and I woke to find myself inside this." He spread his arms.

Put like that, Alex could understand their reasoning. She had to admit, she pitied them a little. It must be hard to watch your race dying and knowing that there wasn't much you could do. She could see why they had turned to mind-swaps, but it didn't mean they had an excuse for what they were doing. Looking at the Doctor, she could see he felt the exact same way.

"You too can have a body like mine," Amy quipped.

"I won't pretend it was easy. It took me a while to get control of Jackson's consciousness and take over completely. There were mistakes and problems."

"Like poor Liz Didbrook," the Doctor said.

"The process never completed," Jackson told them. "But that has been corrected. I boosted the signal, and ensured the next transfers would be perfect."

"So if we turn of all Jackson's equipment," Amy guessed, "we can stop any more of you turning up out of the blue."

The Talerian beside her roared with what sounded unsettlingly like laughter.

"We control the Process Chamber. Major Carlisle and Captain Reeve would never get there alive."

In a sudden fury, the Doctor shoved aside the chair in front of Jackson's desk. He leaned right over the desk and stared into Jackson's face. "What gives you the right to take another life form's body? What do you really think you can achieve?"

Jackson stared back at the Doctor the same way he had at Alex when she confronted him – unflinching. "When you've quite finished."

"Oh, I haven't started yet." The Doctor slowly straightened up, one half of his jacket trailing back across the desk. "I came for tea, remember?"

"Enjoy your tea, Doctor," Jackson said. "And you, Miss Pond and Miss Locke. Very soon we'll round up the humans and simply start to process them all again. All except you, Doctor. Yes, you can have your tea. Let's call it a last request, shall we?"

"Oh, let's not," the Doctor said quietly, an undertone of darkness in his voice.

But Jackson didn't seem to notice it. "But it is, I'm afraid. You see, as soon as you've finished, you will die." From behind the desk, Jackson lifted one of the Talerian weapons and aimed it right at the Doctor. "You'll die knowing you've failed, and that Miss Pond and Miss Locke are next in the queue for the process. On its maximum setting, this gun can blast through armor plate. Let's see what it does to a body, shall we?"

* * *

The Doctor busied himself at the tea urn as if he, Amy, and Alex really had just popped into Jackson's office for a chat and refreshments. He lifted the lid and sniffed at the Earl Gray. He took a long-handled spoon from a small rack nearby and stirred the brew slowly and thoroughly.

"Sure you won't?" he asked Amy.

"Not without milk, thanks."

"And I hate tea," Alex said, shuddering.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and turned to the Talerian leader, Raraarg. "And I assume you'll give it a miss. If you ever took on human form, you'd want to try it though." The Doctor held a cup under the urn and turned the tap. "Not that you'll get the chance."

Having poured a second cup, the Doctor walked back to the desk. He passed a cup of tea to Jackson, then pulled up the chair he'd moved aside earlier and plonked himself down on it with a relaxed "Ah!" He then pulled Alex down to sit in his lap, wrapping an arm around her waist as she leaned back into his chest, relishing in his scent. Who knew? It might be the last time she ever smelt it.

Raraarg was wobbling ominously and emitting irritated squelching growls.

Jackson smiled indulgently and sipped his own tea. "Don't worry," he assured his leader. "This will be over soon."

"Not too hot, I hope?" the Doctor asked politely.

"Just how I like it, thank you."

_This is so weird_, Alex thought. Here they were drinking tea with aliens who had made it clear they would kill them or process them and they were all acting calm about it! _Only with the Doctor._

The Doctor set his tea down on the desk and leaned back in the chair. "So, last chance time, then." He tilted his head so he could look at both Raraarg and Jackson. "Are you going to surrender and retreat, never to darken these skies again?"

Jackson laughed. "Very droll, Doctor, in comparison to the chance offered by Miss Locke."

The Doctor whirled to look at Alex. "Really?" he asked.

Amy nodded. "It was quite impressive. She called him Prof if I'm remembering correctly."

The Doctor frowned at Alex. "I'm not sure if I should applaud you or yell at you. Maybe both."

"You can do both later," Alex said easily, not bothered in the slightest.

"Your refusal to admit defeat, Miss Locke, is quite impressive," Jackson complimented. "But I'm afraid it's over."

"You are so right," the Doctor agreed.

"That's a 'No' then, is it?" Alex asked. She had no idea what the Doctor was doing, but he was up to something. She could tell.

Raraarg let out a menacing, throaty growl. The creature's eye rolled angrily. The meaning was obvious – 'Kill him now!'

Jackson held up his hand. "In a moment, I promise you."

"He doesn't know, does he?" the Doctor asked.

Jackson frowned. "Doesn't know what?"

"Last chance – surrender or suffer the consequences."

Raraarg squelched towards the Doctor.

Jackson drained his tea and set the cup down on the desk next to the glass phial still standing there. He raised the gun again. "There will definitely be consequences," he confirmed.

"What doesn't our globby friend know?" Amy prompted.

The Doctor was smiling. "He doesn't know he's been tricked. He doesn't know that Professor Jackson isn't a Talerian at all. It's not us who are being held prisoner here…" He turned towards the shimmering blob. "It's _you_."

The Talerian swung around to stare accusingly at Jackson. "He's bluffing," Jackson said. "I boosted the signal and opened the pathway so you could bring in the attack force. This is his last pathetic attempt to…" Jackson blinked rapidly several times, hesitating as if trying to find the right words. "…to confuse us. To turn us against one another." He leaned forward, glaring at the Doctor across the desk through his pale blue eyes, a development that didn't go unnoticed by Alex.

"Yes?" the Doctor prompted. "Something to tell me?"

"Only that your time is up. I told you that Jackson's mind is completely suppressed by my own."

"So you did. I remember that."

"And I have the back-up copy safely here." He pointed at the small glass phial standing next to the cup on the desk.

"So you do. I can see that."

"You mean that phial?" Amy said.

Alex leaned forward and frowned. "That _empty _phial," she revealed.

Jackson stared down at the little glass bottle. His eyes widened in shock and surprise. Raraarg surged forwards. A glutinous hand snatched up the phial, holding it close to the Doctor's face as the slit-like mouth dribbled and spat. Alex leaned away from the creature as its body shook with agitation.

"Where did it go?" the Doctor interpreted. "Well, I would have thought that was obvious."

"He put it in his tea," Alex realized, nodding at Jackson.

"All the time," Jackson said quietly, in a voice that was somehow warmer and more emotional than before, "every single moment, I knew what was happening. I tried to escape, to find ways out of the prison of my own mind. I managed to get control for long enough to transfer a tiny part of my own memory to Prisoner Nine. I hoped that way to warn you, Doctor. But it was like looking out through windows in my own head. Windows…" He looked at the Doctor. "Of course, that's the answer. I remember what you said, Doctor. Thank you. And goodbye."

"No!" the Doctor shouted. "No, no, no, don't do that!" Alex sprang off his lap as the Doctor reached across the desk, trying to grab Jackson as the man rose to his feet.

Raraarg moved quickly, despite his bulk. The Doctor was knocked sideways as the creature surged forwards. Globby arms lashed out, sending Jackson flying sideways. He crashed to the floor.

"Hold on to something!" the Doctor shouted to Amy and Alex.

Amy and Alex grabbed sides of a bookcase, welded to the wall. "Why?" Amy asked.

Alex's eyes widened in realization. "Just hold on!" she and the Doctor shouted.

Raraarg was bearing down on Jackson. The man pushed himself backwards, scrabbling for the Talerian gun knocked from his hands when he fell. He found it, brought it up, and fired.

Not at the alien creatures about to strike at him, but at the wide picture window behind the desk.

The glass exploded into fragments, which were immediately whipped away as air rushed out of the base. An alarm sounded. The teacup and empty phial on the desk shot out the window as the air escaped. Books were torn from the shelves, papers whipped into a swirling frenzy.

The Talerian leader gave an anguished cry of anger and pain. Then it exploded like a balloon blown up too much. Glutinous, vicious fluid splattered across the room. The plates of armor went flying.

Amy and Alex's hair was blowing around their faces as they held tight to the ends of the bookcase, struggling to brace themselves despite the wind trying to drag them towards the window.

Across the room, Jackson smiled with satisfaction. Then he was gone, his body tumbling across the gray lunar surface, debris and detritus from the base following.

Throughout Base Diana, the Talerians were exploding, just like their leader. With the doors locked open, the whole base depressurized as the air escaped. Atmosphere pumps struggled to keep up. Emergency systems signaled bulkheads to close, but with no effect, thanks to Major Carlisle's earlier sabotage.

At the moment, the Doctor was holding on to the edge of the heavy desk. "Here – help me, Alex!" he yelled.

"I'm not letting go!" she shouted back.

But she was. She could feel her feet being dragged from under her. Fingers slipped on the metal and she shrieked a little in fright.

"I'll catch you!" the Doctor promised. He was not about to let his Ally get sucked off out into outer space.

Alex didn't have any choice in the matter. Her fingers finally lost their grip and she tumbled towards the window.

The Doctor's arm grabbed her as she flew past, dragging her down behind the desk. The whole desk was shifting now, dragged towards the smashed window.

"We'll have to time this just right!" the Doctor shouted above the noise of the rushing air. He was holding tight to one of the two support struts holding up the desk.

Alex nodded. She realized now what he was going to do. She grabbed the other support strut. "Count of three!"

The Doctor grinned. "Three!" he yelled.

At the same moment, they each lifted and flipped the desk over on its side. Caught in the outrush, the desk flew across the room, top surface first. The desk was bigger than the window. It slammed over the hole, sealing it tight. The pressure held the desk incongruously in place, as if it had been glued to the wall.

Alex fell back on the floor, breathing heavily, while the Doctor dusted his hands together. "Result," he said.

"One nil to the good guys," Amy agreed as she released her corpse white fingers from the bookcase.

"We should get to the cafeteria," Alex suggested. "Or to the TARDIS for a nap. Either's good."

The Doctor grinned and leaned down to help her up. "Just as soon as I've sealed this room shut and turned off the homing beam Jackson's equipment is broadcasting. Then, cinnamon buns here we come, oh yes indeed."

* * *

"Without the quantum link," said General Walinski, "Base Diana is unsustainable."

"To be honest, I'm amazed it worked as long as it did," the Doctor told him. "The whole thing was incredibly unstable. Could have failed at any moment."

The Doctor, Amy, and Alex were in Walinski's office with Candace Hecker and Agent Jennings. The Doctor and Amy were sitting in chairs in front of the General's desk. Alex was sitting on the arm of the Doctor's chair.

"You managed to get the quantum displacement systems working long enough for you, Miss Pond, and Miss Locke to get back, I see," Agent Jennings commented.

"Something like that," Amy agreed.

"And Pat Ashton is due to splash down in a couple of hours," Candace reported. "He's a bit low on oxygen, but he'll be fine."

"We'll have to put together another mission to bring everyone back," Walinski said. "Shame they couldn't all come back with you."

Alex gave the Doctor a meaningful look. She had been all for getting everyone on the TARDIS and bringing them back that way, but the Doctor had vetoed that. He had said something along the lines of "My TARDIS, my rules. When you get a TARDIS, you can do whatever you like."

"They were a bit busy," Amy said. "We just snuck out."

"Left them to tidy up, check the base is airtight again, do the washing up," the Doctor said, pointedly ignoring Alex's look. "Oh, and dismantle Jackson's equipment, too, before anyone gets the idea it can be salvaged and tries to get it working again."

"So how do we get them back?" Jennings wanted to know.

"Can we rely on your help again, Doctor?" Candace asked.

"Oh, you know what it's like – things to do, people to visit. Invading aliens to sort out. But I've got some notes you can have on how to adapt one of the decommissioned space shuttles for the flight to the moon. And I'll pop in if I get a chance."

"Why do I feel that's a snub?" Candace said.

"Because it is," Alex smiled at her.

"You'll manage," the Doctor told Candace. "You'll do magnificently."

"What are you going to do with the prisoners?" Alex demanded. She crossed her arms and gave a narrow-eyed stare at the General, who shifted slightly. "They don't deserve to be shipped off to another world like that. It violates all the rights this country was founded upon. It's like blasted England ordering the colonists to pay taxes without representation!" She then winced, realizing what she said, and turned to look at Amy, the redhead giving her a slightly disgruntled look. "No offense!"

"None taken," Amy grumbled.

Jennings, thankfully, chose to end the awkward moment. "Most of them are due for release anyway under the President's new plans. It was Jackson's influence – or rather his alien counterpart's – that kept them up there. The others, well I'll make sure they're dealt with fairly. They'll be properly treated, I assure you."

"They'd better be," the Doctor and Alex said. The Doctor added "We'll be watching."

"I believe you Doctor, Miss Locke."

"I know you want to be on your way," Walinski said, "and no doubt you have your own reports to write and forms to fill in."

"No doubt," the Doctor said.

"But we will need to debrief you all thoroughly. Could take a while, I'm afraid. And I think we all have some pretty searching questions. Obviously I'll clear it with your superiors. Which Agency did you say you were with again?"

The Doctor, Amy, and Alex all exchanged glances. "Tell you what," the Doctor proposed, "why don't we get ourselves some coffee or something and we'll be right back."

Jennings' mouth twitched into a smile beneath his ever-present dark-tinted glasses. "No problem. I think we could all do with a short break."

"Bye then," Amy said. "For now, I mean."

"Yes," the Doctor said. "Bye for now. It's been…real."

Alex only gave a quick finger wave before jumping off the arm of the chair and running to the door. "Come on!" she shouted over her shoulder as she raced off.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he took off after her. "Alexandria, quit running! For Christ's sakes, you were in a _coma!_"

"I told you, I feel fine!" Alex retorted as Amy left as well.

After a moment of snickering, Candace got coffee for the others while they waited for the Doctor, Amy, and Alex to return.

"So what's with that blue cupboard he had brought in?" Walinski asked.

"I didn't see it," Candace admitted. "But I did hear a funny noise – did you? Like a rasping, grating sound."

"Sort of wheezing and groaning?" Walinski said. "We heard that. I think it came from outside. There's a window open somewhere. It blew some papers around the office."

"Except," Agent Jennings said slowly, "this is a secure building. None of the windows open."

Candace shrugged. "Whatever. To be honest, I was paying more attention to the brunette that came with him. Alex right?"

General Walinski nodded. "Alexandria Nicole Locke, to be more precise. I looked her up in the data systems. She's from the G-Locke family. Good girl. Got into Octavian University, if you can believe that."

Candace nodded. "That explains her good looks."

"I remember her parents," Agent Jennings remarked. "Brilliant and good people. They were big supporters of several controversial issues."

"The Liberal Locke's, as they're called," Walinski said. "Whole family's like that."

"Ignoring family history for the moment," Candace interrupted, "didn't you two notice how the Doctor was around her? I knew he was handsome, but I just couldn't see anyone actually being with him, let alone a girl that pretty."

Walinski snorted. "Tell me about it. I wouldn't get any girls wearing a bow-tie, I can tell you that!"

"They're a cute couple though," Candace added. She stared wistfully into her coffee mug. "They seem to go together, like puzzle pieces."

"I never knew you were such a romantic, Hecker."

Candace rolled her eyes. "I'm serious! They just…_fit _together somehow, you know?"

Walinski considered this for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah. I saw it. You're right."

"What about you, Jennings?" Candace asked. "What do you think?"

Jennings took his glasses off and gently rubbed the bridge of his nose where they had been resting. "You know, I'm not sure we're going to see those two, or Miss Pond, again."

"What makes you say that?" Candace asked, puzzled by the switch in topic.

"Just a feeling. At the back of my mind." He smiled suddenly. "And I've read the UNIT files. You're right."

"You mean they are a couple?"

"I can't reveal what's in the files, but I can say this; they do make a good couple."

It struck Candace that she'd never seen Agent Jennings' eyes before. She'd expected them to be as dark and colorless as the lenses of his glasses. But in fact, they were a bright, cheerful green.

* * *

"So, what are we doing?" Alex asked as the Doctor led her into a secluded corner of the library.

After getting back on the TARDIS, most everyone was exhausted. Amy and Alex had gone off to their rooms to take showers and naps. After a five-hour nap, Alex awoke to find a note pushed under her door. It was from the Doctor and only said to meet him in the library when she woke up.

"I am teaching you how to create and control mental shields," the Doctor explained as he directed Alex to two chairs sitting in the middle of an aisle of books. The area was dark, illuminated only by the dim lights of the chandelier's overhead. "You really need them."

Alex nodded and sat down in one of the leather club chairs. She crossed her legs and watched as the Doctor sat across from her. "Okay. But do you really think I can do it?"

"Your mind created a literal cage for the Talerian," the Doctor pointed out. "And it protected your memories of Rory from the crack's influence."

"That's true," Alex mused. "I guess there's no harm in trying."

"Believe me, this will be very beneficial to you, Ally. You'll be able to have a little control over what your mind does without falling unconscious or causing other systems in your body to shut down."

"Okay," Alex nodded. She uncrossed her legs and scooted closer to the Doctor. "What are we going to do first?"

The Doctor scooted his chair closer and leaned forward. He gently put his hands on either side of her head. "First, I'm going to try and attack your mind. When I do, try to envision a bunch of shields coming down around me."

"Okay," Alex said nervously.

"Don't worry, Ally. Nothing bad is going to happen. Are you ready?"

Alex took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."

Without a further word, they began. The Doctor quickly forced himself into Alex's mind, aware of her physical body jumping in surprise when he roughly entered. He found himself in the hallway he had seen on his first venture in her head, but that didn't last for long. Within seconds, gray walls slammed down around him.

He grinned. "Ha, ha! Good job Ally!"

"Thanks," Alex distantly replied. A second later, Alex herself appeared, dressed in the same cheetah-print pajamas her physical self was currently waiting. She leaned against one of the walls, which rattled dangerously under her weight.

The Doctor cringed. "Okay, next exercise. See if you can make these walls stronger."

Alex nodded and closed her eyes. She envisioned the walls getting thicker and more resilient. Within an instant, slamming noises rang out around them. The Doctor reached out and pushed a wall. It didn't move an inch.

"Excellent, Ally. Now, lift the walls up."

Alex nodded and concentrated on envisioning the walls going upwards. A moment later, the walls began to slowly rise from the ground. Once they were above the Doctor's head, they disappeared entirely.

"Yay!" Alex squealed, jumping up and down. "I did it!"

"You're doing marvelous, Ally," the Doctor told her. "Now, see if you can make a shield appear over there." He pointed down the hallway to where an intersection was.

Alex nodded and this time didn't even bother closing her eyes. She simply envisioned a metal shield slamming down, and a second later, one did. The Doctor grinned and picked her up, swinging her around in a circle. "Excellent! You're doing so much better than I thought you would."

"Hey!" Alex cried. "Who's lacking faith now?"

The Doctor chuckled. "You've got me there." He moved to put Alex down, but just as he did, a mental bomb came whizzing towards them, determined to force the Doctor out.

The Doctor and Alex's eyes widened. "STOP!" Alex shrieked just as the bomb neared them. She envisioned the bomb dropping to the ground. A moment later, it surprisingly did just that, dropping to the ground with a clatter and not budging.

"How'd you do that?" the Doctor breathed.

Alex shook her head. "I just pictured it dropping and that's what it did."

The Doctor clutched her closer. "Remarkable, Ally. Truly remarkable."

"I told you not to doubt me."

The Doctor laughed and lowered her to the ground. "Right, I think we have creating mental shields down. Your subconscious has been protecting you for many years and with you in the dark about your abilities, the subconscious brain has been protecting you with no idea on how far to take the protection, except for keeping certain body systems active so you stay alive."

"But now?"

"Now, you have some control. All we have to do is keep practicing and, in time, you'll be able to create shields and protect your mind without relying on the subconscious part of your brain."

Alex grinned. This was perfect! Now, she wasn't so scared of her mental abilities. The idea of actually controlling them was one she really liked.

The two practiced a little bit more, Alex eventually able to conjure up shields just by sheer thought. Soon, the Doctor decided it was time to end. Alex looked a little exhausted. This first practice had nearly drained her.

He slowly pulled out of her mind and found himself back in the library. He became aware of things he hadn't been aware of while in Alex's mind; his back was aching from leaning forwards for so long, the lights in the library had gotten darker, and he was just centimeters away from Alex's lips.

Alex's eyes opened and she groaned. The mental exercises had been educational and beneficial, but also exhausting. Alex felt like her brain was aching. But also, it felt strangely vacant. She knew part of her wasn't missing, but it felt like something was missing that should be there.

"Doctor?" Alex murmured, her voice a little dull from not using it physically for so long.

"Hmm?" the Doctor said, not moving in the slightest.

"Does it…does it feel like there should be something in your mind, but nothing's missing?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "No. But it does in you?"

"Yes."

"I think it's because…" He trailed off for a moment before answering. "I think it's because I was in your mind for so long. You got used to my…well, for lack of a better word, presence."

"Oh," Alex nodded. That made sense. She felt strangely empty now that the Doctor was no longer inside her. It felt so much more intimate, more intimate than sex even. She longed for his presence inside her again.

"Yeah," the Doctor whispered. He was lying. His head felt empty as well, now that he wasn't within Alex's mind. He felt the urge to throw his mind back in there, let Alex's mental shields trap him, and never leave.

Of course, he couldn't do that. But the physical self of the girl whose mind he wanted to inhabit forever was right in front of him.

The Doctor and Alex's eyes moved upwards to look at each-other. The Doctor felt his hearts beat faster as Alex's eyes switched from copper to emerald green. Alex felt her breath hitch as she looked into his deep green depths. She felt like she was looking into his soul, his very being. It was so dark but also so happy as well.

Ever so carefully, their lips began to draw towards each-other. Alex bit her lip enticingly and the Doctor let out a slight groan. God, how he wanted to bite that lip…

But just as they were about to connect, Alex leaned a little too far…and fell right off of her chair. "Oh!" she cried, landing on her back.

The Doctor shook his head to clear the daze that Alex had unintentionally cast upon him. "Alex! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alex assured him. She grabbed a nearby shelf, using it to hoist herself up.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, totally accidental." Alex ran a hand through her hair, knowing that the moment between them had passed and there was no way to recapture it without it looking intentional. "Um, I think I'm going to go to bed. Those mental exercises were rather tiring."

"Oh! Yes, absolutely!" the Doctor agreed, straightening his tweed jacket just so he had something to do. "Of course. Rest. We'll practice more another time."

Alex nodded, not trusting her mouth to babble something that could be potentially embarrassing. She hesitantly released her grip on the shelf, half expecting herself to fall. When she didn't, she hurried out of the library, determined to put whatever had transpired between her and the Doctor behind her.

* * *

_They were leaning closer. Alex longed to feel his touch, or any part of him really, after he had spent so much time in her mind. The experience of him being in her head had been incredible, but now she wanted more._

_ The Doctor and Alex leaned closer to each-other. Almost hesitantly, their lips touched. Alex involuntarily moaned. How often had she thought about doing this ever since that time on the Byzantium? Alex mentally shook her head. She had to concentrate. She was kissing the Doctor!_

_ Their lips began moving together and whatever hesitance that had been there in the beginning quickly flew out the metaphorical window. The Doctor's arms wrapped around Alex's waist to pull her closer, but even that wasn't close enough. Almost as if sensing this, Alex pushed his arms away and, without breaking the kiss, moved to straddle him in his chair._

_ The Doctor leaned back, Alex moving with him. His tongue pried her mouth open and he delved inside. Alex clenched at his jacket lapels in ecstasy while the Doctor's hands went up to tug on her hair, pulling her down to where her body was fully melded with his._

_ Alex licked the Doctor's tongue, eliciting a loud moan from the Time Lord. She smirked a little, pleasantly surprised that she could make the 907 year old alien do such a thing._

_ Sensing that she was smirking at him, the Doctor growled lowly and yanked on a piece of Alex's hair, making her yelp as he maneuvered her to where she was sitting in his lap. He leaned her back against the armrest and began biting her lower lip, making Alex whimper with delight._

_ "Doctor!" she gasped when his lips left hers. However, she wasn't upset for long. He began nibbling at her pulse point before trailing hot open-mouthed kisses down her neck._

_ "Ally," he breathed before kissing and licking the hollow of her throat._

_ Alex moaned, yanked him back up by his hair, and attacked his lips. The two battled for dominance with their tongues, a battle that, not surprisingly, the Doctor won. As he controlled their kiss, he moved his hands up her body, playing with the hem of her pajama top._

_ "Thought you liked exploring, Doc," Alex retorted, pulling back from the kiss slightly._

_ He chuckled and gathered her up in his arms, ready to move her to a more comfortable space. "Believe me Ally, I do."_

Alex sat up in bed with a gasp. Holy crap, what was _that_? She had dreamt of her and the Doctor kissing, but it had always stayed pretty PG-13, i.e. no hint of sexual contact at all. Making out? She could handle that. But this dream had been so much more intense. And she hated to say it, but she kind of liked it.

Alex flopped back on her pillow, aware of the dampness on the back of her neck and how certain parts of her body were warmer than others. She kicked the covers off. Thanks to that dream, she was way too hot. She sighed. This would be a long night.

* * *

_He had her pinned up against the TARDIS. His hands trailed down her sides, making her giggle a little into the kiss. He would've teased her for doing such a thing while they were making out, but he liked hearing that sound far too much to force it to end. _

_ He had to admit, he hadn't predicted that she would come on to him after Amy went off to find Rory at his stag party. His first thought, as she started moving onto his lap, had been to resist and point out how much older he was than her, but he quickly shoved it aside. He wanted this as well, possibly more._

_ Somehow, they had ended up from their position on Amy's bed to Alex being pinned up against the TARDIS, his body the only thing keeping her imprisoned. He liked this idea more than he probably should._

_ Now, he sucked on her bottom lip, eliciting a moan from Alex. Her eyes fluttered close and she blindly tugged on his braces to get him closer to her. She pulled back slightly from him, but only to open her mouth to him fully. Grinning, he delved into her._

_ "Oh!" she gasped. Her tongue darted out to meet his, and they did a complicated battle for dominance which he won, not surprisingly._

_ He trailed his tongue over the roof of her mouth but jumped and groaned in surprise when Alex rolled her hips against his. He felt a flood of arousal go southwards and he knew he needed her closer to him. Growling playfully, he lifted her up, keeping her pressed against the blue wood of the TARDIS exterior._

_ Alex clutched clumps of his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Doctor," she groaned._

_ He didn't respond back, instead choosing to run his hands up under her t-shirt dress. Alex's head banged back against the TARDIS as he did this. "Doctor!"_

_ "Sorry, Ally. Too fast?" He didn't want to stop, but he would if she wasn't ready._

_ Alex shook her head and he saw a challenging sparkle appear in her newly opened eyes. "No. Not fast enough." She reached down and undid his bow-tie in one move, twirling it idly between her fingers as her other hand shoved his braces down. She smirked. "God, you're rubbish at this."_

_ His face went from lust-filled to offended. "Rubbish?" he cried. He pulled her closer to him and began to tug the zipper down on the back of her dress. "That rubbish?"_

_ Alex ran her hand up to pop the buttons on his shirt. "Not really." As she slowly began undoing buttons, she leaned in to whisper in his ear "Maybe we should take this elsewhere. I don't think Amy would appreciate seeing us use her bed as a dance floor." She then began nibbling and sucking on his earlobe. "My room?"_

_ He moaned and gathered her up in his arms, kicking the door to the TARDIS open. "No, I have a much better idea." _

The Doctor sat upwards with a startled gasp. His hearts were beating rapidly. It felt as though they were going to break through his skin with their incessant pounding. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "That is the last time I sleep," he muttered, falling back into the bed.

He rolled over, trying to ignore the feelings of arousal and lust running through his body, just begging to be unleashed on Alex. He couldn't believe that dream. It had felt so real, no doubt inspired by what he secretly wished happened in Amy's room after their encounter with the Weeping Angels.

He groaned and yanked the pillow over his head. Rassilon, what was he thinking? He could _not _get involved with Alex! It would end in nothing but heartbreak and bitterness and self-loathing.

Besides, this dream had only been caused because he was still recovering from the intimateness he had felt while inside Alex's mind. He really should've known better. Entering another person's mind was the equivalent of seeing their soul. Entering someone's mind had been done for only two reasons on Gallifrey; to find out what they knew for trial and torture purposes, and for weddings, specifically the Mind-Melding between husband and wife.

He remembered when Alex had suggested Mind-Melding as a possibility for the Dream Lord and their shared dreams. He had thought his head would combust from hearing her say those words, but he had somehow managed to hide his true reaction and mask it with genuine approval for her mind and its eagerness to figure out the truth.

He removed the pillow from his head and placed it back beneath his head. Regardless of what he may or may not feel for Alex, he couldn't get attached to her, let alone kiss her. He could enjoy her company, but that was it. She would be gone all too soon and he'd be left bitter and brokenhearted until the next companion came along.

Still, the intensity of the dream refused to leave him. Groaning, the Doctor closed his eyes, determined to try and sleep for a few hours. He did need a little sleep, otherwise he'd pass out on the console, like that one time when Martha was traveling with him. That had been embarrassing.

He sighed. It was going to be a long night.

A/N: And that's the end of 'Apollo 23'! If you're still reading this after 54 chapters, thank you so much! I never thought this story would be THIS long! Up next are the Pandorica episodes which I know you are all excited about. And who liked the fluffy Dalex bits at the end? :)

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Lol, I'm glad you two love the story so much! :) Yeah, the Talerians are really gross, kinda like the Slitheen. Yeah, Jack IS awesome! If only they didn't torture him so much on _Torchwood_... :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Well, that was the last of the cliffhangers! :) Ooh, that is a good idea. Didn't happen here, but it might crop up in another story. 'The Curse of the Black Spot' has a lot of water in it... :} Yes, he called her cute! AND had a sexy dream about her! :D

**TheGirlBehindTheRayBands **- Thank you! That means a lot! :) You got TWO steamy make-outs in this chapter, albeit in dreams, but still! :) The Pandorica episodes start tomorrow! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Don't worry, that was the last of the cliffhangers...for now. :} Yep, those are some ugly aliens. :)

**jesterlover - **Thanks! I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed such a long fanfic (and there's still more to go!) Alex's 'Doctor' speech is pretty cool. Another reason I love her. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Plan B worked here along with a quick Plan C. :) Glad you liked the reunion. They HAD to hug after being separated for so long. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! :)

**Neko 97** - Lol, those two love messing with him, don't they? :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass** - Don't worry about the quoting. :) If it helps, a lot of things I encounter every day remind me of some Doctor Who moment. For example, in history, we were studying Shakespeare and I thought, 'saw him on Doctor Who'. :) 'Brain Storm'...glad you like it, but it still may need some tweaking. :) Yep, Alex is back and with it, Dalex is reunited! :) I haven't read 'Anne Frank', but I do recommend 'Of Mice and Men'. Despite how sad it is, it's a good story. :) Yep, I've got art every school day. A coffeemaker? Nice! I don't drink coffee, but I'm sure a coffeemaker in a classroom is heaven for coffee-drinkers. :) I know, I can't wait for Clara and Alex to meet too! I will say Alex and Clara will have a good relationship, both of them ganging up on the Doctor at times, and that Alex will be mega-curious about her. Clara will also be witness to some important moments in the Dalex relationship. :) Ooh...there's quite an interesting thing that comes up in JTTCOTT involving Alex and her absence in 'The Snowmen', but I won't say what it is though. :)

**ShadowTeir** - That's alright. I heard there were some glitches on FF yesterday. :) Glad you liked both chapters! Lol, yeah, the Doctor is such an idiot in that part, isn't he? :)


	55. The Pandorica Opens Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

It was a rainy night in Arles, France. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed violently in the sky. The rain banged down like hail. All in all, the weather seemed to perfectly match the mood in Vincent Van Gogh's cottage.

The artist screamed uncontrollably. Dr. Gachet and a nearby local woman had been able to move him to the couch, but were unable to do anything else. Vincent still continued to scream, tears falling down his face as this latest fit seized hold of him like a wildfire.

"Vincent, can you hear me?" Dr. Gachet called. "Please!"

Madame Vernet simply rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in an exasperated manner. "It's not enough he goes drinking all-round the town. Now the whole neighborhood has to listen to his screaming!" she complained.

Dr. Gachet gave her a stern look. It was truly unbelievable the way some people acted. "He's very ill, Madame Vernet!" he retorted before turning back to Vincent. Luckily, the man had calmed down a bit, his screaming reduced to mere whimpers.

Dr. Gachet stepped over beside Madame Vernet. She was standing before a strange painting he had not seen before. It was resting next to two of Vincent's other works, one a vase of sunflowers made out to someone named Amy, and another of beautiful red roses in a hazel-colored vase. Dr. Gachet knew that this one, _Ally's Roses_, was the talk of the town, and was the only one anyone wanted to buy. Vincent, for some reason, refused to sell it though.

"Look at this," Madame Vernet said, waving a hand to the latest painting. "Even worse than his usual rubbish!" She cocked her head a little and squinted at the canvas. "What's it supposed to be?"

* * *

Dr. Bracewell kept a tight grip on the painting in his arms as he walked to the Prime Minister's office. Above him, the ceiling rattled, sending flakes of concrete tumbling down as another German Air Raid made its way through London. He ignored it though. This painting was far more important than those blasted Germans.

He quickly reached the Prime Minister's office. He gently knocked at the open door. Winston Churchill looked up. "Yes, what is it?" he barked.

"A painting, sir."

Winston frowned. "A painting?" he repeated. "How is that going to help us defeat the Germans?"

Bracewell gave him a very patient look. "With respect sir," he said as he walked to the desk, "I really think you'd better take a look at this."

Winston grasped the painting and lifted the protective covering off it. Once it was unveiled, he set it on the desk and stood up. He looked at Bracewell questioningly.

"It was found behind the wall, in an attic in France," Bracewell explained. "It's genuine. It's a Van Gogh."

"Why bring it to me?" Winston wondered.

"Because it's obviously a message, and you can see who it's for."

Winston shrugged. "Can't say I understand it."

"You're not supposed to _understand_ it, Prime Minister," Bracewell said. "You're supposed to _deliver _it."

* * *

Rain pounded against the barred window of River Song's cell. Thunder rumbled and lightning occasionally flashed, as it did all the time here. This continued weather pattern should've been annoying, but River had long grown used to the practices employed by the Stormcage Containment Facility.

She was writing in her diary just as the phone outside her cell rang. A nearby guard answered it. "Cell four six two. The Doctor?"

River looked up on this. She quickly tossed her diary aside and rushed to the bars of her cell. "Do you mean Dr. Song?" the guard asked whoever was on the other end of the phone.

"Give me that!" River demanded, stretching a hand out through the bars. "Seriously, just give it to me. I'm entitled to phone calls."

Though the guard looked reluctant, he handed over the phone. River clutched it to her ear. "Doctor?" she asked.

"_No, and neither are you,_" Winston Churchill retorted. "_Where is he?_"

"You're phoning the Time Vortex," River explained. "It doesn't always work. But the TARDIS is smart. She's re-routed the call." River looked up, giving the guard a wary look. "Talk quickly. This connection will last less than a minute." She turned around in a weak attempt at privacy.

Almost a minute later, the guard demanded "Dr. Song! Are you finished with that?"

River turned back around and disconnected. As she passed the phone to him through the bars, she took a quick look at the guard. He was young and fresh-faced, clearly new, and that made him entirely vulnerable. She smiled sweetly at him. "You're new here, aren't you?"

The guard shrugged sheepishly. "First day," he admitted.

River's smile turned a little sad. "Then I'm very sorry," she apologized, before yanking the guard down by his collar and kissing him.

She released him after a few seconds, grateful that she had had the sense to put her hallucinogenic lipstick on today. Acting quickly, she packed a bag and loosened the bars on the window. River glanced over at the guard. He was looking a little glassy-eyed, meaning that the lipstick's effects were getting to him. She yanked a mascara off her nightstand and hastily scribbled a little stick-figure of herself saying 'bye' on the wall. Then, in just a few short seconds, she was gone.

* * *

It didn't take River long to figure out where to go next. Winston had told her that he was supposed to save the painting for her in the future. Where else would a painting be safe but in a museum? Better yet, what about the Royal Collection?

River trailed her flashlight along the dark halls of the Royal Collection. She was amazed by the amount of empty frames here and by how the paintings that were here were dangling from their frames, just barely hanging on. Either this place had been robbed a lot or the Royal Collection just wasn't well maintained.

Thankfully, the painting River was looking for was still here. She studied it for a few seconds, taking it in. Taking a deep breath, she tore it from the frame and rolled it up. Now, she needed to get out of here. She raced towards the stairs. She was about halfway up when the lights suddenly came on. River looked over, stunned to see the Queen of England standing before her, a gun in her hand.

_Okay, robbed a lot then, _she decided.

"This is the Royal Collection, and I'm the Bloody Queen," Liz 10 told her. Since her encounter with the Doctor, her body clock had been switched off. A fine streak of gray now decorated her hair. "What are you doing here?"

River held up her hands in a non-confrontational pose, the painting still clutched in one hand. "It's about the Doctor and Alex, Ma'am. You met them once, didn't you? I know they came here."

Within an instant, Liz's demeanor changed. Her face broke out into a smile and she lowered her gun. "The Doctor and Alex?" she breathed.

"They're in trouble," River informed her, stepping closer. "I need to find them."

Liz frowned. "Then why are you stealing a painting?"

River unrolled the painting and held it out to her. "Look at it," she urged. "I need to find the Doctor and Alex, and I need to show them this."

* * *

The Maldovarium night-club was especially popular tonight. Music and laughter drifted through the beaded curtain that led to the private table River was sitting at. Across from her was a blue-skinned alien. Dorium was the best con-man around and that was why River had gone to him first.

"Well now, word on the Belt is you're looking for time travel," Dorium commented.

"Are you selling?" River inquired.

Dorium snapped his fingers. A second later, an alien stepped through the beaded curtain, carrying a large wooden box. "A vortex manipulator," Dorium said as he took the box. "Fresh off the wrist of a handsome Time Agent."

_Not Jack Harkness, I hope, _River thought. The Doctor had vaguely told her about Jack. As she recalled, it was shortly after the Doctor and Alex visited Torchwood and Jack had hit on the brunette. Needless to say, the Doctor's comments about Jack hadn't exactly been good, even though he did consider the man a friend.

Dorium opened the box, took one look, and sighed. "I said _off _the wrist." He glared pointedly at the alien as he handed the box back to him. Once the alien had walked off, Dorium added "Not cheap, Dr. Song. Have you brought me a pretty toy?"

River reached up and took off one of her earrings. "This is a Calisto Pulse. It can disarm micro-explosives from up to twenty feet."

"What kind of micro-explosives?" Dorium asked, taking a sip of his wine.

River smiled at him, a great big crocodile grin she had learned from Alex. "The kind I just put in your wine."

Dorium spat, but he knew it was too late. The micro-explosives were already inside him. It looked like River was going off with a brand new vortex manipulator, no charge.

* * *

Amy sat beneath the TARDIS console in the little swing the Doctor used when he made repairs. She peered closely at the diamond engagement ring in the little red velvet box. It had been almost a week since she found it in the Doctor's jacket. She wasn't sure why she was hanging on to it, but she got the feeling that it was important that she did.

She wanted to ask the Doctor why he had an engagement ring in his jacket. Was it for her? Amy shook her head. No, that was just ridiculous. It was probably for Alex. That made more sense. But the Doctor and Alex weren't dating, far from it actually. Also, this ring was too big for Alex's small fingers. Amy got the suspicion it might fit her just right though.

She was just about to edge the ring out from the box when the Doctor's head appeared, hanging upside down. "Vavoom!" he cried.

Amy quickly hid the ring-box in her hand and stared at him weirdly. "Va-_what_?" she repeated.

A second later, Alex's head appeared right next to him. "You have to admit, that was pretty stupid," she remarked, Amy snorting in agreement.

The Doctor quickly stood, pulling Alex up as he did so. Alex darted to the Doctor's side by the console as Amy ran up the stairs, shoving the ring-box in her jacket pocket.

"I can't believe I've never thought of this before!" the Doctor cried as he began to work the controls. "It's genius!"

"What is?" Alex questioned. She hated not knowing things.

But the Doctor ignored her, concentrating on piloting the TARDIS to wherever he wanted to take them. A moment later, the familiar wheezing, groaning materialization noise rang out and the TARDIS landed with a thump. "Right! Landed. Come on!" he cried, grabbing Alex's hand to pull her to the doors.

"Where are we?" Amy questioned as she hurried after them.

"Planet One," the Doctor explained, stopping in his tracks on the platform to turn and answer her. Beside him, Alex about fell, but caught herself. "The oldest planet in the universe. And there's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing. Letters fifty feet high. A message from the dawn of time. And no one knows what it says, because no one's ever translated it. Till today."

"What happens today?" Amy asked.

"The TARDIS translation systems right?" Alex guessed.

The Doctor nodded. "The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history."

Alex beamed. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" She immediately ran off, still clutching the Doctor's hand. Amy giggled a little as she watched this role-reversal. Usually the Doctor was pulling Alex after him; now it was the other way around!

They all hurried out the door. Alex looked around excitedly at the vast jungle terrain they were currently in. She then turned to the huge diamond cliff in front of them. It shined in the sun. It was so dazzling and shiny that Alex actually had to cover her eyes so that she could see the massive writing on it. But once she did though, her face fell.

On the cliff were the massive words _Hello Sweetie_, along with Old High Gallifreyan symbols that Alex guessed were coordinates. She groaned. She did like River a little bit, the woman wasn't all that bad, but Alex really didn't want to see her. Did that big-haired blonde actually think she could just leave a message and coordinates and the Doctor would come to her, like a puppy coming to the crooned finger of his master?

The Doctor stared at the cliffs, totally silent. Beside him, Amy laughed. "Vavoom!" she smirked.

"Don't tell me," Alex said. "We're going to wherever those coordinates are."

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, although Alex noticed it was slightly hesitant. He looked over at her, remembering her and River's last encounter. While it seemed as though the two didn't outright hate each-other, there was some kind of rivalry and tension between them. "Are you okay?"

Alex nodded, her face blank, and she crossed her arms. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "We get to visit the slutty poodle again." With that, she turned on her heel and calmly walked back into the TARDIS.

The Doctor winced. "Did she-?"

"Yes," Amy confirmed, a little surprised that Alex had called River that. Well, at least it wasn't anything more vulgar.

The Doctor sighed and headed for the doors. _This should be fun, _he thought.

* * *

A little while later, the TARDIS materialized at the area River had directed them to. The Doctor was the first one out, followed by Amy, Alex dead last.

"Right place?" Alex asked. She looked around curiously. They had landed on a hill at the edge of some woods. It was a nice, calm afternoon. The wind rustled through her hair, making it fan around her face and her white dress with a pink and blue floral pattern gather around her skinny-jean clad legs.

"Just followed the coordinates on the cliff face," the Doctor said. He looked down and checked his watch. "Earth. Britain. One oh two a.m." He frowned and tapped the watch. "No, p.m."

"I think you mean A.D.," Alex told him. She pointed down below them where several tents had been pitched up, Roman soldiers walking amongst them.

"That's a Roman Legion!" Amy breathed.

"Well, yeah," the Doctor said. "The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."

"Oh, I know," Amy revealed. "My favorite topic at school. Invasion of the hot Italians."

The Doctor stared at her and Alex snickered. "And guess who got marked off for the title?" Alex added. Amy only shrugged.

Alex turned to study the legion some more. Just as she did, she spotted movement heading their way. "Doctor!" she cried as a Roman soldier ran up to them.

The soldier saluted, pounding a fist over his heart, before dropping to his knees. "Hail, Caesar!" he panted, causing the Doctor to frown in confusion.

"Hi," the Doctor slowly replied.

"Welcome to Britain! We are honored by your presence."

"Well, you're only human," the Doctor blurted. He lifted his hand up in an upwards motion and in a more commanding voice, ordered "Arise, Roman person."

"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Amy murmured as the soldier stood.

Alex watched as the soldier stood. It was then that she noticed the soldier had a dark shade of lipstick on the corner of his mouth, the print in the shape of lips. "Cleopatra will see you now."

The Doctor held tight to Alex's hand as they were led through the Roman legion camp. Around them, soldiers bustled to various places, some polishing weapons and metal, others eating, a few laughing. It seemed so nice and peaceful, completely the opposite of where River would send them.

They soon reached a large, grand tent. It looked fit for a queen or even Julius Caesar himself. The soldier held the tent flat up and the time-travelers all ducked under. Alex blinked a little as she stepped inside, soon able to take in the sight before her.

It was River, elegantly dressed in royal Egyptian clothes, complete with a black wig on her head. Two servants were tending to her, fanning her with enormous fans. River lounged on a couch, a goblet almost at her lips. She lowered it long enough to smile at them. "Hello sweetie," she said to the Doctor.

"River!" Amy exclaimed. Why that girl liked River, Alex would never understand. "Hi."

The Doctor approached River, a scowl on his face. He kept a tight grip on Alex as he went over to the woman. "You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe!" he scolded.

River didn't seem bothered though. "_You _wouldn't answer your phone," she retorted. She then looked over and smiled slightly at Alex. "Hello, Ally."

"River," Alex nodded. "And I don't like to be called that."

"I need some form of entertainment when I'm around you," River said. Alex opened her mouth to reply, but closed it after a moment. She guessed she couldn't argue with that.

River clapped her hands twice and one of her servants handed her a rolled-up sheet of paper. River waited until they had left before holding the paper out in offering to the Doctor.

"What's this?" the Doctor demanded, eyeing the paper but not taking it.

"It's a painting," River explained. "Your friend, _Vincent_." This seemed to be the magic word, for the Doctor grabbed the painting and began unrolling it as he headed towards a nearby table, Alex a step behind him. River followed them. "One of his final works," she added. "He had visions, didn't he? I thought you two ought to know about this one."

The Doctor finished unrolling the painting and spread it out across the table. For a moment, there was total silence as they all stared at it. Finally, Amy breathed "Doctor? Doctor, what is this?"

Alex stared in horror at the painting. It appeared to be some version of _Starry Night_, only this one featured the TARDIS exploding in the middle. _Well, at least it was well done, _Alex thought before shaking her head, unable to believe her cynicism. _Focus Alexandria Nicole!_

"Why is it exploding?" Amy continued to press. The Doctor only sat down heavily in a nearby chair and sighed. Alex went over to him, sitting on the armrest. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I assume it's some kind of warning," River guessed.

"What, something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" Amy asked hysterically.

"It might not be that literal," River assured her while the Doctor and Alex looked at each-other, remembering the piece of the TARDIS the Doctor had pulled out from the crack in the Silurian's cave. "Anyway, this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?"

"Does it have a title?" Alex asked.

"_The Pandorica Opens_," River revealed.

"The Pandorica?" Amy repeated as the Doctor softly snorted. "What is it?"

"A box, a cage, a prison," River replied. "It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."

"And it's a fairy tale, a legend," the Doctor insisted. He stood up to pace, Alex remaining on the chair. "It _can't _be real!"

"If it's real, it's here and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding," River retorted as the Doctor grabbed some nearby scrolls and spread them out over the painting, not wanting to look at the disturbing image any longer. "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map."

"No," Alex agreed, her brain having already figured it out. She stood up and walked over to them. "But if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe…"

"You'd want to remember where you put it," she and the Doctor finished together.

River sighed. "So annoying," she muttered.

But the Doctor and Alex ignored her. "It has to be at some kind of landmark," Alex figured.

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed. He leaned down close to the map, almost to where his nose was touching it. "Something that will last for a thousand years, even longer, without any damage."

Alex scanned the map, her finger running over areas that, in her time, were completely modernized. But then, she spotted one area she knew hadn't changed at all. "What about here?" she asked, tapping her finger to a certain section of the map.

"Where?" the Doctor murmured, looking at a completely different area.

Alex sighed and grabbed a piece of his hair, causing him to jump with a high-pitched yelp. Alex directed his head to the spot she was indicating before releasing him. The Doctor rubbed the back of his head a little, but quickly forgot all about it as he saw the area Alex had decided on. He grinned. "Brilliant!" he enthused, kissing Alex on the forehead.

He turned to a baffled looking River and Amy. "Can you arrange some horses for us?" he asked River.

"Yes," River confirmed.

"Where are we going?" Amy demanded, peering over at the map.

The Doctor raced out of the tent, Alex just behind him. "Stonehenge!" they shouted as they raced off.

* * *

A little while later, the four rode their horses to Stonehenge. Everybody had been shocked to learn that Alex did not know how to ride a horse, despite the Doctor's protests that she had 'grown up in the horse capital of the world'. Since there was no time to teach Alex how to ride, she had ended up sharing one with the Doctor. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and her eyes rightly shut as the horse galloped at speeds she was sure would cause her to fall off if she let go of the Doctor.

Much to Alex's relief, they eventually came to a stop just a short distance away from the large stone monument. "That was horrible," she shuddered as the Doctor helped her dismount.

He shook his head at her. "I'm teaching you how to ride," he told her. "It was hard to concentrate with your nails digging into my sides." Truthfully, he hadn't minded at all. He could feel Alex's frantic heartbeat against his back and her nails had not been digging into him. The fact that she was so close to him had been a serious delight for him.

The Doctor and River headed off to scan the stones. Alex and Amy hung back to stare up at the monument. "How come it's not new?" Amy asked, noticing how old the stones looked and that a few had already fallen down. In fact, it looked exactly the same as the modern-day one.

"Because it's already old," River explained, not even looking up from her work. "It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

Alex went over to the Doctor, balancing on her tip-toes to look over his shoulder at his sonic screwdriver. "Maybe we should figure out how old sometime," she suggested.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder to smile at her a little. "Perhaps, Ally."

"Okay, this Pandorica thing," Amy began, heading over to River. "Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the _Byzantium_."

"Spoilers," River warned. She placed a finger over her lips, telling Amy not to say anything more.

But Amy didn't seem to get it. "No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens."

"Maybe I did," River casually agreed, "but I _haven't _yet. But I w_ill _have."

"Time travel, Ames," Alex explained, stepping away from the Doctor and over to her friend. "She meets us in the wrong order. Her past is our future." Amy nodded, getting this logic.

"Doctor!" River called. She examined her equipment with a puzzled expression on her face. "I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history," the Doctor explained, jumping up to stand on one of the rocks.

"Half the galaxy would want that," Alex realized. She felt the terror inside her increase by a thousand as she thought of the Daleks of any of the other races the Doctor had told her about getting the power inside the Pandorica.

The Doctor nodded grimly. "Maybe even fight over it. We need to get down there."

Alex hung back as the Doctor hopped off the rock and began helping River with whatever they needed to do to get down to the Pandorica. She looked up at the blue sky, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was so worried something bad was going to happen. Was this what creatures like Prisoner Zero and Rosanna had been warning them about? Alex wasn't sure what silence falling had to do with the Pandorica opening, but she was sure she'd find out soon enough.

Alex was so caught up in her thoughts that, at first, she didn't even notice the Doctor approaching her. He tapped her on the shoulder, but she didn't respond. Frowning worriedly, he knelt down in front of her and waved a hand before her eyes. Alex jumped and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Ally?" he whispered. He reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?" _Stupid question, _he thought. _Of course's she not okay!_

"I'm fine," Alex said.

The Doctor gave her a look. "Alex."

Alex sighed. She couldn't lie to him. "I'm just… I'm just worried, that's all."

The Doctor nodded. "I know. So am I."

Alex smiled a little at the thought of him worrying. But she knew that if the Doctor was worried about something, then it wasn't a good thing. "This Pandorica…what could possibly be inside it? What could be so horrible that war would practically be unleashed over it?"

The Doctor sighed. He stood up and pulled Alex into a hug. "I don't know," he admitted, keeping her tightly in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. "But I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

* * *

It was nighttime by the time the Doctor and River were able to figure out how to open the hatch that led down to the Pandorica. Alex watched, curious and a little bit afraid, as River placed a device on each corner of the center altar stone inside Stonehenge. She stood back and tapped into her handheld. "Right then," she murmured. "Ready."

A moment later, the sound of machinery moving filed the air. The group watched as the rock slowly slid away to reveal a stone staircase leading downwards. River shined a light down into the dark abyss.

"The Underhenge," the Doctor murmured, clearly in awe. He gripped Alex's hand tightly and went down the stairs.

Using his free hand, the Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver and held it out in front of him, ready to ward off anyone or anything that may try and harm them. The group went single-file down the stairs and through a narrow tunnel, before finally going into a larger room with torches along all the walls. The Doctor lit one with his sonic, River lighting hers with his. They then went to a large door. The Doctor and River unbarred the door before pushing it open.

They found themselves in a much larger room. In the center of the room was a giant box with matching circular symbols on all four walls. "It's a Pandorica," the Doctor breathed.

"More than just a fairy tale," Alex commented. She stepped closer to the box, but suddenly found herself tripping. She managed to catch her balance, but jumped back in surprise when she saw what she had tripped on. It was the severed arm of a Cyberman.

"Doctor," she whimpered, remembering what the Doctor had told her about the Cybermen. She found it horrifying that humans from the future would willingly robotize their bodies and remove all their emotions.

The Doctor raced over to her and pulled her away from the arm. "I know," he murmured, seeing her terrified expression. He hated seeing her so scared. He hoped he could settle this Pandorica business quickly so he could get her out of here. "Don't worry. It's probably nothing."

Alex didn't believe that for a minute, but nodded anyways. She knew the Doctor was trying to comfort her and not scare her any more than she already was. "Will you tell me about the Pandorica, Doctor?" she asked.

The Doctor seemed a little hesitant, but finally nodded. Grasping Alex's hand, he inched closer to the Pandorica until he could finally place his hand on it. His face fell slightly as he realized the Pandorica was truly here. "There was a goblin," he began, "or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day, it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"How did it end up in there?" Amy asked, getting the courage to use her voice.

"You know fairy tales," the Doctor replied. "A good wizard tricked it."

River groaned. "I hate good wizards in fairy tales," she confessed. She passed her torch to Amy so that she could examine the Pandorica as well. "They always turn out to be _him_."

Alex smirked. "As it should be."

The Doctor smiled down at her. "Thank you, Ally."

Amy shook her head, deciding to say something before they could start flirting. "So, it's like Pandora's Box, then?" she asked. "Almost the same name."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor said, placing his torch in a handle near the giant box.

"The story," Amy elaborated. "Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favorite book when I was a kid."

The Doctor ran his sonic on one of the circles on the side of the Pandorica, before turning to Amy and approaching her, a frown on his face. Alex followed, as usual.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked as he came up to her, still frowning.

"Your favorite school topic. Your favorite story," the Doctor listed. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence."

Alex frowned at him. "That doesn't sound like something you should do." The Doctor ignored her, suggesting that she was probably right.

"So can you open it?" River asked him.

"Easily," the Doctor replied, walking back over to the Pandorica. "Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

"You won't have long to wait," River informed him. She had her handheld up to a side of the box, scanning it. "It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled one by one. Like its being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" Alex asked, crossing her arms as she stared at the box in wonder.

"Hours at the most," River guessed.

"What kind of security?" the Doctor asked.

"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines."

The Doctor shook his head in amazement. "What could need all that?" he wondered.

"What could get past all that?" Alex said. Although she wasn't sure what the things River listed were, she knew they were major obstacles not everyone could get past, let alone unlock.

"Think of the fear that went into making this box," the Doctor muttered, not really paying attention to Alex. "What could inspire that level of fear?" He approached the box and placed a hand on it. "Hello, you. Have we met?"

"So why would it start to open now?" River asked.

"No idea," the Doctor admitted.

Amy cleared her throat, not liking that she was being ignored. "And how could Vincent have known about it?" she questioned. "He won't even be born for centuries."

The Doctor looked at the pillars leading from the door to the Pandorica. Using the sonic on them, he announced "The stones. These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening."

River frowned as she listened to his words. "Doctor, everyone, everywhere?" she repeated.

"Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams," the Doctor went on, not seeming to hear her. He began pacing back and forth in front of the box. "But what's in there? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, _everyone_?" River repeated, louder this time.

"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it," the Doctor insisted, continuing to pace. "Why don't I know?"

"Doctor, you said everyone could hear it," River reminded him.

Alex's eyes widened as she realized what River was saying. "So who else is coming?" she finished.

The Doctor stopped pacing, his eyes widening as he stared at them. "Oh," he realized.

"Oh?" Amy repeated. "Oh, what?"

River and him exchanged a glance, the former quickly marching to a nearby pillar. "Okay," she began, pressing her scanner to it, "If it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal."

"Doing it," the Doctor called back as he scanned the stones with his sonic.

"Doing what?" Amy demanded, looking around at them.

"Stonehenge is transmitting," Alex explained.

"It's been transmitting for a while," River added. "So who heard?"

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now!" the Doctor called to her. After a moment, he asked "River, what's out there?"

"Give me a moment," River said as she studied her scanner intently.

"River, quickly. Anything?" he pressed.

River made a slight sound of horror, causing everyone to look at her. She was staring at the scanner in horror, which didn't do anything to help calm Alex down. "Around this planet, there are at least ten thousand starships," she reported.

"At _least_?" Alex scoffed. That was a big help!

River gave her a slightly irritated look, but it quickly went away as she turned back to the scanner. "Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, I don't know!" she cried. "There's too many readings."

"What kind of starships?" the Doctor demanded.

They didn't have to wait long. As if on cue, a voice came out from the scanner. "_Maintaining orbit!_" a Dalek voice called out.

Another Dalek chimed in. "_I obey. Shield cover compromised on ion sectors._"

"Daleks," Alex breathed. She wasn't scared of the Daleks, per say, but she was scared of the events that could possibly happen now that they were here.

"_Scan detects no temporal activity,_" the first Dalek reported.

"_Soft grid scan commencing!_"

"_Reverse thrust for compensatory stabilization_."

"Daleks, Doctor," River said, as if Alex hadn't said anything at all.

Still, her words forced the Doctor into action. "Yes," he chirped as he began pacing again, this time tossing his screwdriver from one hand to another to bring the nerves home. "Okay, okay, okay. Dalek fleet, minimum twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth. Ah! But we've got surprise on our side. They'll never expect four people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships…because we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise." He hit himself on the head with the screwdriver. "Forget surprise."

Suddenly, a new voice rang out from the scanner. "_Course correction proceeding._"

"Doctor, Cyberships!" River called out, now standing at a new pillar.

"No, _Dalek_ ships," the Doctor insisted. "Listen to them! Those are Dalek ships."

"Yes," River conceded. "Dalek ships _and _Cyberships!"

"Well, we need to start a firefight," he suggested as River darted to another pillar. "Turn them on each other. That's easy. It's the Daleks. They're so cross-,"

"Sontaran!" River interrupted. "Four battle fleets!"

"Sontarans?" Alex repeated. She'd never heard the Doctor mention them before.

"Sontarans!" the Doctor repeated. "Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?"

"Terileptil," River announced. She blinked at all the new incoming reports before quickly beginning to list all of the aliens outside. "Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin. Sycorax, Haemogoth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian. They're all here for the Pandorica."

During this, the Doctor's face had fallen considerably. Daleks and Cybermen were one thing, but all those species alongside them? It was insane! He'd be insane for even attempting to fight them. He turned around to look at the Pandorica, the common denominator in all of this. "What are you?" he asked, looking at the box in a mixture of awe and disbelief. "What could you _possibly _be?"

Suddenly, he turned and ran toward the exit, pausing only to grab Alex's hand and pull her along. River and Amy ran after them all the way up to the top. Once above ground, they stopped and stared. The dark sky was filled with numerous spaceships, their lights flashing as they whizzed by.

"What do we do?" Amy murmured at the sight.

_What can we do?_ Alex thought. No, there had to be some way to solve all this. Alex trusted the Doctor. She was sure he'd be able to find some way out of this.

"Doctor, listen to me," River demanded, causing Alex to look at her. River actually looked properly scared and worried. "Everything that ever hated you and/or Alex is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even _fight _it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, for Alex's sake, _please_, you _have_ to run!"

"Run _where_?" the Doctor retorted.

"Fight _how_?" River challenged.

Alex felt her heart race at the thought of so many aliens hating her and wanting to do nothing more than destroy her. For God's sake, she'd only met a couple! How could she have made such an impression? Well, she was with the Doctor, for a start. And River was from the future and likely knew her stuff.

"I hear the Lake District's lovely this time of year," Alex suggested.

"Oh, the Lake's District's lovely," the Doctor remarked. "I should take your girls there sometime. They do the most amazing scones in 1927."

Alex laughed a little before returning her gaze to the thousands of starships overheard. "You're going to fight them, aren't you?"

"How long have you known me, Ally?"

"Long enough to know that you like trouble," Alex quipped. "Seriously, it must be your middle name or something."

"Nah," the Doctor dismissed. "My middle name is quite more dreadful than that."

Alex laughed again, grateful that he was able to make her do this. "But seriously," she said, sobering, "how exactly are you going to fight them?"

The Doctor gave her a little grin. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked through them. "The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," he answered, lowering the binoculars to wink at her.

Amy frowned. "What is?" she asked. "The Daleks?"

"No," the Doctor said, frowning a little at her guess. "No, no, no, no, no. The Romans."

Alex thought about this for a moment. She wasn't quite sure how a Roman legion could help against thousands of aliens with futuristic weapons that she could only dream about, but decided not to question it. The Doctor didn't steer her wrong…all the time, anyways.

The Doctor tucked the binoculars away and turned to River. "River, you and Alex go to the camp for help. We'll need a lot of men, but use your best judgment."

"Excuse me?" Alex cried. She glared up at him. "I am _not _leaving you!"

The Doctor frowned at her. "Sorry, Alex," he said in a voice that was far from apologetic, "but did you not hear that those aliens are also here for you, as well?"

"You've faced aliens before!" Alex argued. "Far more than River has probably!"

"I'm right here," River muttered, but even she knew to be quiet when they started their infamous rows.

"Alexandria Nicole, don't argue with me," the Doctor warned.

"_Don't _call me that!" Alex shot back. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in an attempt to look intimidating.

"Well then, don't contradict me!"

"I'm only contradicting you because you're being an absolute idiot!"

"Oh, very mature, Alexandria!"

"Stop calling me Alexandria!"

Amy sighed and looked at River wearily as the two continued to argue. "Do they do this a lot?" she asked.

River nodded. "Sadly, yes."

"River needs your help!" the Doctor now argued.

"No, I don't," River objected.

"See?!" Alex cried, vindicated.

"Alexandria, do as I tell you!" the Doctor ordered.

"Is he asking to get slapped?" Amy muttered.

Alex apparently thought so too, for she narrowed her eyes at him even more. They resembled tiny little slits now. "Do you _want_ me to slap you?" she cried.

_Not particularly,_ the Doctor thought. Instead of saying this though, he gritted his teeth and growled a little, grabbing Alex's hand and dragging her over to the shadows of a stone arch. "Why must you argue with me?!" he hissed. "Now?! When there's bloody Daleks and Cybermen and God knows what else in the sky!"

"Because I'm scared!" Alex snapped. She paused for a moment, her ragged breathing the only sound between them. "I'm scared of you and/or Amy dying and me not being able to do anything about it, or those aliens getting me and/or Amy and you not being there because you're off somewhere and refused to have me with you. Believe it or not Doc, but I don't want you dying over this Pandorica!"

The Doctor was silent for a moment as he processed her words. He had no idea she was that scared. He'd seen her scared, like during the Weeping Angel adventure, but her fear was so much deeper this time. He had no idea she looked at him that highly, the same way he looked at her.

Within a split second, he had pulled her into a tight hug. "Ally," he murmured into her hair. "Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise you. I told Marigold that I would protect you until my dying breath, and that is exactly what I plan to do."

"I know," Alex replied. And she did know that. The only problem was that she didn't want it to come down to that, the Doctor dying or her. Both would open up deep sadness in the surviving member, something neither of them needed. "But please don't make me leave."

The Doctor sighed. He knew by now that Alex would just sneak back here if he ordered her to go off with River. "Okay," he allotted. "Fine."

Alex jumped in his arms, causing him to rock back on his feet a little. "Thank you!" she cried. She jumped out of his grasp and over to Amy. "Come on Amelia! Let's go look at that Pandorica!" With a slight yelp from Amy as Alex dragged her away, the girls ran back down to the Pandorica.

The Doctor shook his head a little. "You just can't say no to her, can you?" River asked as she came over to him.

"Please tell me she follows orders from me at least once," the Doctor begged.

River smirked. "Spoilers."

The Doctor groaned. "Right." He glanced over his shoulder, checking that the girls were down in the Underhenge, before stepping closer to River. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"

River blinked. "Anything," she assured him.

The Doctor was silent for a moment before he began talking. "If anything should happen to me-,"

"Nothing will!" River interrupted.

He eyed her critically. "But if something _should_, I want you to go to the TARDIS and take Amy and Alex back home. Make sure they're safe. Check up on them, especially Alex." He paused and then added "And be nice to her when you do it."

"I'm always nice to Alex!" River argued. The Doctor gave her a flat look. "Okay, most of the time," she corrected.

"What is this rivalry between you two about anyways?"

River shifted a little, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I'll go get those Romans for you," she said, turning away. "And don't worry. I'll protect Amy and Alex on the off chance something happens to you. Which it _won't_." She then hurried off to her horse and a second later, galloped away.

A/N: SO sorry about not updating yesterday! Our internet at home is being crappy and slow and while it will let me on some sites, it won't let me on FF. Lucky my dad has a computer in his office at the school he works at. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Lol, glad you liked the fluffy bits at the end! I loved writing those. :) Yeah, I had to add that part about the Constitution in. It seemed like something Alex would say. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox** - It was rather fan-freaking-tabulous, huh? Lol, glad you liked those parts! :) JTTCOTT is a shortened form of the title 'Journey to the Center of the TARDIS', an episode from Season 7.

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yep, she fell off a chair. Lol, no I don't practice teasing. It just comes out that way. :} Yeah, I thought it would be interesting to see how people view the Doctor and Alex together. They are very, very couple-like aren't they? :) I haven't really thought about what's in the files, but I can say that Alex is documented in them. That'll be brought up in 'Death of the Doctor'.

**Gwilwillith **- Let's hope they don't explode. :) Thanks!

**ShadowTeir **- Yes, I did do that. :( But the dreams kind of evened things out. :) Here's the first part of the Pandorica chapters! I think there's more fluff in 'The Big Bang' than 'The Pandorica Opens' but I'll let you all be the judge of that. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you liked the chapter! Hope the first part of the Pandorica episodes didn't disappoint! :)

**Guest **- Me too.

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- I don't really like tea, but to each his own. :) Lol, yeah, I'll probably think that when we get to WWII. Hmm, I've never thought of Alex having her old TARDIS. I think the current TARDIS is pretty good so far. :) In 'The Impossible Astronaut', Alex will witness the Doctor's death and the astronaut will try to do something to her. }:)

**MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon **- Thank you! I'm glad you love it! :) I can't say when they'll be together! I want it to be a surprise. :) Hmm...I will say a lot happens in 'The Impossible Astronaut' and 'Day of the Moon' and we know that Alex won't be in 'The Snowmen'. The reason for that will be brought up and elaborated upon in 'Journey to the Center of the TARDIS'. :) Alex's mind abilities and the reason's for them will be revealed eventually. :)

**tardis-tea-time **- Thank you! :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and to those who followed/favored this story! Please review and see you tomorrow (maybe)!


	56. The Pandorica Opens Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" Amy asked as the Doctor examined the Pandorica, she and Alex standing a safe distance away from it.

"Nothing, as far as I know," the Doctor said, which Alex knew was an outright lie.

"But Vincent's painting! The TARDIS was exploding," she reminded him, remembering the charred and singed piece of the TARDIS sign he had showed her.

"Is that going to happen?" Amy picked up.

"One problem at a time," the Doctor told them. He peered at his screwdriver. "There's force-field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour."

"What good is half an hour?" Amy scoffed.

"There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life," the Doctor retorted. He paused a moment, reconsidering this. "There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I _think _he's trying to say that you can get a lot done in half an hour." Amy nodded. This made sense. She watched as Alex circled the box, clearly impressed by it. Once she was out of sight, Amy removed the ring box from her pocket and strolled up to the Doctor.

"So, are you proposing to someone?" Amy asked, her voice low so Alex wouldn't hear. "Because I fully support you asking Alex to marry you."

The Doctor nearly passed out from shock and at how right that sentence sounded. "I'm sorry?" he finally squeaked. He watched as Amy held the ring box up and opened it, exposing the brilliant diamond ring inside.

"I found this in your pocket," Amy explained. "And, if it is for Alex, you should know it's far too big for her finger."

The Doctor tried to ignore what that statement implied. "No," he said, stepping closer to her. "No, no, that's er, a memory. A friend of mine. Someone I lost. Do you mind?" He reached for the box, but Amy jerked her hand away, intently studying the ring.

At that moment, Alex came back around. She was about to ask what they were doing, but then she saw the ring box in Amy's hand, so she stayed silent.

"It's weird," Amy murmured. "I feel…I don't know…something."

The Doctor watched her, wondering if Amy might be able to remember Rory based on this ring. Deciding to nudge her in the right direction, he began to explain. "People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half-eaten meals, rings. Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back."

The Doctor and Alex watched as for a split second, a flash of recognition lit up in Amy's eyes. But just as quickly, Amy shook her head, pushing it away. She shut the box and handed it back to the Doctor. "So, was she nice, your friend?"

The Doctor didn't answer, instead taking back the ring and nodding his thanks. He tucked it back in his jacket pocket, about to go back and examine the Pandorica some more, when he suddenly asked "Remember that night you flew away with me?"

Amy smiled a little. "Of course I do."

"And you asked me why I was taking you and I told you there wasn't a reason." The Doctor paused a moment before revealing "I was lying."

Amy blinked. "What, so you did have a reason?"

"Your house," the Doctor answered.

Amy rolled her eyes at his cryptic response, but Alex straightened up. She had always thought something was off about that house, and it had nothing to do with Prisoner Zero. "My house," Amy sighed.

"It was too big, too many empty rooms," Alex recalled, causing all eyes to shoot to her. Shrugging, she said "I always thought that was a little weird."

"You grew up in a huge house!" Amy pointed out.

Alex nodded, acknowledging this. "Yes, but my grandmother spent money like it was going out of style. Your house…" She trailed off, not sure how to finish.

The Doctor nodded, acknowledging Alex's words with a quick tilt of his screwdriver at her. "Exactly." He stepped closer to Amy. "Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?"

But before Amy could even begin to formulate a reply, a sudden zapping shot rang out and hit an area of the box near her head. She screamed as sparks flew. Grabbing Alex's hand, the Doctor and her ducked and ran around the Pandorica, Amy going around and meeting them from the other side. They stopped to catch their breath at one of the corners that provided the most cover.

"What was that?" Alex demanded, her voice a bit wheezy from the sudden running.

"Okay, I need a proper look," the Doctor said. "Gotta draw its fire, give it a target."

"How?" Amy gasped.

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," the girls said slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

"Sorry," he said quickly before running out from behind the box to shout "Look at me! I'm a target!"

"IDIOT!" Alex screeched as he was shot at twice by whatever was out there before he ducked behind another pillar. "Have you gone mad?!"

"What is that?" Amy shouted before the two could begin fighting again.

"Cyberarm!" the Doctor called back. "Arm of a Cyberman."

"And what's a Cyberman?" Amy questioned.

"Oh, sort of part man, part robot," the Doctor answered casually. "The organic part must have died out years ago. Now the robot part is looking for, well, fresh meat."

"What, us?" Amy shrieked while Alex shook her head. There was _no way_ in hell she was letting that Cyberarm get a piece of her!

"It's just like being an organ donor," the Doctor explained, "except you're alive and sort of…screaming. I need to get round behind it. Could you draw its fire?"

Alex gaped at him. "What, like _you_ did?!"

"You'll be fine if you're quick!" the Doctor assured her. "It's only got one arm, literally!" He grinned and gave the girls a quick thumbs up.

"That doesn't help!" Alex retorted.

Amy only gave a thumbs up back to him and grabbed Alex's arm. Alex sighed and quickly began running alongside Amy, both girls screaming as they did so. Shots whizzed past them, one coming so close that it singed part of Alex's hair. As the girls ducked behind a large pillar, Alex watched the Doctor pounce on the arm and use his sonic on it.

"Doctor?" she called out nervously. She and Amy cautiously stepped out from behind the pillar, one arm around Amy's wrist, ready to jerk her back at the slightest occurrence.

"Scrambled its circuits," the Doctor explained. "But stay where you are. It could be bluffing."

"Bluffing? It's an _arm_," Amy argued, taking a step closer despite the Doctor's warning.

"An arm that tried to kill us!" Alex pointed out. She took a few deep breaths, feeling her heart pound like a drum at a rock concert. Adrenaline rushed through her at lightning speed, the only thing really keeping her upright.

"I said stay where you are!" the Doctor shouted.

Suddenly, Alex felt something wrap around her ankle. She let out a surprised yelp, then looked down to see some kind of thick coil wrapped around her ankle. From beside her, Amy yelped as well as another coil wrapped around her ankle.

"Doctor?" the girls called out. Just then, they were both pulled to the floor. Alex screamed and thrashed around, digging at the coil with the toe of her free boot.

The Doctor looked up in alarm. "Amy! Alex!" he shouted. But just before he could make a move for them, the Cyberarm in his hand shocked him, electrocuting him, causing the Doctor to fall to the ground unconscious.

"Doctor!" Amy and Alex screamed.

Alex groaned. Well, that certainly helped. She turned her head to see what had a hold of her and Amy and was shocked to see a Cyberman head wriggling around on the floor, two of its wires gripping the girls. Alex growled and kicked at the coil, but it refused to budge.

"Alex!" Amy called out fearfully. Alex turned to see that coils were now wrapped around Amy's wrists, the head inching closer to her.

"Amy! Hold on!" Alex cried. She kicked once more at the coil, succeeding in the wire jerking back from her ankle and at sending herself a shooting pain up her leg. Alex closed her eyes, feeling painful tears water up, and she blindly reached out for Amy.

"Alex!" Amy cried again. Alex opened her eyes and looked up. Somehow, Amy had managed to get to her feet, the head now held in her hands before her. Alex watched, dumbstruck, as the head split open, revealing a human skull.

Amy screamed louder than before, Alex letting out a squeak as the head fell to the floor, landing just an inch away from her feet. Amy then struggled to keep the head at bay as the halves snapped at her, trying to eat her own head, seeing it as 'fresh meat'.

"Hit it against something!" Alex advised.

Amy acknowledged this with a slight nod of her head before quickly beating the head against a nearby column. After a couple of bangs, the head finally released her. Amy sighed with relief and tossed it to the floor, watching as it crawled away.

"Are you okay?" Alex demanded, rushing over to her, hopping over the skull as she did so.

Amy nodded, but she still appeared a bit shaken. "Yeah, I'm – OW!"

"What is it?" Alex asked fearfully.

Amy didn't answer, instead reaching behind her to pull something out of her neck. It was a tiny dart, apparently from a part of the disassembled Cyberman. Just as Alex was beginning to hope that it hadn't been on her long enough to cause any damage, Amy stumbled, her eyes fluttering. Alex quickly caught her. "Okay, okay! Amy, stay with me!"

"You will be assimilated," a mechanical, robotic voice announced.

"Yeah? You and whose body?" Amy retorted, stumbling again as Alex struggled to keep her steady.

They didn't have to wait long. Heavy thumping sounded from around the corner, and a second later, a Cyberman missing an arm and its head appeared before them. It calmly picked up the head and reattached it before marching ahead, its lone arm reaching for the girls.

"Go, go, go!" Alex cried, putting herself in front of Amy and backing up quickly, forcing the redhead to keep up with her, less she get stepped on.

The girls continued going backwards until they fell into a smaller room, the doors falling shut behind them. The two leaned back against the wall, weary from the last few minutes. There was dead silence on the other side of the door, making Alex wonder whether something had happened to the Cyberman or if it was just pulling a joke on them. It had to have just a little humanity in it, and that seemed like something it might do before claiming them as new parts.

Amy and Alex inched closer to the door, pressing their ears to the cool metal to try and hear what was going on. Suddenly, a huge blade sliced through the door just inches from their faces. The girls screamed bloody murder, backing away as the door opened, revealing the Cyberman, now impaled with a huge Roman Gladius sword. A Roman soldier stood in the doorway.

Amy blinked and stumbled again as she struggled to stay on her feet. "Who, who are you?"

The Centurion stepped out of the shadows and removed his helmet. Alex's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be possible. He was dead! He didn't exist!

"Hello, Amy," Rory Williams smiled.

In response, Amy's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she tumbled downwards, the dart's effects finally getting to her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rory cried, quickly catching her. Alex watched, too stunned to speak, as he lifted his fiancée in his arms and carried her to a nearby stone.

"This is impossible," Alex breathed.

"Lovely to see you too, Alex," Rory retorted.

Alex nearly fainted herself hearing her friend speak her name. She inched forwards a little, reaching out far enough to tap his breastplate. The metal clinked under her nail. "Oh my God," Alex gasped. "It is you!" Before Rory knew it, the girl had flung herself into his arms, gripping him tightly.

"Okay!" Rory gasped, stumbling back under Alex's weight. "This is what I expected to happen. This is nice." He quickly hugged the brunette back.

Alex grinned and pulled back, starting to bounce on her feet, before she suddenly frowned as she thought of something. She cocked her head at Rory. "Rory, not that I'm not absolutely _thrilled _to see you, but how…?"

"Sir!" another Roman soldier called as he stepped into the room. "The man's coming round."

"Amy?!" the Doctor called out, right on cue. "Alex?! Where's Amy and Alex?!"

"She's fine, Doctor," Rory assured him as the Doctor came rushing into the room. "Amy's unconscious."

The Doctor hurried over to Amy and quickly scanned her. A moment later, he sighed in relief. "Okay. Yes, she's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine." Then, noticing Alex, he seized the girl in a tight hug, nearly knocking the wind out of her. "And Alex Locke! How are you? Are you alright? The Cyberman didn't snitch anything off you, did he?"

Alex laughed. "No, no, I'm fine." Still, she didn't budge an inch as the Doctor kissed her on the forehead, grateful that she was still alive. He didn't know what he'd have done if Alex died at the Cyberman's hand.

The Doctor turned to the Roman soldier standing behind him. "Okay, Romans," he surmised. "Good. I was just wishing for Romans. Good old River. How many?"

"Fifty men up top, volunteers," Rory reported. He turned to the Cyberman, lying lifeless thanks to the sword in its chest. "What about that thing?"

"I think we're good," Alex answered, taking a look at the Cyberman. She reached out to tap it on the arm, but the Doctor jerked her back before her nail could hit the metal.

"Fifty?" he repeated incredulously. "You're not exactly a legion." Alex then noticed that he hadn't even commented on Rory's reappearance; it was like he didn't see it at all.

"Your friend was very persuasive," Rory complimented, "but it's a tough sell."

"Yes, I _know_ that, Rory!" the Doctor remarked irritably. "I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious!"

"Really?" Alex muttered as Rory gave him a questioning look.

"But we need everything we can get," the Doctor went on, not hearing Alex or noticing Rory's doubtful look. "Okay, Cyberweapons!" He reached over and pulled two guns from their slots, the weapons completely covered in cobwebs. "This is basically a sentry box, so headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. Never underestimate a Celt."

"Doctor-,"

"_Hush_, Rory!" the Doctor scolded, not really registering who he was talking to. "Thinking! Why leave a Cyberman on guard, unless it's a Cyberthing in the box. But why would they lock up one of their own? Okay, no, not a Cyberthing, but what? _What?_ No, I'm missing something obvious, Rory. Something big! Something right slap in front of me! I can feel it."

"Yeah, I think you probably are," Rory agreed.

"I'll say," Alex quipped. She was actually kind of enjoying this. She couldn't wait until the Doctor figured out Rory was right there in front of him.

"I'll get it in a minute," the Doctor sighed. He adjusted the weapons in his arms and headed out the door.

Alex and Rory exchanged a look. "Wait for it," Alex said, keeping her eyes on the door. "Three, two, one." Right on 'one', the Cyberweapons dropped to the floor with a clatter, and the Doctor cautiously re-entered the room, eyes wide. He stepped in front of Rory and placed a finger on his armor to push him, causing the young man to rock slowly on his feet. There was a short silence for a moment.

"Hello again," the Doctor said, breaking the stunned silence.

"Hello," Rory breathed back.

"How've you been?" the Doctor asked, not really sure what else to say. There wasn't a manual for this.

"Good. Yeah, good," Rory sputtered. "I mean, _Roman_."

"Rory, I'm not trying to be rude," the Doctor blurted, "but you died."

"Yeah, I know," Rory nodded. "I was there."

"You _died_, and then you were _erased _from _time_," the Doctor explained.

"You didn't just die," Alex jumped in. "You were never born at all. You never existed."

"Erased?" Rory repeated. "What does that mean?"

"How can you be here?" the Doctor questioned.

Rory shook his head. "I don't know. It's kind of fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" the Doctor and Alex echoed.

"Well, I died and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting." Rory turned away from them to focus on the unconscious redhead on the stone in front of him. He ran a hand over the side of Amy's head, making her moan and stir, but she didn't wake. "Did she miss me?" he wondered.

But before the Doctor or Alex could respond, a sudden rumbling sounded throughout the room. It sounded like something was opening. The Doctor ran out of the room, Alex and Rory just behind him. They caught up with him in the Pandorica chamber and stopped in their tracks. In front of them, the circular symbols on the box were glowing bright green and moving.

The Doctor scanned the structure as Rory cried out "What is it? What's happening?"

"The final phase," the Doctor answered, not looking away.

"It's opening," Alex revealed. She stared at the structure in wonder. What could be so powerful that it could escape the perfect prison? She was pulled out of her thoughts as something beeped nearby. The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a communicator.

"_You're surrounded,_" River stated.

_Tell us something we don't know!_ Alex thought.

"_Have you got a plan?_"

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed as he waved the sonic around the Pandorica. "Now hurry up and get the TARDIS here. I need equipment." He disconnected and stared at the box. "_What _are you?" he wondered. "They're all here, all of them, all for you. What could you _possibly_ be?"

Suddenly, he turned and darted past them, barely pausing to grab Alex's hand and drag her along. Alex was swept along up the stairs and outside. Above them, all of the spaceships were whizzing by, their lights illuminating Stonehenge like a rock concert was about to take place, not a battle for something completely deadly. Alex watched, stunned, as the Doctor used the sonic on the communicator and began speaking into it like a microphone, his voice increased to an extremely loud setting.

"Sorry, sorry, dropped it. Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe! But bad news, everyone…" He jumped up onto a nearby rock and grinned up at the sky. "Because guess who?! Ha! Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about. It's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because…._I_…_am_…TALKING!"

Much to Alex's shock, all the ships stilled. Either they were humoring him, or the aliens really were terrified of the Doctor and his wrath.

"The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica?" the Doctor continued. "Answer, I do. Next question. Who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me! No plan, no back-up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else! I don't have _anything_…_to_…LOSE! So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, _and then_…do the smart thing! Let somebody else try first."

He held up his arms in challenge, and to Alex's shock, all the ships retreated, like they couldn't get away fast enough. He jumped down triumphantly from the rock. "That'll keep them squabbling for half an hour."

Alex looked at him curiously. "Squabbling about what?"

"Who gets to take the first shot at me," the Doctor said breezily.

Alex gaped at him. "How does that help?!"

"Because Ally, with that lot, their squabbling could turn into a war. They could forget all about the Pandorica!"

"Do you really believe that?" Alex asked.

The Doctor's face fell a little. "Probably not," he admitted. "But it's worth a shot! Alright, Romans."

"They're still out there," Rory pointed out as he followed the Doctor back down to the Pandorica. "What do we do now?"

"If I can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll go home."

"Right…" Rory and Alex said, highly doubting this.

Suddenly, the Doctor tensed, seeing movement just over Rory's shoulder. Noticing this, Alex turned and her face fell as she saw Amy getting up, the sedative having worn off. She stepped over to the Doctor just as he said "Rory, I'm sorry."

"Brace yourself," Alex warned.

"You're going to have to be very brave now," the Doctor added, a cautious look on his face as he watched Amy walk over.

Rory looked at them curiously and was about to ask them what was going on, when Amy walked right past him, rubbing her head. He gaped at her, his eyes fixed on her as she approached the Doctor.

"Oh, my head," she groaned.

"Go 'ah'," the Doctor instructed, widening his mouth in demonstration.

"Ahh," Amy mimicked.

The Doctor peered into her mouth. "Just your basic knock-out drops," he deduced. "Get some fresh air, you'll be fine."

"Is it safe up there?" Amy asked.

Alex snorted while the Doctor said "Not remotely, but it's fresh!"

Amy sighed, reluctantly accepting this. "Fine." She turned to walk away and nearly bumped into Rory. "Oh, you're the guy, yeah?" she asked, completely clueless as to who he was. "The one who did the swordy thing."

Alex watched, brokenhearted, as Rory's love-struck face slowly fell and was replaced by gradual realization. "Yeah."

"Well, thanks for the swording," Amy said before tapping him on the shoulder and walking off. "Nice swording."

"No problem," he said. He then spun around, adding "My men are up there. They'll look after you."

"Good," Amy said. She waved over her shoulder. "Love a Roman!" And then, she dashed up the stairs, none the wiser to the turmoil inside everyone's hearts because of her actions.

Rory watched her walk away. The second she was out of earshot, he said "She doesn't remember me." He whirled around to face the Doctor and Alex. "How can she not remember me?"

"Because you never existed," Alex replied softly. She reached up and fiddled with one of her hoop earrings, unable to simply stand around and do nothing while all this occurred.

"There are cracks," the Doctor explained, also looking downcast. "Cracks in time. There's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. And every other moment in history is cracking around it."

"So how does that work?" Rory questioned. "What kind of explosion? What exploded?"

The Doctor flashed back to a moment on the _Byzantium_, one he hadn't even told Alex about. _And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?_ River had questioned.

He remembered the date on the scanner; June 26th, 2010, the same date he saw the clock in Amy's room flip to. _Amy's time_, he had replied.

Of course, he wasn't going to say any of this. No chance in alarming Rory and Alex. And, if he was being honest, he didn't want to get slapped by Alex for not telling her this bit of information. Besides, he could be wrong. He _hoped_ he was wrong! Maybe the date was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with Amy or her wedding.

He hoped.

"Doesn't matter," he said now, waving the question off. "The cracks are everywhere now. Get too close to them and you can fall right out of the universe."

"So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?"

"Basically."

"Well, how did I end up here?"

"Yeah, how did he?" Alex asked. "It can't be possible. If it was, we would've bumped into those clerics from the _Byzantium_ by now!"

"I don't know, you shouldn't have," the Doctor replied. "What happened? From your point of view, what _physically _happened?"

"I was in the cave," Rory recalled, "with you, Alex, and Amy. I was dying, and then I was just…here. A Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman stuff. A whole other life, just here like I'd woken up from a dream. I started to think it _was_ a dream, you and Amy and Alex and Leadworth. And then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors. The girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me. But she can't even remember me."

"Oh, shut up," the Doctor interrupted.

"What?" Rory exclaimed.

"She can remember you," Alex assured him. "I've seen her crying sometimes without even realizing it and in Base Diana on the moon – long story, got put into a coma, don't ask – she told me that she felt like someone was missing from our little Dream Lord adventure. She can tell something's wrong, but she doesn't quite know what it is."

The Doctor nodded in agreement, and then reached into his pocket for the ring-box. He tossed it to Rory. "Go get her!" he urged in unison with Alex.

"But I don't understand," Rory argued. "Why am I here?"

"Because you are," the Doctor said. "The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles, and that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet, but this would do me."

"Now get upstairs!" Alex ordered. "She's Amy and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history can take it."

There was brief moment of hesitation as Rory considered this. He fingered the ring-box and then turned and ran out of the room.

A/N: UGH, internet! Aside from out internet not working, my school's internet wasn't working today, so I couldn't update from there. :( Even my mom's school internet, which is two counties away from us, wasn't working. There are some problems with Windstream or something, so I have no idea if I'll be able to update tomorrow or not, but I will certainly try. I really want to live by my promise to update this story daily since I know you all love it so much. :)

To make up for the horrible updates, there's another chapter after this one! All review replies will be answered in the author's note at the end of it. :) Enjoy!


	57. The Pandorica Opens Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

A little while later, the Doctor's communicator beeped. He snatched it up. "The TARDIS, where is it?" he demanded, not even bothering for a normal greeting. "Hurry up!"

"_Don't raise your voice, don't look alarmed,_" River instructed. It sounded like she was trying to stay calm herself. "_Get Alex and keep her to your side. Then, both of you listen._"

The Doctor looked up and quickly found Alex. She was leaning against a wall next to the soldiers that had come down here just a few moments ago. He managed to catch her eye and subtly nodded her over. Seeing that his eyes looked slightly worried, Alex pushed off the wall and went over to him.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly, sensing that she had to do that for some reason.

"_They're not real,_" River blurted. "_They can't be. They're all right here in the story book. Those actual Romans. The ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's picture book._"

Alex remembered that book. It was one of Amy's favorites. She remembered lounging on Amy's bed eating pieces of burned peanut brittle she had attempted to make while Amy read aloud passages from it.

"What are you even doing there?" the Doctor questioned.

"_It doesn't matter,_" River dismissed. "_The TARDIS went wrong. Doctor, how is this possible?_"

"Something's using her memories," Alex said. It all made sense. The Pandorica, Pandora's Box, the Romans, Amy's favorite topic in school…it was all too much of a coincidence to ignore. "Amy's own memories."

"_But how?_" River wondered.

"You said something had been there_,_" the Doctor reminded her.

"_Yes. There's burn marks on the grass outside, landing patterns._"

"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories."

"Question is, why?" Alex asked. "Why go to so much trouble?"

"_Doctor, who are those Romans?_" River abruptly asked.

The Doctor and Alex looked over their shoulders and eyed the Roman soldiers. They seemed pretty normal. "Projections, or duplicates," the Doctor guessed.

"_But they were helping us! My lipstick even worked!_"

"They might think they're real," the Doctor said, still keeping an eye on the soldiers. "The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."

Beside him, Alex stiffened. If these Romans were just duplicates, that meant that Rory was most likely one too. How else could he have come back after going through a crack that was supposed to erase him from existence?

"_Doctor, that Centurion,_" River said, unknowingly echoing Alex's thoughts. "_It's a trap. It has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you and Alex would believe, to get close to you!_"

"Why?" the Doctor wondered. "Who'd do that? It doesn't make sense."

Suddenly, there was a bang from the communicator, followed by a small shout. "River? River?" the Doctor called into the communicator.

"River, what's happening?" Alex asked. As much as she didn't like the woman, she didn't want anything horrible to actually happen to her.

"_I don't know!_" River shouted back. "_It's the engines! Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it!_"

"You're flying it wrong," the Doctor retorted.

"_I'm flying it perfectly!_" River shot back. "_YOU taught me!_"

_And that helped you how? _Alex sarcastically thought in spite of herself.

"Where are you?" the Doctor asked. "What's the date reading?"

"_It's the 26__th__ of June, 2010,_" River recited.

The Doctor's face fell. He actually looked scared. "You need to get out of there now!" he shouted. "Any other time zone, just go!"

"_I can't break free!_" River cried.

"Well, then shut down the TARDIS! Shut down everything!"

"_I can't!_"

But then, a new voice rang out. It was creepy and ominous, reminding Alex of the possessed little girl in _The Exorcist_. "_Silence will fall,_" it ominously warned. "_Silence will fall._"

"_Someone else is flying it!_" River cried, having also heard this. "_An external force. I've lost control!_"

"But how?" Alex wondered. As far as she knew, nothing could control the TARDIS. The TARDIS was a living, sentient being. Nothing could take her over…right?

"Why?" the Doctor picked up. He was at a loss for what to think as well.

But before he could try and think of anything, a high-pitched whine sounded out of nowhere, ringing throughout the room. The Doctor and Alex clutched their ears. "What the hell was that?" Alex gasped once the noise stopped, as sudden as it had begun.

"Listen to me," the Doctor ordered, "just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time. I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her."

"_It's not safe,_" River argued.

But before either the Doctor or Alex could retort, light suddenly filled the room. The Pandorica was opening. The light was coming from two slides sliding away from the corner facing the entrance. The Doctor and Alex backed away from it, shielding their eyes a little.

"Well, now," the Doctor commented. "Ready to come out, are we?"

"_Doctor? Alex?_" River called out. "_I'm down! I've landed._"

"Okay, just walk out the doors," the Doctor instructed. "If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down automatically. Just get out of there."

"_I'm going._"

"Run!" the Doctor and Alex cried.

"_Doctor! Alex! Doctor, I can't open the doors!_"

The duo only ignored her as they whirled around to look at the soldiers again. Much to Alex's shock and horror, the soldiers' fingers had dropped away, revealing guns tucked into their hands. "Amy!" the Doctor gasped, remembering that Rory was also a duplicate now.

"_Doctor!_" River shouted from the communicator. "_I can't open the doors! Doctor, please, I've got seconds!_"

"Plastic Romans," the Doctor said, ignoring her. "Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?"

"The Pandorica is ready," one of the Roman soldiers…er, _duplicates_, spoke up.

"What, do you mean it's open?"

In answer to that question, a large, white Dalek rolled forward. Alex's eyes widened as she recognized the Supreme Dalek from their adventure with Winston Churchill. She immediately dove behind the Doctor before the latter could force her to do it himself. She inched up on her tiptoes to look at it.

"You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Doctor and _Alex_." The Doctor stiffened as he heard Alex's name included in a sentence with his own by a Dalek. Behind him, Alex tried to keep herself calm, but she found herself clutching the Doctor's jacket tightly, a grip that grew stronger as a red Dalek and a yellow Dalek beamed in behind the Supreme.

"Scanned?" the Doctor retorted, trying to keep himself, and by extension, Alex, calm. "Scanned by what, a box?"

"Both of your limits and capacities have been extrapolated," the Supreme stated as a bunch of Cybermen, Judoon, and Sontaran beamed in behind it.

"The Pandorica is ready," one of the Sontarans proclaimed. Alex felt the odd urge to giggle at the alien who very much resembled a baked potato. She bit her tongue to keep from doing this. Giggling like a lunatic right now would not help matters.

"Ready for what?" the Doctor warily asked.

Right then, the Pandorica fully opened up. The Doctor and Alex turned to see what was inside it. Inside, a bunch of machinery lined the walls. But the biggest concern was in the middle of the structure. There were two chairs, back-to-back, equipped with various kinds of straps for keeping the occupants restrained.

Alex felt a tremor of horror go through her. Even before the Supreme Dalek told them, she knew who the Pandorica was meant for. "Ready for _you_."

Suddenly, Alex felt herself being lifted up in the air. Her first thought was that it was the Doctor, grabbing her so they could try to make a quick getaway. However, she quickly saw otherwise. One of the Roman duplicates had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, the position painful. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Alex from screaming and kicking wildly.

"Doctor!" she screamed as she kicked at parts of the Roman that should cause physical pain. But nothing seemed to hurt the Roman. He easily avoided her attempts to bite him and managed to get her in back seat. Alex attempted to lunge herself away, but the Roman caught her and quickly restrained her arms and legs.

"Let her go!" the Doctor cried as two Roman duplicates forced him towards the Pandorica. "It's me you want!" But no one could be swayed. Ultimately, the Doctor was forced into the other seat, his arms, legs, and head restrained. Apparently, he was considered the bigger threat than Alex.

"You lot," the Doctor began as the aliens surrounded the Pandorica. Alex craned her head sideways to try and see. "Working together. An _alliance_. How is that possible?"

"The cracks in the skin of the universe," the Supreme Dalek stated.

"All reality is threatened!" a gun-wielding Sontaran exclaimed.

"All universes will be deleted," a Cyberman added.

"What? And you've come to _me_ for help?"

Alex would've slapped him if her arms hadn't been clamped down. "Does it _look_ like they're trying to help us?!" she snapped.

"No," the Sontaran corrected, proving Alex's point. "We will save the universe from you!"

"From me?" the Doctor gasped.

"Why the hell am I in here?" Alex wanted to know. "I'm human! He's the alien!"

"Thank you for the help, Ally!" the Doctor shot back.

"All projections correlate," the Cyberman explained. "All evidence concurs. The Doctor and his Ally will destroy the universe."

"No, no, no," the Doctor argued, shaking his head wildly. "You've got it wrong!"

"Completely wrong!" Alex agreed.

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the Alliance," the Cyberman continued, as though Alex and the Doctor hadn't interrupted.

"A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion," the Supreme Dalek correlated.

"A trap the Doctor and his Ally could not resist," the Sontaran crowed.

"The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor and Alex Locke," the Supreme Dalek declared. "It is confirmed."

"No, no, no, not me, not Alex, the TARDIS!" the Doctor tried. "And we're not in the TARDIS, are we?"

"Only the Doctor and his Ally can fly the TARDIS," the Supreme Dalek retorted.

"No, I can't!" Alex argued. What was _wrong_ with these aliens?! Weren't they supposed to be _intelligent_? "He refuses to teach me!"

But the aliens didn't say anything. "Please, listen to me!" the Doctor begged. Alex's lower lip started quivering at hearing the hopelessness in his voice.

"You will be prevented," the Dalek continued.

"Total event collapse!" the Doctor interrupted. He _needed _to get them to understand. Their plan would only have horrible effects instead of the good outcome they all expected. "Every sun will supernova at every moment in history! The whole universe will _never_ have existed! _Please_, listen to me!"

"Seal the Pandorica!" the Cyberman ordered.

"No!" Alex shrieked. She launched herself forward, trying to escape her restraints, but to no avail. "Please! Listen to him!"

"The TARDIS is exploding right now and we're the only ones that can stop it!" But the Doctor knew the aliens were never going to listen to him. He was, after all, their biggest enemy, Alex as well apparently. "Listen to me!"

But his pleads fell on deaf ears as the Pandorica sealed close, leaving the Doctor and Alex trapped inside as outside, the TARDIS exploded and every star in the universe went out.

A/N: GASP! Alex is in the Pandorica with the Doctor! What will happen next?!

Notes on reviews...

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Lol, I love that line! I give Alex all the good ones. :) No, it's not wrong to love an argument. I quite love it too. You can really see the concern and devotion they have for each-other there. Yep, we are progressing, slowly but surely! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- I don't think anyone can top 'slutty poodle' but I'd love to see someone try! :) River is kind of mean in here, but I try to give her some good moments too. She and Alex are supposed to have a frenemy relationship here; they're not all that nice to each-other, but they will step in for the other when one really needs it. :) For you and your sister, I put up TWO chapters today! Hope you enjoy! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I'm sorry for your Alex withdrawal! Here's two chapters to make up for it. :) Yep, there's fluff, more so, I think, in 'The Big Bang'. You'll see why when we get there. :) Congratulations! I'll try to check it out, but I can't make any promises (school, internet issues, upcoming play rehearsal, homework, the usual) but I'll try. :)

**dream lighting **- I can't say when! I want it to be a surprise and have you all jumping up and down with excitement because you didn't know it would be happening then. :) As we saw, Alex was thrilled to have Rory back. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapters!

**mayfire21 **- That is weird that her name is so similar to Alex's name. I never even thought of it! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Well, Alex got stuck with the Doctor in the Pandorica, so that does reveal some about her future and how aliens view her with the Doctor. :) Glad you loved the arguing and the Doctor/River talk. Lol, I had to add that. This River is aware of her relationship with Alex and reluctantly acknowledges it. :)

**rycbar15 **- Glad you're back! I was wondering where you went. :) Glad you liked the chapters!

**JackSpicer2311 **- Ooh...that IS a good idea! I'm not sure whether or not that'll happen, but it's definitely something to keep in mind, so thanks! :)

**Barrydennen12 **- Alex already knows what regeneration is, or at least knows the Doctor goes through a process called regeneration that changes his physical features. She doesn't know about the 'new man' and personality traits. There is, after all, a difference between knowing about regeneration and actually _seeing _it, something Alex will confront, but not for a long while. Not until 11 regenerates into 12, I think. So, no, no interlude explaining what regeneration is to her. But she'll experience and confront it one day. :)

**Tardis dreamer2 **- Thank you! I'm so glad you love it and Alex! And don't worry, I'll certainly try! :)

**MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon **- Don't worry, she'll be in Season 7, just not as in many episodes as you'd expect. I know for a fact that Alex will be in 'The Crimson Horror', 'Nightmare in Silver', and 'The Name of the Doctor (we have to have her in that one). I can't say why she isn't in 'The Snowmen', just that you'll find out eventually. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Once again, internet, not sick. As a certain Doctor said to a certain Alex 'it takes a lot to kill me'. :) Glad you loved that chapter! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! And I love her too. :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yeah, they get pretty intense when they're fighting. Ooh, the Doctor's point of view of the fight would probably involve a lot of thinking about Alex being a 'bloody annoying, frustrating, insufferable human' and then immediately taking all that back when Alex revealed why she didn't want to leave him. :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - **Oh, River is SO jealous! No, Alex isn't in 'Silence in the Library' or 'Forest of the Dead'. That would cause a mega paradox. She was mentioned in them though, and I can hint we'll see something River said in reference to Alex popping up in a later chapter. :) Hmm...I've got a way worked out for how River knows his name. It doesn't involve Alex telling her though. I don't think Alex would ever tell her, if she could help it. :) Lol, she IS awesome! I want my own so badly. I know I would kill for the library I invented for the TARDIS in this story. :) I haven't thought much about what's in the files, but they do hold information about Alex that she and the Doctor are not aware of yet. They'll pop up again one day though. :) Lol, don't worry! I seem to be taking my time getting them together already! Other OC stories I write in the future won't have the relationship be this drawn out, so that's something. And don't worry; the fluff will continue! I love writing it and I know people love reading it. :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed/favored this story. Again, _so sorry _about the long updates (stupid internet), but I'm hoping it'll be fixed soon. Since the problem is counties-wide, the internet people should be on it pretty soon. So, please review and I'll hopefully see you tomorrow!


	58. The Big Bang Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own my OC, Alex.

"So, the universe ended," Rory said to the lifeless Amy in his lap. He stared up at the fully black sky, completely vacant of any and all stars. "You missed that, in 102 A.D. I suppose this means you and I never get born at all. Twice, in my case. You would have laughed at that." His heart sank as he looked down at his still fiancée. He still couldn't believe that he had shot her. He had shot and _killed _her just when she remembered who he was. It was like a more twisted version of _Romeo and Juliet_.

"Please laugh," he begged. "The Doctor said the universe was huge and ridiculous, and sometimes there were miracles. I could do with a ridiculous miracle about now."

Right at that moment, the Doctor and Alex popped out of thin air.

"Rory!" the Doctor cried out. For some reason, he was wearing a red fez and carrying a mop. Beside him, Alex looked a little sick. She was clutching her stomach, at least. "Listen, she's not dead! Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world."

"Actually," Alex spoke up, somehow forcing herself to use her voice, "it's the end of the _universe_."

"Oh, no," the Doctor interrupted. He reached over to a device on his wrist and pressed a few buttons. "Hang on."

"Oh, no!" Alex started, grabbing his sleeve, "We are not-," But she was cut off as she and the Doctor disappeared in a huge light and a crackle of energy.

"Doctor?" Rory looked around bewilderedly, wondering if he had imagined the whole thing. "Doctor! Alex!"

Right then, the Doctor and Alex reappeared. The Doctor was no longer carrying the mop, but he was still wearing the fez. Next to him, Alex had a hand over her mouth, her face a little green. "You need to get us out of the Pandorica," the Doctor told Rory.

"But you're not in the Pandorica," Rory pointed out.

"Yes we are," the Doctor insisted. "Well, we're not now, but we were back then. Well, back now from your point of view, which is back then from our point of view. Time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and passed it to Rory. "It's easy to open from the outside. Just point and press. Now go!" He and Alex then disappeared, but a split second later, the Doctor returned.

"Where's Alex?" Rory demanded.

The Doctor winced. "She's a little…_ill_ right now. But, that's not important. What _is _important, is that when you're done, leave my screwdriver in her top pocket." He nodded to Amy. "Good luck." And then, he was gone.

"What do you mean?" Rory shouted, feeling very confused now. "Done what?!"

* * *

At the same time this was going on, the Doctor and Alex were still trapped in the Pandorica.

Alex couldn't believe it. She was stuck here for all eternity, assuming eternity was still happening outside. At least she wasn't alone though. The Doctor was in here with her. But it still didn't calm her down. With the Doctor in here, there was no way he could get them out. Worst of all, she couldn't see him. She could turn her head a little, but that only allowed her to see a bit of his jacket out of the corner of her eye. It was like those aliens knew she would be distressed at never seeing the Doctor face-to-face again, and had designed the Pandorica to torment her more than it already did.

Alex's lower lip quivered and she felt a few hot tears roll down her cheeks. She was never getting out of here. She was never going to see her friends again. Lacey and Marigold…they would never know what happened to her. For all they knew, she was dead on a distant star somewhere or had died in 1897 or something.

Was this what her fixed point status meant? Was she always meant to be stuck in here? Was she always meant to help lead the Doctor to his downfall?

The Doctor…more tears fell and she bent her head down, watching as they fell and stained the fabric of her dress. He hadn't said one word since they came in here. If this had been under normal circumstances, i.e. not getting stuck in a giant box for the rest of time, Alex would've thought he was sick or something. But right now, he probably just didn't want to admit that he had messed up, that it was his fault she was stuck here.

Alex unwillingly let out a sob. She gritted her teeth to keep the Doctor from hearing it and squeezed her eyes shut to block any more tears.

But it didn't do any good. "Ally?" the Doctor's voice broke out. Damn if he didn't sound a little upset himself.

"I'm fine," Alex said quickly. Out of habit, she moved to raise her hand up to wipe away her tears, but met resistance. Oh, right. They were restrained. More tears fell down at this realization and another sob escaped.

"No, you're not," the Doctor said gently. There was a long pause and then "Ally, I'm so sorry. I…I never meant or wanted you to end up here. Thanks to me, you're stuck here for all eternity." He laughed bitterly. "Funny. Most of my companions wanted to stay with me forever."

Alex snorted a little. "Guess you never imagined it happening this way."

"No, I didn't." There was another long pause, this one longer than the last. "Oh, Ally, I'm so sorry. If I had _any_ inkling this was going to happen, I would've dropped you and Amy back home straight away."

"No," Alex said strongly, surprising the Doctor. Her voice was still thick with her tears, but it was also strong and determined. "Don't even _think _about that. And don't apologize to me, either. It was my choice to come traveling with you, and frankly, I wouldn't trade it for _anything_. If a sudden chance was offered right now, to turn back the clock and change everything, I wouldn't do anything differently. I'd still be traveling, seeing all the stars and planets, fighting monsters, meeting Winston Churchill and Elizabeth X, and all that wonderful, crazy stuff…" She sniffled again. "And I could never imagine not knowing you for a second. My life was so dull until you came along and made everything topsy-turvy."

The Doctor was silent for a moment after hearing her confession. He knew companions liked traveling with him, but he'd never heard anyone say so in the strong way Alex did. He wasn't sure what to say. Finally, the words came to him. "Thank you, Ally."

Alex nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her. "So…what do we do now?"

As if in answer to that question, the Pandorica walls suddenly began moving. Alex felt her restraints unlock and she jumped to her feet, whirling around to see Rory standing outside, holding the sonic screwdriver out.

"Rory!" she gasped.

The Doctor, despite being freed, remained sitting. "How did you do that?" he demanded.

"You gave me this," Rory said sheepishly, holding out the sonic.

"No, I didn't," the Doctor argued. He pulled the same sonic out from his jacket.

"You did!" Rory insisted. "Look at it!"

The Doctor slowly got out of the chair, turning to help Alex down. He saw her face was red from crying and that her eyes were that hideous neon green again. He pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. He couldn't believe she had been stuck there, supposedly for all eternity. While the idea of having Alex by his side forever seemed good, now it seemed like she would be trapped and stuck with him, as if he were holding her captive.

He reluctantly pulled away from Alex to focus back on Rory. He cautiously approached him, remembering he was a Nestene duplicate, Alex right behind him. Hesitantly, he reached out and tapped his sonic against Rory's. The sonic's sparked, making the Doctor frown in wonder.

"Temporal energy. Same screwdriver at different points in its own time stream," he deduced. "Which means it _was_ me who gave it to you. Me from the future. I've got a future. That's nice." He gaze then traveled past Rory and to something behind him. His face fell. "That's _not_."

Alex followed his eyes to see the Daleks from before. But this time, they looked rusted and lifeless, like fossils. "Doctor, what are they?" she asked.

"History has collapsed," the Doctor explained, looking around at all the fossilized aliens. "Whole races have been deleted from existence. These are just after-images. Echoes. Fossils in time. The footprints of the never-were."

"Er, what does that mean?" Rory asked.

"Total event collapse," Alex answered, already figuring it out. "The universe literally never happened."

"So, how can we be here?" Rory wondered, looking at the two questioningly. "What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing," the Doctor replied, which certainly didn't reassure the two. "Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out." He then realized something. "Where's Amy?"

Rory looked down at the ground, ashamed. Alex watched him critically. "What happened?" she demanded. He looked up, and she saw that he looked incredibly guilty. She stepped forward threateningly. "_What_ did you _do_ to her?"

Rory only nodded to the exit, gesturing for the two to follow him. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders and the two walked silently behind him. They soon reached the top of the stairs. Alex looked up, stunned, but not surprised, to see all the stars in the sky had vanished. There was nothing there.

She looked back down and then noticed a pair of legs sticking out from under a blanket. She slowly inched closer and peeled back the blanket. Alex gasped as she saw Amy lying lifeless. She stumbled back, her chest wracking with silent sobs. "Is she…?" She trailed off, unable to say the next word.

Rory nodded. "I killed her," he stated, his voice pathetic and grief-stricken.

"Oh, Rory," the Doctor sighed as he looked over Amy's body.

"Doctor, what am I?" Rory wondered.

"You're a Nestene duplicate. A lump of plastic with _delusions_ of humanity."

"But I'm Rory now!" Rory protested as the Doctor ran the sonic over Amy's body. "Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory."

"That's software talking," the Doctor retorted. He lifted up the sonic and examined the results.

"Can you help her?" Alex asked. She knelt down and smoothed some hair away from Amy's eyes, noting that her skin hadn't gone cold yet. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yeah, probably," the Doctor replied, tucking the sonic back into his jacket. "If I had the time."

Rory and Alex stared at the Doctor in shock. "The time?!" Rory snapped at him.

"All of creation has been wiped from the sky," the Doctor pointed out. "Do you know how many lives never happened? All the people who never lived? Your _girlfriend_ isn't more important than the whole universe!"

"Doctor!" Alex cried, outraged. How _dare_ him! But before she could reach over and slap the Doctor into a new regeneration, Rory grabbed his shoulder, whirled him around, and punched him in the face. "She is to me!" he cried as the Time Lord fell to the ground.

"Welcome back, Rory Williams!" the Doctor cried, jumping to his feet. He rubbed his reddening cheek a little. "Sorry. Had to be sure. Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there! Right, we need to get her downstairs!" Rory only looked at him, dumbstruck. "And take that look off your plastic face! You're getting married in the morning!"

"Was that a test?" Rory asked Alex as the Doctor knelt down next to Amy, ready to lift her up.

Alex sighed. "Yes, yes it was."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Doctor was strapping Amy into the Pandorica. Rory and Alex watched him nervously. "So you've got a plan, then?" Rory guessed.

"Bit of a plan, yeah," the Doctor confirmed, placing his hands on either side of Amy's head. "Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got a bit more than they bargained for, like you. Not just your face, but your heart and soul."

Alex watched as the Doctor touched his forehead against Amy's. "What are you doing?" she whispered. She wasn't sure why she whispered. It just seemed appropriate.

"I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening." Once he had done that, the Doctor pulled back and stepped out of the Pandorica. Once he was safely away, he took the sonic out and used it to close up the box.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rory cried, stepping forward. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm saving her. This box is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive."

"But she's already dead," Alex pointed out.

The Doctor nodded, acknowledging her point. "Well, she's mostly dead," he corrected. "The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. Now, all it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."

"Where's it going to get that?" Rory wondered.

The Doctor checked his wrist-watch. "In about two thousand years." He knelt down next to River's abandoned pack and dug around in it for a moment before finally producing her vortex manipulator. Alex eyed it as he strapped it on. It looked like a brown square-shaped box with a few buttons, dials, and a screen on it.

"She's going to be in that box for two thousand years?" Rory cried.

"Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut." He tapped the device on his wrist. "River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."

"So the future's still there?" Alex asked. She frowned a little. "I'd have thought it ended."

"A version of it," the Doctor explained. "Not quite the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look." He grabbed Alex's hand and guided it to rest firmly on the manipulator. "Keep your hand there."

"Is this safe?" Alex asked. She knew there had to be a catch if the Doctor didn't often travel by manipulator. He had said it was a rubbish way to time travel, after all.

"Don't worry," the Doctor assured her, but Alex caught a little worrisome gleam in his eye. "Should be safe."

"The 'should' part makes me feel so much better," she muttered, tightening her grip on the device.

The two looked over at Rory expectantly, but the man wasn't paying them any attention. Instead, he was still staring at the closed-up Pandorica. "The manipulator's not what I'm worried about."

"She'll be fine," the Doctor insisted. "Nothing can get into this box."

"Well, you got in there," Rory reminded him.

"Well, there's only one of me," the Doctor grinned. "I counted."

"This box needs a guard," Rory said suddenly, causing the Doctor and Alex's eyes to widen. "I killed the last one."

"Rory, no," Alex argued.

"Don't even think about it," the Doctor added.

"She'll be all alone!" Rory protested.

"She won't feel it," the Doctor tried.

"You bet she won't!"

The Doctor sighed and moved away from Alex. "_Two thousand years_, Rory. You won't even sleep. You'd be conscious _every _second. It would drive you _mad_."

But Alex could tell that Rory wasn't about to be talked out of it. "Will she be safer if I stay?" he asked. "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer."

"Rory, you-,"

"Answer me!" Rory demanded.

The Doctor sighed wearily, admitting defeat. "Yes. Obviously."

"Then how can I leave her?"

The Doctor and Alex smiled at him. "Why do you have to be so…_human_?" the Doctor wondered admirably.

"Because right now, I'm not."

"Listen to me," the Doctor ordered. He placed Alex's hand back on the manipulator, making sure she was gripping it tight before he continued. "This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but you're not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of-,"

But he was cut off as he pushed a button and he and Alex disappeared.

Traveling by manipulator, Alex discovered, was not fun. It felt like she was getting ripped apart and put back together again multiple times. And even as this was happening, she could still feel her organs protesting the sudden movement. She felt like she was going to be sick. All around her was a bunch of swirling colors, but Alex found that if she tried to focus on them, they simply melded together until it was impossible to discern where one color began or where another ended.

Finally, it was over. Alex suddenly found herself landing on solid ground. She stumbled, trying to regain her balance as her stomach made its displeasure with the travel known.

"Trouble!" the Doctor finished. Unlike Alex, he didn't look nauseated or anything. Alex figured that Time Lords were better equipped to travel by vortex manipulator. He looked around and finally spotted an alive Amy and her younger self, Amelia, in front of the Pandorica.

"Oh! Ah, two of you," he murmured. "Complicated." Beside him, Alex lifted her head up and blinked. She had seen photos of Amy's younger self, but she never thought she'd actually be meeting her.

"Exterminate!" a familiar voice shouted. The two turned to see the Dalek from the Pandorica now fully alive and coming closer to them. The Doctor and Alex backed up as the Dalek reported "Weapons systems restoring."

The Doctor reached behind him and grabbed Amy's hand, who in turn, grabbed Amelia's. The Doctor's other hand grasped Alex's. "Come along, Ponds!" he called as he ran them around the Pandorica.

"What are we doing?" Amy wondered as they ran through a nearby exhibit.

The Doctor was about to answer when he suddenly bumped into a dummy, knocking its bright red fez off. Catching it, he replied "Well, we are running into a dead end, where I'll have a brilliant plan that basically involves not being in one."

"What's going on?" a male voice called out. A moment later, a figure stepped into the doorway, shining a flashlight into the room.

"Get out of here!" Alex called out to him as the Doctor told the girls "Go! Just run!"

"Drop the device!" the Dalek demanded.

"Not a very intelligent Dalek, is it?" Alex murmured.

The Doctor let out a light snort in agreement. "It's not a weapon! Scan it! It's not a weapon and you don't have the power to waste!"

"Scans indicate intruder unarmed."

"Do you think?" the stranger scoffed, dropping the flashlight to the floor with a clatter. Two shots came from out of nowhere, shooting the Dalek in the eyestalk.

"Vision impaired!" the Dalek shrieked. Its head started whirling around, the rest of its body quickly following as it spun to the other side of the room. "Vision…" But its voice slowly died down and the Dalek stilled, its eyestalk drooping as it seemingly shut down.

The Doctor grabbed his sonic and aimed it at the Dalek as he ran towards it. Alex, Amy, and Amelia on the other hand, went over to the stranger.

"Amy!" the now familiar-voiced stranger cried. The girls all looked up to see none other than Rory Williams, his Roman Centurion garb replaced by a museum-security guard uniform.

"Rory," Amy breathed, before rushing into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Rory apologized. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened-,"

"Oh, shut up," Amy interrupted, before quickly pulling him in for a kiss.

"Yeah, shut up," the Doctor agreed, approaching them just as they parted. "Because we've got to go. Come on!"

"I waited," Rory said, ignoring him. "Two thousand years I waited for you."

"No, still shut up," Amy whispered, quickly pulling him back in for another lip-lock.

"And _break_," the Doctor urged, pacing around them. He paused to truly watch the two kiss, something Alex thought was a little invasive. "And _breathe_!" When neither Amy nor Rory followed this, he muttered "Well, somebody didn't get out much for two thousand years."

"Don't be rude!" Alex hissed, lightly hitting him on the arm. "He didn't see her for _two thousand years_. If you waited two thousand years for someone, what would you do?" She paused, thinking something over. "Actually, _would_ you wait for someone for two thousand years?"

The Doctor looked down at her, his features going from baffled to dead-serious in a split second. "For you Ally, I'd wait more," he swore. He reached out and twirled a lock of her hair around his finger.

Alex giggled a little. He'd wait two thousand years for her? That was so sweet! "I'd do the same, Doc," she murmured, causing him to smile a little.

But before their moment could continue, a tiny hand tugged on the Doctor's jacket. The two sourly looked down at young Amelia. _No matter what age she is, she has horrible timing, _Alex bitterly thought.

"I'm thirsty," the young seven-year-old informed them. "Can I get a drink?"

"Oh, it's all _mouths_ today, isn't it?" the Doctor playfully frowned. He bent down to Amelia's eye-level and placed the fez he was still carrying on her head. Amelia giggled and grinned, but quickly pulled the hat away from her fiery hair and handed it back to him.

The Doctor took the fez, but his eyes were focused on the Pandorica and the small amount of light emitting from it. "The light," he mused. "The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek."

As if it could hear him, the Dalek's eyestalk slowly began lifting, the sound of machinery whirring inside it, audible throughout the room. "I think you were right," Alex murmured.

"Out, out, out!" the Doctor shouted, forcing Amy and Rory to break apart, and causing everyone to break out into a run. The group sprinted down a hall and through another door, entering museum reception. The Doctor and Rory shut it and the former tried to seal it with the sonic.

"So, two thousand years," Alex said to Rory as the Doctor pocketed the sonic. "How'd you do?"

"Kept out of trouble," Rory nodded.

"Oh," the Doctor murmured. Alex watched, baffled, as he stuck the fez on his head and began looking around for something. "How?"

Rory grinned a little. "Unsuccessfully."

The Doctor nodded, having expected this, and grabbed a nearby mop to use to try and seal the doors. "The mop!" Rory suddenly cried out, causing all eyes to shoot to him. "That's how you looked all those years ago when you and Alex gave me the sonic."

"You mean I have to travel by that thing again?" Alex bemoaned.

The Doctor laughed and grabbed her hand, placing it on top the manipulator. "Ah! Well, no time to lose, then!" He pressed a button and he and Alex disappeared in a bright light and a crackle of energy.

Alex felt herself traveling through the vortex, her physical being getting ripped apart and put back together again as her stomach protested the movement. A moment later, she found herself standing outside Stonehenge. In front of her, Rory was leaning back against a log, a mostly dead Amy sprawled across his lap. Feeling a wave of nausea wash over her, Alex clutched her stomach.

"Rory!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Listen, she's not dead! Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world."

"Actually," Alex corrected, somehow managing to get her vocal chords working, "it's the end of the _universe_."

"Oh, no," the Doctor interrupted, reaching out to press a few buttons on the manipulator. "Hang on."

Alex's eyes widened. No. There was _no _way she was traveling back and forth by manipulator. "Oh, no!" she protested, grabbing onto his sleeve. "We are not-," But she was cut off as they disappeared.

The two reappeared in front of a stunned Amy, Rory, and Amelia. "Doing that again!" Alex finished, stumbling on her feet and clutching her stomach.

The Doctor didn't seem to hear her, instead pushing the mop through the door handles on the door. "Oops, sorry!" he apologized, though whether this was to Rory for leaving his past self hanging, or to Alex for causing them to make multiple back and forth trips, was unclear.

Amelia tugged on her older self's sleeve. "How can they do that? Are they magic?"

Amy laughed a little and was about to try and answer when the Doctor grabbed Alex's hand and the two disappeared again.

Alex clapped a hand over her mouth when they landed back in front of Rory. She was sure her face looked green. She could feel a bunch of bile rising up her throat. In an effort to keep from throwing up, she focused on the Doctor and Rory's conversation.

"You need to get us out of the Pandorica."

"But you're not in the Pandorica!" Rory argued.

"Yes, we are. Well, we're not now, but we were back then. Well, back now from your point of view, which is back then from our point of view. Time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head." The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and handed it off to Rory. "It's easy to open from the outside. Just point and press. Now go!" And then, he and Alex disappeared again.

The instant they reappeared in the museum, Alex dove for the trash can in a small corner. The second her head was over the rim, she threw up. She gasped and choked as the vile liquid splattered the inside of the trash can.

The Doctor rushed over and patted her back as Amelia went over and gathered her hair up in a loose ponytail to keep it from falling in her face. "Is she going to be okay?" the little girl asked worriedly, only proving that she and Alex were going to be good friends.

"Manipulator travel is a bit straining on humans," the Doctor admitted. "She should be fine in a moment."

"Doctor, she wasn't with you the third time I saw you," Rory provided. He winced as another burst of vomiting erupted from Alex. "And I think I now know why."

The Doctor blinked. "Third time?" he repeated, puzzled.

"Sonic!" Alex gasped before coughing a little, a thin strain of saliva dangling from her bottom lip.

The Doctor jumped to his feet. "Oh! Now I don't have the sonic! I just gave it to Rory two thousand years ago." He pressed a few buttons on the manipulator and vanished.

Alex groaned and hesitantly stood up. "You feeling okay?" Amy asked.

Alex nodded. "I think so." She stumbled over to lean against the banister on the stairs. "As long as I don't have to use that manipulator again, I'm fine."

A second after she said this, the Doctor appeared in front of her on the stairs. "Right then," he murmured. He reached into Amy's jacket and pulled out his sonic. "Ally, how are you feeling?"

"Fine," Alex said, but her gaze wasn't focused on the Doctor directly, but on the hat on his head. "Doc?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor muttered as he checked his sonic to make sure Rory hadn't messed with it.

"Why are you still wearing that fez? We don't need to use the manipulator anymore."

The Doctor looked over and smiled at her. "I think I might keep it. It's cool."

Alex was about to burst out laughing when she realized the Doctor was serious. "You look ridiculous," she stated flatly. Behind her, there were muffled snickers from Amy and Rory.

The Doctor frowned at her and pocketed the sonic. "Don't be snippy, Alex. Now, off we go!" He turned to run up the stairs but Alex grabbed his jacket.

"Wait!" she called out. Once the Doctor whirled around, she nodded her head back to Amelia. "What about her?"

The Doctor's eyes widened and he nodded. He rushed forward to kneel down in front of Amelia. "Good job, Ally. I forgive you for insulting my fez." Alex rolled her eyes but the Doctor didn't see this. "How did you know to come here?" he asked Amelia.

Amelia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a brochure for the museum. A post-it note was attached to it, which the Doctor quickly examined.

"Ah, my handwriting," he realized. "Okay." He tossed the brochure and post-it over his shoulder and dove over to the main desk for his supplies. A quick press of the manipulator buttons and he was gone. A second later, he reappeared, sans supplies, but now carrying a large drink, which he handed off to Amelia. "There you go. Drink up."

"What _is_ that?" Amy asked as the Doctor rushed past her and up the stairs.

"Vortex manipulator," the Doctor answered. "Cheap and nasty time-travel. Very bad for you."

"Amen," Alex agreed, cringing as she thought about her bout of vomiting. She really wanted to brush her teeth right now.

The Doctor reached over and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?" Alex asked as they started up the stairs.

"The roof." The Doctor turned to lead them up the stairs but he froze as a crackle of energy and light appeared at the very top. Standing there was another Doctor, this one looking worse for the wear, his clothes and hair singed and covered with smoke and ash. Everyone watched, horrified, as he stumbled down the stairs before landing flat on the step above where the Doctor and Alex were standing.

"Oh, my God!" Alex shrieked, diving down to examine him while the present Doctor scanned his future self with the sonic.

"Doctor, it's _you_," Rory stated, pointing out the obvious. "How can it be you?"

"Doctor, is that you?" Amy asked fearfully.

"Yeah, it's me," the Doctor confirmed.

"It's him from the future," Alex elaborated. Her head rested on the future Doctor's chest, trying to hear his heartbeats. She could hear a faint thudding, but that was it.

Suddenly, the future Doctor leaned up, startling Alex so much that she nearly tumbled backwards down the stairs. She watched, curious, as the future Doctor whispered something into the current one's ear, then fell back on the floor, his eyes shut.

Alex hesitantly stood up, vaguely aware that she was shaking from fright and confusion. _No, no, _she thought. _He can't be…_

"Are you…" Amy started as they all stared at the two Doctors. "I mean, is he…is he dead?"

"What?" the Doctor murmured. He stood and turned to face them, looking surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. "Dead? Yes, yes! Of course he's dead!" He checked his watch. "Right! I've got twelve minutes! That's good."

"Good?" Alex cried, looking at him incredulously. She ran behind him up the stairs. "How is you being dead good?!"

"Yeah!" Amy chimed in. "Twelve minutes to live? How _is_ that good?"

"Oh, you can do _loads _in twelve minutes!" the Doctor replied. "Suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath." He reached behind him to grab Alex's hand so he could pull her along after him. "Come on, the roof!"

"We can't leave you here dead!" Rory argued as he kneeled over the future Doctor.

The Doctor frowned and whirled back around. He dragged Alex back down to his future self's corpse. "Oh good! Are you in charge now?" Not giving Rory time to retort, he added "So, tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?"

Amy, Rory, and Alex frowned. He was right. Amelia wasn't anywhere with them. The three craned their heads, looking all around for the seven-year-old. A moment later, their attention was drawn to the floor. The drink the Doctor had handed Amelia was sitting there, the only sign she'd ever been there at all.

"Where did she go?" Amy wondered.

Rory rushed down the stairs. "Amelia!" he called out, but there was no reply.

"There is no Amelia," the Doctor explained. "From now on, there never was."

"History is still collapsing," Alex added.

"But how can _I _still be here if _she's _not?" Amy questioned.

"It's that eye of the storm thing, isn't it?" Alex guessed.

The Doctor nodded. "You're an anomaly," he said to Amy. "We all are. We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm. But the eye is closing, and if we don't do something fast, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!" He tugged on Alex's hand and the two sprinted up the stairs.

"Doctor…" Alex murmured as they skidded into a hall.

"Not now, Ally," the Doctor said. He glanced over his shoulder, not surprised to see that Amy and Rory hadn't followed them. "Move it! Come on!" he hollered.

"Doctor, you're _dead_," Alex hissed.

The Doctor sighed and stopped, nearly causing her to bang into him. "Ally," he murmured, tilting her chin up so she could look into his eyes, "I _promise_ you, I'll be fine. I'd love to explain it a bit more fully, but right now, history is collapsing, and I have only twelve minutes to stop it."

Alex nodded and took a few deep breaths. "Right. Focus. Sorry."

"Don't be," he told her, just as footsteps could be heard coming up the steps. "It's nice to know you care, Alex."

A/N: Aw, cute fluffy moment at the end! Actually, there were a few fluffy moments in this chapter. Who liked their conversation while in the Pandorica? No declarations of love or anything, but I think it was still pretty sweet. :) Also, early update! I'm on fall break so I'm definitely using it to my advantage. :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Ooh, that sucks. But Season 2 is pretty good though, except for the final two episodes. Those are so depressing, I've only watched them once. Hmm, I think the 'Rory the Roman' line is later. I remember he says it to him in 'The Impossible Astronaut'. :) I'm glad the chapters made your day. Hope you get to feeling better! :)

**dream lighting **- I like Rory too and Mickey's great as well. :) Hope you like the chapter!

**We're All M-M-Mad Here **- Thank you! That really means a lot! :) I tried to make Alex a kind-of female version of the Doctor. With all those similarities, they just connect with each-other. :) Nope, Alex didn't get killed, but that's a good idea though. I'll also say that Alex won't be flying the Pandorica into the exploding TARDIS with the Doctor, but that doesn't mean she isn't going to try though. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix - **I feel bad for him at that part too. And yeah, I wouldn't cope being in a box for eternity either, even if it was with the Doctor. :) Yep, nearly at the end of Season 5 but we've still got a little ways to go on this story! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Lol, River and Alex will have quite a bit of tension, which we'll see in 'Let's Kill Hitler' and 'The Wedding of River Song'. A cat fight between those two...not sure if an all-out brawl would happen, but anything's possible. :) Glad you liked the chapters!

**Gwilwillith **- They talked, but no declarations of love though. :( Glad you liked the chapters though! :)

**moonsword17 **- Oh, I hope so! He's a master at trickery and deceit, so being compared to him is awesome. :)

**JackSpicer2311 **- Don't worry, I understood. And again, that's a really cool idea. :) Actually, while Marigold and Lacey will be in 'Death of the Doctor', they won't be attending the funeral with Alex. They'll be there when Alex learns the Doctor 'died'. :)

**SasuTenLuvr** - Lol! While that is true, the title comes from the saying 'living the life of Riley', which my dad sometimes says. It means that you're living a very ideal, content life, and Alex is living a life many of us would want to live. :) Oh God, that scene is heartbreaking. At least in here, the Doctor didn't go alone. :) Alex is more famous for her association and relationship with the Doctor, not one thing she does. As for the River question...yes and no. That's all I'm saying on that. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- No, since those episodes already happened, she can't be in them. But, for the story I'm planning where she has to go back in time to fix something in the Doctor's timeline, she makes a brief appearance in 'Silence of the Library'. Poor Ten will have no idea what to do with Alex and River in the same room. :) Yep, Alex is in the Pandorica. But she got out though! :)

**tardis-tea-time **- Sadly, that didn't happen. :( But I think where Alex told him how much she loved traveling with him made up for it a little. :) Thank you! That means a lot! :)

**Neko 97 **- Lol, I'm glad! I say this all the time on here, but that really means a lot to me! Really and truly it does! :)

**titieli** - Aw, thank you! :D Again, really means a lot! :) Hmm, can't say when the next make-out session will be, but we'll see the Doctor's point of view on his kiss with Alex in the _Byzantium _in the next chapter, so I guess that's something. :) Thanks! It's working right now and I'm taking full advantage of it. I hope yours gets fixed. :)

**MeemeBear** - Thanks! Yeah, there aren't very many where the OCs get stuck with him. I've only read one where that happened. I can't say when the next kiss will be! And I did update today! :)

**jesterlover **- That's alright, I heard there was some kind of glitch where people weren't getting alerts or something. :) Yep, Alex was in the Pandorica, but she got out here! Lol, yes, long live prinos and Pandorica's! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yep, two chapters in one day. My loss of internet for one day is your gain. :) Lol, glad to hear you weren't expecting her getting put in the Pandorica. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Guest **- Good question. I believe Alex has thought about suing, but after getting kicked out of Octavian, she didn't have enough money to do that. Plus, the will is pretty contract and hard to break, as I'm sure the Locke's would've made sure of. So, Alex can't really afford to sue. Also, she hasn't really thought about her inheritance since she met the Doctor. He's shown her that there's more to life than money and inheritances ad greedy relatives. :) Hope that clears things up!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters! That was the highest yet! And, oh my God, we are almost at 500 reviews! *nearly passes out from shock* I want to do something really nice after the 500 mark. Maybe a sneak peak at a future chapter? Let me know what you guys think. :) Also, that you to those who followed/favored this story. You are all fantastic! :D Please review and see you tomorrow!


	59. The Big Bang Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

The group ran down the hall before the Doctor led them through a door into a tiny entryway. On one wall was a ladder. The Doctor climbed up first and quickly helped Alex up, leaving Amy and Rory to fend for themselves.

The rooftop overlooked a quiet London, which wasn't surprising considering history was collapsing. In the sky was a giant orange sun, bigger than the one Alex was used to seeing.

Amy frowned and squinted in the bright morning light. "What, it's morning already? How did that happen?"

"History is shrinking," the Doctor said irritably as he stared at the sun. "Is _anybody _listening to me? The universe is _collapsing_. We don't have much time left." As he finished saying this, the Doctor rushed over to a pole with a satellite dish on it.

"What are you doing?" Rory demanded as the Doctor soniced the dish.

"Looking for the TARDIS."

"But the TARDIS exploded," Rory reminded him.

The Doctor pulled the dish from its base and went over to the edge of the roof. "Okay, then, I'm looking for an _exploding _TARDIS," he retorted.

"Doctor, explain something," Alex called out. She'd been trying to figure out why the TARDIS exploded, but nothing she came up with seemed to make sense. "The TARDIS blew up and took the universe along with it. Why would it do that? And how did it explode in the first place?"

"Good question, Ally," the Doctor complimented. "However, that's a good question for another day. The question for now is, total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one single one of them ever shone."

Alex's eyes widened. She dashed over to his side. "So, what is _that_?" She pointed to the abnormally large sun.

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver to it. "Like I said, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"But that's the sun!" Rory protested.

"Is it?" the Doctor and Alex retorted. The Doctor lifted the dish and his sonic towards the so-called sun. "Well," he said, "here's the noise that sun is making right now."

A second later, the TARDIS materialization noise came out from the dish. Amy and Rory stared at the sun in shock, while the Doctor and Alex just looked grim. "That's my TARDIS burning up," the Doctor explained. "That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

"Doctor, there's something else," Rory said. "There's a voice."

As the Doctor adjusted the sonic accordingly, Amy frowned. "I can't hear anything."

Rory tapped his ear. "Trust the plastic."

The Doctor placed the sonic on the dish again. This time, instead of hearing the TARDIS, they heard a familiar female voice, an annoying one in Alex's opinion. "_I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, my love._"

"Doctor, that's River!" Amy exclaimed. "How can she be up there?"

"It must be like a recording or something," Rory guessed.

"No, it's not," the Doctor corrected, lowering his arms. "Of course, the emergency protocols! The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a time loop to save her. She is right at the heart of the explosion."

"Can you get her?" Alex asked. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. As far as they knew, Alex loathed River, and the feeling was mutual. Alex blinked. "What? I don't _hate _the slutty poodle. And I don't want to see her die like that!"

"Slutty poodle?" Rory questioned. Amy caught his eye and shook her head, indicating not to ask.

The Doctor looked at Alex for a moment, then nodded. He didn't like the idea of Alex wishing River dead. "I'll be right back," he said, pressing a few buttons on the manipulator. He vanished in a burst of light and a crackle of energy. A second after that, he and River appeared behind the group.

"Amy!" River called. She then frowned in confusion. "And the Plastic Centurion?"

"It's okay," the Doctor assured her. "He's on our side."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I dated a Nestene duplicate once," River recalled. "Swappable head. It did keep things fresh."

"Hello, River," Alex greeted, stepping forward as she tried not to sneer at one of River's sexual conquest stories. "Nice to see you didn't get burned alive."

"Nice to see you're not stuck in the Pandorica," River replied. It was probably the nicest thing the two had ever said to each-other.

A second later though, the moment was broken. "Right then!" River cried, clapping her hands. "I have questions, but number one is this…" She turned to the Doctor. "What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?"

Alex snickered, causing the Doctor to frown at her. "I tried!" Alex laughed.

The Doctor pointedly ignored her. "It's a fez," he told River. "I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool."

River and Amy looked at each-other. Suddenly, Amy reached over and snatched the Doctor's fez, tossing it into the air. River quickly drew her gun and blasted the hideous hat into shreds as it fluttered over the edge of the building. "Oh!" was all the Doctor could say.

But someone else also had something to say. "Exterminate!" the Dalek shrieked as it rose up over the edge of the building. The Doctor pushed Alex towards River, who quickly pushed her in the direction of the ladder. Alex scrambled down, Amy and Rory following. The Doctor shielded himself with the satellite dish, effectively blocking the Dalek's shots. Behind him, River scrambled down the ladder and aimed her gun upwards. A second later, the Doctor dashed down too, slamming the hatch.

"Doctor, come on," River urged as he continued to stay on the ladder, keeping her gun aimed at the hatch.

"Shush," he murmured. He listened at the hatch for a moment before climbing down. "It's moving away, finding another way in. It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."

"How do you know?" Rory asked as the Doctor rushed down the stairs.

"Because that's when it's due to kill me."

River whirled around and lowered her gun. "Kill you?!" she cried, rushing after them. "What do you mean, _kill you_?!"

"Oh, shut up!" the Doctor dismissed. "Never mind! How can that Dalek even exist? It was erased from time and then it came back."

"You said the light from the Pandorica-," Rory recalled.

"It's not a light, it's a restoration field," the Doctor interrupted, storming down the corridor. "But never mind, call it a light. That light brought Amy back, restored her, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"

"Okay, tell us," Amy prompted.

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion. And that explosion blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except-,"

"Except inside the Pandorica!" Alex cried out, having connected the dots as he began explaining.

The Doctor nodded at her. "The perfect prison. And inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was."

Alex stared in awe at him, seeing what he was getting at. "You're thinking that we could reboot the universe from a single atom, like cloning a body from a cell."

"And we've got the bumper family pack," the Doctor beamed.

"No, no," Rory said, shaking his head confusedly. "Too fast. I'm not getting it."

"The box contains a memory of the universe," the Doctor explained, Alex nodding along beside him, "and the light transmits the memory, and that's how we're going to do it."

"Do what?" Amy questioned.

"Relight the fire," the Doctor answered, smirking slightly. He and Alex said together "Reboot the universe." The Doctor grasped Alex's hand and led her along further down the hallway. "Come on!"

"You two are being completely ridiculous!" River cried as she hurried to catch up with them, Amy and Rory just behind her. "The Pandorica _partially _restored _one_ Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how's it going to reboot the whole of reality?"

"What if we gave it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor posed. "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"

River gave him a flat look and crossed her arms. "Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we c_an't_, because it's _completely _impossible."

"Ah no, you see, it's not," the Doctor gently argued.

"It's _almost _completely impossible," Alex finished. "Honestly, have you learned nothing traveling with him?"

River looked like she wanted to retort but the Doctor cut her off before she could even get her mouth open. "One spark is all we need."

"For what?" River wondered, her thoughts on starting an argument with Alex shoved aside.

"Big Bang Two," the Doctor and Alex answered.

The Doctor released Alex's hand and started to turn around. "Now, listen-," he began, but a streak of light hit him in the chest and he jerked back, falling to the floor in pain and agony.

"Doctor!" Alex screamed as she dove down beside him.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" the Dalek cried out as it rolled down the hall towards them.

"Get back!" Rory called, pushing Amy to the side for cover. "River, Alex, get back now!"

River dragged Alex away from the Doctor's body and behind Rory. "Exterminate!" the Dalek shrieked, just as Rory used his hand-gun to fire at it. The Dalek's voice fell silent and its eyestalk drooped, shutting down again.

"Doctor!" Alex cried as she knelt back down beside him.

River did the same thing. "Doctor," she called as the man shuddered and trembled on the floor. "Doctor, it's me, River. Alex is here as well. Can you hear us? What is it? What do you need?"

Without warning, the Doctor reached out and pressed a button on the vortex manipulator still attached to his wrist. He then disappeared. Alex let out a yelp that managed to sound both surprised and sad at the same time.

"Where did he go?" River wondered, standing up. She stomped her foot, frustrated. "Damn it, he could be anywhere!"

"He went downstairs twelve minutes ago," Amy informed her.

"Show me!" River demanded.

"River, he…" Alex choked as a sob forced its way up her throat. She shuddered and tried to keep her tears from falling. "He died."

Just then, a whirring sounded out from the Dalek. "Systems restoring," it called out, its eyestalk slowly rising up. "You will be exterminated!"

"Damn it!" Alex cried, jumping to her feet. "Why can't you just die?!" She couldn't believe this stupid upside-down trash-can was still alive while the Doctor – _her _Doctor – was dead downstairs. All Alex wanted to do now was kill this thing and then go crawl into a corner somewhere and bawl her eyes out.

"We've got to move," Rory said, grabbing Alex's arm and pulling her beside him. He could tell she was volatile right now, and there was no telling what she might do now that the Doctor was dead. "That thing's coming back to life!"

"You go to the Doctor," River told them. She pulled out her gun and checked to make sure it was loaded. "I'll be right with you."

Amy and Rory hurried towards the stairs, but Alex remained with River. She wanted to see what her frenemy was going to do with it. Hopefully, it would be something deserving of the Daleks.

"You will be exterminated!"

"Not yet," River argued calmly, lifting up her gun. "Your systems are still restoring, which means your shield density is compromised. One Alpha Mezon burst through your eyestalk would kill you stone-dead."

"Records indicate you will show mercy," the Dalek retorted. "You are associates of the Doctor."

"I'm River Song." River smiled crocodile-like and nudged Alex. "Care to introduce yourself, Ally?"

"Alexandria Nicole Locke, or _Ally _to the Doctor," Alex smiled, but her eyes were narrowed into tight little slits, showing how angry she was. "Check those records again."

If it could have, the Dalek probably would've started trembling in fear. "Mercy!" it shouted.

"Say it again," River requested.

"Mercy!"

"One…more…time."

"_Mercy!_"

"What do you think, Ally?" River asked, cocking her gun. "Mercy?"

Alex didn't even hesitate. "No." She then turned away, her tan combat boots banging on the floor as she went down to Amy, Rory, and the Doctor's corpse. She didn't break stride once, not even when she heard River fire at the Dalek. _Serves it right, _she thought.

A moment later, River came up behind her. "Never let it be said that I don't look out for you," she remarked as they turned a corner, just in time to hear Amy and Rory.

"How could he have been moved?" Rory wondered. "He was dead! Doctor! Doctor!"

"What?" Alex cried, breaking into a run. She skidded to a stop at the top of the staircase and looked down. Amy and Rory were standing on the step the Doctor's body was supposed to be on, but the Doctor wasn't there. All that was there was Rory's abandoned jacket. "What happened?" she demanded, racing down to them. "Where is he? Did that Dalek do something with his body?!"

"We don't know," Amy admitted.

"But he was dead!"

"Who told you that?" River asked as she descended the stairs in a calm-as-could-be manner.

"He did," Amy replied warily.

Alex groaned. _Now_ she got it. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered. "I swear, I will!"

"You always say that," River smirked. She looked over her shoulder at a baffled Amy and Rory. "Rule One. The Doctor lies."

"Stupid rule," Alex muttered, running after her.

"Where's the Dalek?" Amy asked.

"It died," River replied, her voice emotionless and flat.

Everyone ran back to the Pandorica room. Inside, Alex was surprised to see that there was nothing else in there, no exhibits, benches, or anything. History was truly unraveling. In the center of the room, the Pandorica sat in all its splendor, the Doctor seated inside, looking unconscious.

"Doctor!" Amy cried, seeing this. River and Alex ran over to him while Amy and Rory hung back a few feet.

"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory wondered.

"We were a diversion," Alex realized. She knelt down in front of the Doctor and gently brushed his hair away from his eyes. He groaned softly, leaning into her touch. "As long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."

"Doctor, can you hear me?" River asked, crouching down next to Alex. "What were you doing?" She craned her head inside the box to see what he was trying to do. As she did this, the light in the room suddenly darkened.

"What's happening?" Rory cried.

"Reality's collapsing," River revealed, her head still inside the box. "It's speeding up. Look at this room."

Amy and Rory looked around, now noticing the absence of all the exhibits that had been in here just a little while ago. "Where'd everything go?" Amy questioned.

"Like the Doctor said, history's being erased," Alex told them. "Time's running out."

River knelt down closer to the Doctor. "Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us." But the Doctor remained silent. "Doctor!" River begged.

The Doctor's head rose up and he leaned back in the chair. He exhaled deeply before gasping "Big…Bang…Two…"

"The Big Bang," Rory repeated. "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings us back?" Amy asked. "Is that what you mean?"

"Oh," River breathed in realization.

"What?" Alex asked, looking up at her.

"The TARDIS is still burning," River explained. She kept one of her eyes on Alex, just waiting for her brilliant mind to catch up and work everything out. "It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire…"

"Then what?" Amy asked.

Alex's eyes widened. "Then let there be light," she finished. "The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like the Doctor said."

"That would work?" Amy asked either one of them. "That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history." River smiled in awe. "Oh, that's _brilliant_! It might even work."

"River, look." Alex pointed to the Doctor's wrist where the vortex manipulator was still attached. A bunch of wires from the Pandorica were connected to it.

River followed her gaze and nodded. "It'll be okay, Alex," she assured her. She turned to see Amy and Rory looking puzzled, though she wouldn't have been surprised if they were only shocked because she had called Alex by her insisted upon name. "He's wired the vortex manipulator to the rest of the box," she explained.

"Why?" Amy frowned. She could see that Alex was shaking slightly, not happy by this news.

"So he can take it with him," Alex replied. "He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."

"Amy…" the Doctor suddenly murmured, his head drooping slightly. River nodded and headed over to where Amy and Rory, the two now deep in conversation. Once she was gone, he turned to Alex. "Ally…"

"Shh," Alex shushed, scooting closer. "You shouldn't be talking. God knows what that Dalek did to you."

"I'll be alright," the Doctor assured her.

Alex shook her head. "No, you won't. I know exactly what you're going to do. You're going to fly this death-trap into the exploding TARDIS. It'll close the cracks up, but you'll be dead. And I, Amy, and Rory, and everyone else will forget you."

"No," the Doctor protested. "I'll be trapped in the Void."

"I don't know what that is, but it still doesn't sound good."

The Doctor sighed. "No, you're right. It isn't."

Alex shuddered, her shoulders wracking with unwept sobs. "Doctor, please," she begged, her voice weak and fragile. "There must be some other way, something else that can be done. Can't you, I dunno, control this by remote control or the sonic or something?"

"I'm afraid not," the Doctor gasped, his voice as weak as Alex's. "And even if I could do that, I don't have the time. I have to go with the Pandorica."

"Then let me come with you." Alex stood to her feet, just waiting permission to climb in and join him.

"No," the Doctor said flatly.

"Why not?" Alex demanded. She dove down to her knees again, gripping one of the Doctor's knees with her hands. "Doctor, did you forget everything I told you when we were trapped in the Pandorica, seemingly for all eternity? I told you my life was dull and boring until you came sauntering in. If you die, I have to go back to that life. And without you, there is _nothing _worthwhile to me waiting there. _Nothing_."

"Alex, listen to yourself," the Doctor scolded. "What about Lacey and Marigold and Emmy and everyone back in Bristol? What about Amy and Rory?"

"I'll just be a nightmare Amy has about a girl nearly running her over," Alex retorted. The Doctor watched Alex's eyes change from light brown to dark green. Those eyes showed that she was determined to do this. She would rather die than live without him. He didn't know what to think about that.

"Alex, I am not going to let you come with me," the Doctor said firmly, somehow finding the strength to get his voice to do this.

Alex stared at him. He was dead serious. There wasn't anything she could say or do to make him change his mind. Realizing that this was the end, she burst into tears. She buried her head into his knee, not wanting to look up at him as her tears dampened the fabric.

"Ally," the Doctor murmured. "Please don't cry."

"Sorry," Alex shuddered, slowly raising her head to look up at him. Her eyes weren't neon green, but dark emerald green. Unshed tears glistened in her eyeballs, resembling dew on the grass in a meadow in Ireland.

"Don't be," the Doctor told her. "I'm quite honored that your tears are soiling my pants."

Alex laughed, the tears in her eyes practically disappearing. The Doctor smiled weakly. "There's a smile."

Alex giggled. "Thanks," she murmured. "For everything." She sensed someone step up behind her and she stood, turning to see Amy. Amy gave her a sad smile and pulled her into a hug. Alex's arms tightened around her friend, before reluctantly releasing her to talk to the Doctor.

She was about to step away when Amy grabbed her hand. "Stay," she said. "I don't mind. I want you to." Alex nodded and silently leaned against the box.

"Hi," Amy greeted, whispering because of the sad circumstances.

The Doctor smiled at her weakly. "Amy Pond," he breathed. "The girl who waited all night in your garden. Was it worth it?"

"Shut up. Of course it was," Amy softly shot back.

"You asked me why I was taking you with me and I said 'No reason'. I was lying."

"It's not important," Amy dismissed. Alex had the suspicion Amy really didn't want to know what the Doctor's reason was.

"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe," the Doctor argued. "It's why I'm doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house, and just you."

"And Aunt Sharon," Amy reminded him. "And Alex a little later."

"Where were your mum and dad?" the Doctor inquired. "Where was everybody who lived in that big house?"

"I _lost _my mum and dad."

"How?" the Doctor pressed. "What happened to them? Where did they go?"

Alex watched Amy's face. Amy looked scared and nervous. What was going on? _What did happen to Amy's parents?_ Alex wondered. It was only then that she realized she really didn't know. Amy had never brought her parents up, and Alex had always assumed they died in a car accident or something. She had never asked though.

"I-I don't…" Amy stuttered, looking truly scared now. Alex bent down to give her a reassuring hug.

"It's okay, it's okay," she assured her.

"Don't panic," the Doctor added. "It's not your fault."

"I don't even remember!" Amy realized.

"It was the crack in your bedroom, Amy," Alex deduced. She looked at the Doctor for confirmation. He nodded.

"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom," he explained to the dumbstruck Scot, "and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now. Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn't make sense. How could I resist?"

"How could I just forget?" Amy shuddered, allowing Alex to pull her up.

"Nothing is ever forgotten," he told her. "Not really. But you have to try."

"Doctor!" River called out, as the ground beneath their feet began rumbling and shaking. "It's speeding up!"

The Doctor reached out to grab one of Amy's hands, pulling her close to him. "There's going to be a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there."

"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy questioned.

"Because you're special," the Doctor told her, their foreheads touching. "That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back. You can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there."

"You won't," Amy pointed out, tears coming to her eyes.

"You'll have your family back." The chair restraints came down over his shoulders and wrists. "You won't need your imaginary friend anymore." He observed the tears running down Amy's cheeks. "Amy Pond, crying over me, eh? Guess what?"

"What?" Amy sniffled.

The Doctor smiled wryly at her as the Pandorica doors began to close. "Gotcha."

Both girls swallowed roughly as the Pandorica doors closed, sealing the Doctor inside. Amy pulled Alex to the far side of the room, River and Rory running after them. They all turned to watch the Pandorica lift off and shoot off into the sky like a rocket, flying towards the exploding TARDIS.

A moment after it was out of sight, River's handheld buzzed. "It's from the Doctor," she announced.

"What does it say?" Amy asked as Alex rushed over to look at the screen.

Alex chuckled a little, tears springing to her eyes. "Geronimo," she revealed.

A moment later, a loud explosion echoed around the room, everything going white.

* * *

The Doctor's eyes shot open and he sat up with a jerk. He looked around, happily noticing that he was in the TARDIS control room. "Oh!" he cried. "Okay. I escaped then. Brilliant! I love it when I do that." He looked down at himself. "Legs, yes. Bow-tie…" His hand reached up to fiddle with it. "Cool." He then reached up to feel his hair, jerking in surprise when he didn't feel the fez there, then remembering what River had done to it. He shrugged. "I can buy a fez."

"Lyle beach! The beach is the best! Automatic sand." The Doctor frowned. That was his own voice. What was happening?

The Doctor hesitantly stood and looked up. Standing on the central platform were himself, Alex, and Amy. Amy was dressed in a Hawaiian-style shirt and shorts while Alex was wearing a sleeveless white sweater, ripped jeans, and sneakers. "Automatic sand?" Amy now cried disbelievingly. "What does that mean?"

"I'm guessing that it's automated," Alex smirked. Her arms were crossed, intently watching the Doctor pilot the TARDIS as if she was going to try and take it for a spin herself later.

"Totally," the other Doctor confirmed. "Cleans up the lolly sticks all by itself."

"No, hang on," the Doctor said to himself as his past self began explaining what lolly sticks were to Alex. "That's last week when we went to Space Florida." He stiffened in realization. "I'm rewinding. My, my time stream…unraveling…erasing…._closing_." He turned around, not very surprised to see a crack shrinking shut on the TARDIS wall.

He smiled sadly. "Hello, universe. Goodbye, Doctor." But he didn't want this to end. He didn't want to leave the universe. He didn't want to say goodbye to Amy and Alex…especially Alex.

On some crazy, twisted whim, he called out "Amy! Alex!"

Much to his surprise, Alex whirled around and stared over at him. Amy lowered her sunglasses and stared in his direction as well. He watched Alex inch herself away from the console and over to the railing, squinting. It was like she could almost see him, but not quite. He remembered wondering what the girls were doing, but had dismissed it as nothing. Now, he knew better.

But before he could try to do it again, he felt himself being pulled away. He now found himself standing on a familiar looking street. A cat meowed behind him. He whirled around to see Amy and Alex walking towards the coffee shop, Amy with the note and advertisement for Craig's flat clutched in hand. Alex stopped to pick up the white cat she had wanted to keep. The Doctor felt a wave of sadness run through him. If he'd have known all this was going to happen, he would've let Alex keep the cat.

"Ah, three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window." He watched for a moment as Amy ducked inside the coffee shop and Alex, still holding the cat to her chest, directed with one hand where she should tape it. "Amy! Alex!" he called out. "I need to tell you something!"

Amy ducked out of the coffee shop, frowning, and she stepped over to Alex. Together, the two turned in his direction. Alex released the cat, the animal curling around her ankles, as she squinted down the street. "They can hear me," the Doctor realized. "But if they can hear me…" He turned around, watching as a crack in the road closed up.

The crack pulled him farther into his timeline until he found himself leaning against a bunch of rocks. He was back in the oxygen factory on the _Byzantium_. "Good luck, everyone!" he heard his past self shout. "Behave! Do not let that girl open her eyes! And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, Ally…later." The Doctor peeked his head out just in time to see his past self walk away. "River, going to need your computer!"

"Yeah, later," Amy responded sadly, her eyes shut. Beside her, Alex cringed and shut her eyes, burying her head in her lap as the Angel in her mind tried to take her over.

The Doctor waited until his past self was gone before running over to the girls. He knelt down in front of Amy and grasped her hands. "Amy," he murmured, "you need to start trusting me. It's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth," Amy accused.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me."

"Doctor," Amy began slowly. "The crack in my wall…how can it be here?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." He glanced over his shoulder to see his past self messing with the sonic screwdriver. "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

Amy frowned, confused. "What did you tell me?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. Of course. He hadn't seen her seven-year-old self yet. "No. No," he groaned, pressing his forehead against hers. "That's not the point. You have to remember."

"Remember what?" Amy questioned, but he was already getting up and moving away from her. "Doctor? Doctor?"

The Doctor stepped away from Amy and went to stand in front of Alex. He studied her for a moment. She was so, so beautiful. Her long brown-blonde hair shimmered in the oxygen factory's dim lighting and her t-shirt dress clung to her in all the right places. He remembered his dream of kissing her after this adventure and he felt blood and adrenaline race through his veins. God, he wanted her. He wanted to kiss her, right here, right now. And what better time? He was probably going to die anyway, and he had wanted to kiss Alex since the first moment he saw her.

He watched as Alex slowly lifted her head, Amy thankfully quiet now. He could tell she knew he was still there. Her posture was straight and she looked attentive, even with her eyes closed. She scooted away from Amy a little before hesitantly whispering "I know you're still here."

The Doctor let out a deep, throaty chuckle. "You always know," he remarked. He quickly moved closer to her and knelt down in front of her. Alex smiled and started to open her eyes. The Doctor felt his inner panic slightly rise. Alex was intelligent. She would know in a split second that he was not her Doctor, not at the moment. Quickly, he put a hand over her eyes.

"Don't," he ordered, his voice unintentionally harsh. He grimaced as he felt Alex stiffen at the edge in his voice. She nodded slightly. He sighed. "Sorry," he whispered, removing his hand.

"You don't need to be worried about me," Alex assured him. "I'm fine. It's just a headache. The Weeping Angel is just trying to break out of its cage, that's all."

"Hmm," the Doctor hummed, glad she thought he was worried about the Angel. He had been while he was walking through the forest, wondering every second if she was alright. Throwing caution to the wind, he reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before slowly tracing her jawline with the pad of his thumb. Alex's breath hitched and she shifted closer to him.

"Like that?" he smirked.

He watched Alex bite her lip to keep from moaning. He felt kind of powerful for making her act like this. The Alex he knew would never act so needy or lustful. Alex reached out to grab him and pull him closer, but she suddenly stilled. He mentally swore. Of course. He had on his tweed jacket. The version of him here didn't, and he knew Alex would've noticed.

"Doctor," she said, running her fingers over the material, "where did you get-,"

He couldn't allow her to expose him. Amy was right next to her, and she would hear. It'd create a paradox! Without warning, he pressed his lips to hers. There were other ways of distracting her, but this one was the only option for him. He'd been wanting to kiss her since he first met her when she was dressed in that revealing policewoman outfit. Besides, Amy might not remember him. It was his last chance to do this.

He felt Alex physically start when he pressed his lips to hers, but she quickly overcame it. In fact, she began participating, quite enthusiastically at that.

Alex's lips had a strange taste. They tasted sweet and sour, like a lime squeezed into a bunch of lemonade. They tasted wonderful. The Doctor wanted to delve into his new favorite flavor quickly, but he didn't want to scare Alex either.

Alex grazed her tongue over his upper lip. He suppressed a moan and parted willingly. Alex immediately pushed her tongue into his mouth and ran it over every last inch. His knees buckled slightly from her intensity. She was a damn good kisser, but the angle was a little wrong. He reached up and tugged slightly on her hair, pulling her head back to slant her mouth over his the way he wanted. He felt Alex shiver, but she didn't do anything to stop him, instead complying with the new angle delightedly.

The Doctor sank his teeth into her lower lip and nibbled a little, requesting permission. Alex gleefully opened her mouth. The Doctor, whose eyes were closed, sensed she was about to fall as his tongue raced over the roof of her mouth. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer until she was pressed right up against him. He absently wondered if anyone else was noticing this, but quickly pushed that thought to the very back of his mind.

Wanting to see how she would react, the Doctor moved his lips away from hers and started planting hot kisses down her neck. He could taste her perfume and that same sweet and sour flavor that decorated her lips. He felt Alex strain towards him. "Please," she begged, her voice nothing more than a whisper, "don't stop."

He smirked against her skin before he planted a long, lingering kiss in the hollow of her throat. It was so fun to make the normally uptight and in control girl come undone like this. He wanted to do this again, and in multiple ways. He then felt Alex's nails scraping through his hair as she pulled him back up to her lips. She hurriedly kissed him, her tongue doing amazing things in his mouth that nearly caused him to scream in ecstasy.

But, in a comical case of bad timing, he felt something pulling at him. His first thought was that it might be Octavian or River, even though he couldn't recall the two coming back here. Then, he realized…it was the crack, trying to pull him back further into his own timeline. He wanted to swear and scream. Why?! What couldn't he enjoy this moment a little longer?

Grimacing, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. Alex whimpered, causing his hearts to break and nearly pull her back to him. But before he could act on that, he felt that tugging again. Alex gripped his shirt collar, trying to pull him back to her.

He reluctantly moved out of reach and stood. "I have to go," he said softly but firmly. He hated this. He could see how sad she was and he just knew she was trying not to cry. His beautiful, strong Ally. Not wanting to leave just yet, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was light and soft, but also conveyed how much he wanted to stay with her and not go, though whether she realized that or not, he'd never know.

Feeling his eyes water, the Doctor stepped away and allowed the crack in the _Byzantium_ to close, pulling him along with it.

He soon found himself standing inside a very familiar house. "Amelia's house," he breathed, looking up into the too-big house. He glanced at his watch, hoping that he had arrived on a night that Alex was here. He groaned softly as he looked at the date. "When she was seven," he corrected. "The night she waited." No luck in finding Alex here then. She was currently seven years old in Bristol, Kentucky.

The Doctor turned and went out into the yard. He smiled as he saw little Amelia Pond curled up on top of her suitcase, wrapped up in a blue coat and a red knit cap. "The Girl Who Waited," he smirked. He leaned over and gently picked her up. "Come here, you," he murmured.

He carried her into the house, leaving the suitcase in the yard. Remembering that Sharon had been absent on this night, he carried her upstairs and into her room, pointedly looking away from the room Prisoner Zero was hiding in and the room that would eventually be Alex's.

He removed her coat and hat and tucked her into bed. Surprisingly, she hadn't stirred once. He sat down in a chair beside the bed and watched as she slept.

"It's funny," he said suddenly, "I thought if could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad, and you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little. I'll be a story in your head. But that's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Because it was, you know. It was the best. The daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you I stole it? Well, I _borrowed_ it. I was always going to take it back." He could practically hear Alex snorting and saying something like _yeah, right!_

"Oh, that box," he breathed, remembering how the TARDIS was currently in a million pieces. "Amy, you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient, and the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, eh? _Would _have had. Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor, Alex Locke, and Amy Pond, and the days that never came."

He felt tears come to his eyes and a lump creep up in his throat as he thought about never seeing Amy or Alex again. He turned to look at the glowing crack on the wall. It was shrinking, but not by much.

"The cracks are closing," he told her. "But they can't close properly until I'm on the other side. I don't belong here anymore." He hesitantly stood, aware that his breath was shallow and that tears were starting to run down his cheeks like a waterfall. "I think I'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats." He leaned down, lightly kissing Amy's cheek.

"Live well," he whispered. "Love Rory. And look out for Alex, since I won't be around to do it. Make sure she stays out of trouble and lives well." He bit his lip to keep a sob from escaping as he thought about Alex living without his presence in her life, blissfully unaware of her mental abilities or that she had fought many aliens or that she had allowed one person to call her 'Ally'. "Bye-bye, Pond."

He went over to the crack and stepped through it, the crevice widening to allow him entrance. Once he was fully inside, the crack snapped shut behind him. He didn't see Amelia awake and look around curiously to see that the once eerie crack on her wall was no more. He didn't see her fall back asleep with a smile on her face as the stars twinkled outside.

A/N: So many things going on in this chapter, so many emotions. We also got the Doctor's POV on the _Byzantium _kiss. :) That was probably my favorite part to write. :)

Notes on reviews...

**dream lighting - **She could be, but I'm not going to say. And congrats on being the 500th reviewer! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Lol, Amy has horrible timing at any age, doesn't she? :) Nope, he doesn't protest when she calls him 'Doc'. It's supposed to be a parallel of how she doesn't protest when he calls her 'Ally'. :) I love that part too. It's so sweet and fluffy! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Don't worry, there will be one right after these notes! :D Ugh, I know. I hate school. But then again, I think most people my age do. :) Good idea, but Alex won't be trapped with Amy in the Two Streams Facility. Can't say the same about future OC's though. :) Good question. We know she's afraid of water so it's likely that she could get stuck in the swimming pool in 'The God Complex'. I don't want to say though, because what happens in that episode is pretty big. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Yep, I replayed all the scenes from the Doctor's POV. :) From my location in Kentucky, the time difference between here and the UK is five hours. :)

**JackSpicer2311 **- There is a moment like that planned, but not for a long time coming. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yep, relish in the knowledge that it will happen eventually. :) I do watch Bones, but only the early seasons, before they had the baby. I didn't like how they got together. It felt too forced, like they only got together because she got pregnant. Still like it though. :)

mayfire21 - He made out with Alex here. :) And I'm glad my story was able to affect you that way. :)

TheGirlBehindTheRayBands - No, no declarations of love here. :( But, on a slightly brighter note, Alex will be in 'The Impossible Astronaut' and the letter numbers will be rearranged. :)

Gwillwillith - Thank you! Yep, not long to go so we'll see if and when they finally admit it!

TheGirlWhoWaited - Thank you! I'm so glad you like this story. It really means a lot! :)

jesterlover - Lol, I love that part too and it happened in this chapter. :) Yes, long live prinos and fezzes! :)

Okay, now for a little treat. :) We have passed the 500 mark on reviews! Thank you, everyone that reviewed and gave me praise. I never imagined this story would be so successful and your encouragement and praise and love for this story is the greatest reward I could receive. :D

And now, here's a sneak peak from 'Death of the Doctor'.

"No, you tell me right here, right now why you're here," she ordered.

Colonel Karim sighed and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but it's my solemn duty to inform you that your friend, the Doctor, is dead."

"Oh my God," Marigold gasped. Lacey was silent, instead watching Alex for some sort of outburst.

Alex blinked, sure she had heard that last word wrong. No, that was impossible. It was the DOCTOR, for crying out loud! "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, he can't be. That's impossible."

Colonel Karim sighed again, as if she had expected this sort of reaction. "Last Sunday, at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth and scientists have checked the DNA results and it's definitely him." Alex stayed silent, trying to keep the sudden flurry of emotions in her under control. Sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, nerves, there was too much too soon.

She was barely aware of the Colonel still talking. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Locke. Sorry for the whole wide world because…he's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's dead."

_Stop saying that! _Alex mentally screamed. She wanted to scream it out loud at the Colonel, who seemed way too calm about this. She wanted to break down sobbing because the man she loved was dead and she had never told him. She wanted to scream and cry and curse whatever had crossed that man because he was dead.

The horrible truth sunk into Alex's mind. The Doctor was dead.

Poor Alex. :( But she won't be down in the dumps for too long. :) Once again, thank you to everyone that reviewed and favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	60. The Big Bang Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Alex's eyes slowly fluttered open. She squinted slightly in the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. Rolling over to escape it, her eyes traveled over to her digital alarm clock just as it beeped. She groaned. It was eight thirty, on Amy and Rory's wedding day, no less.

Alex reached an arm out to turn it off, resisting the urge to throw it against the wall. She had done that once and it had broken. It had been hell trying to fix it before she ultimately gave in and bought an expensive new one.

Alex rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She had to be ready by eleven thirty, which wouldn't be a problem. She also had to help Amy get ready, which also wouldn't be a problem. Then she had to go to the church and make sure everyone was there and ready and that Mitchell, Amy's cousin who had been recruited as a groomsmen as a family obligation, wasn't drunk like he had been at the rehearsal dinner.

Then, the wedding, which would be beautiful, of course. She was glad Rory's cousin's wife Lydia had taken care of the church details. After the wedding and formal pictures, she would then have to run out to the rehearsal hall and make sure everything was ready there. Alex grimaced thinking about how she would have to arrange the bar, make sure everyone's place-cards were in the correct spots, that the salsa band had gotten paid since, according to Rory, they never had been, along with a gazillion other details.

But once the wedding party arrived, she could relax and eat the delicious marble cake with the white-chocolate frosting and sugar roses she had been fantasizing about ever since that one time she had gone cake-tasting with Amy. She could also get drunk on champagne and dance into the wee hours of the night. She really hoped Amy didn't try to set anyone up with her. Alex knew she was already going to have to try and avoid Rory's sleazy friend Ricky like the plague. She could seriously see that guy raping some girl in a dark alley somewhere. Too bad the Doctor wasn't coming. He could've warded off any possible suitors…

Alex bolted upright. Wait, did she just think of the Doctor? The bow-tie wearing, grinning, possibly mad alien who lived in a bigger on the inside time-machine called the TARDIS? THAT Doctor?! Alex clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. The Doctor! She remembered him! She remembered him and all their travels from Churchill's bunker, to the _Byzantium_, the Dream Lord, the Silurian's, Apollo 23, the Pandorica, all of it!

Alex jumped out of bed and ran over to the window. She looked out into the yard anxiously, waiting to see the TARDIS materialize and the Doctor jump out, properly dressed for the wedding, and calling up and asking her to be his date. But there was nothing.

Alex frowned and stepped away from the window. Shouldn't the Doctor be here now? She remembered him, so shouldn't he come back into existence? Alex shuddered and went over to the foot of her bed. A large trunk she had gotten at the local flea market was resting there. Alex unlocked it and lifted the lid. She dug through old copies of _People _and _Soap Opera Digest _for a few moments before finally pulling out her little white diary.

She flipped it open. That was weird. None of her entries from her time with the Doctor were there. The diary was supposed to only have five pages left in it. Now, the majority were completely blank. Alex glanced through, looking for her hastily scribbled recounts of the Star Whale and Liz 10 and cruddy drawings of Daleks and Talerians. She shut it. How was this possible? What was going on?

Alex returned the diary to its proper place and shut the trunk. She couldn't explain it. She could remember the Doctor after he was supposed to be erased from the universe, but yet he wasn't here. All mentions of him in her diary were just gone. Alex ran a hand through her hair. "I hate it when I don't know things," she muttered.

She quickly stood. She'd go talk to Amy about it. Amy, even if she couldn't explain it either, would at least be able to offer support. Alex got to the door when she heard a startled yelp from Amy's room next door. Curious, Alex inched over and pressed her ear to the wall. The walls in this house were notoriously thin. Alex had stopped counting the number of times she had blasted her iPod at full volume into her ears when Rory came over to spend time with Amy.

"You're my mum!" Amy audibly cried. "Oh, my God. You're my mum!"

"Well, of course I'm your mum," a completely unfamiliar Scottish voice confirmed. Alex jumped back in surprise, but quickly replaced her ear so she could hear the rest of this unbelievable exchange. She heard the clatter of a tray being set down followed by "What's the matter with you? And this is your breakfast, which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity. I'll tell Alex the same thing. Downstairs, ten minutes? Big day!" Alex heard a door close, followed by footsteps going down the hall and down the stairs.

Alex slowly stepped away from the wall. Amy's parents were alive. The Doctor's plan had worked! But…Amy seemed surprised to see them. Did she actually remember the Doctor? Alex snatched her robe from the back of her door and rushed downstairs, determined to see all that had changed.

The house certainly looked different. Instead of the slightly tattered house she was familiar with, this version was spic and span. The banister had been dusted, the carpet had been vacuumed, the mirror frame polished, and the wallpaper replaced with a newer version of the old one. The house also smelled different. Instead of slightly burned food and quick puffs of hastily sprayed perfume, Alex could smell bacon cooking and the neat scent of Lemon Pledge. She liked it.

Alex slowly walked to the kitchen. She wasn't sure what to expect. She knew based on Amy's mom's comments that she still lived here, but did they like her? Sharon hadn't, but that was different. If the timelines were the same here, Alex had already lived here for two years. Were they anxious for her to move out?

Alex stepped into the kitchen. Standing by the stove was a nice-looking older woman with short red hair wearing an apron over her clothes. She was humming cheerfully as she flipped some eggs. She turned to move a pan to the other side of the stove when she caught sight of Alex.

"Alex!" she cried delightedly, rushing forward and pulling the surprised American into a hug. She pulled back and looked at her. "Oh, you are beautiful."

Despite only having just met, Alex found herself liking this woman. "Prettier than our lovely bride?" she smirked.

The woman laughed and playfully swatted her arm. "Oh, stop it! Breakfast is ready, although whether you'll want to eat any is another matter."

Alex spotted a plate of bacon and picked up a piece. She bit into it. "Not bad," she admitted. "Little dry though. Not like I could do better, though."

"After Amy banned you from using the stove?" Mrs. Pond laughed. "Good luck."

A whistling suddenly sounded from the hall and in came an older man with red hair. Alex knew instantly this had to be Amy's dad. "Morning Alex," he greeted, ruffling her hair a little.

Alex laughed and moved out of his reach. "Good morning, Mr. Pond," she said back, not really sure what else to say.

Beside her, Mrs. Pond snorted and shook her head. Her husband paused into the doorway to the living-room. "Alex, how many times have we told you? Don't call us that! It makes us feel old!"

"Speak for yourself," Mrs. Pond teased.

"It's 'Augustus' and 'Tabetha' to you," Augustus mock-scolded Alex, shaking the book he was carrying at her.

Alex grinned. She liked Amy's parents. "Yes, sir!" she nodded, saluting him.

Augustus laughed and headed into the living room. Alex leaned back against the counter and stuck the rest of her bacon in her mouth. "So," she said once she finished chewing, "how's the future Mrs. Williams this morning?"

Tabetha was about to answer when there came a sudden thudding from the stairs. "Ask her yourself," she replied as her daughter came rushing into the room.

"Amy," Alex called as her friend hurried past them and into the living room.

"Ah, Amelia," Augustus greeted. "I fear I may have been using the same joke book as the best man."

"You're my tiny little dad!" Amy cried.

Alex and Tabetha exchanged looks, Alex hoping hers looked as baffled as Tabetha's did. Tabetha went to stand in the doorway to the living room, Alex looking over her shoulder. "Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?" Tabetha questioned.

Amy shook her head. She seemed unsure and also a little stunned. "I don't know," she said weakly. "It's just…" She trailed off, not able to explain it. Then she spotted Alex over her mom's shoulder.

"Alex!" she cried, rushing forward and grabbing Alex's arm. "Come with me!"

"Whoa!" Alex gasped as she was pulled forward out of the room and up the stairs. "Amelia! Amelia, you're popping my shoulder blade!" She was led into Amy's bedroom and released. Alex fell back on the bed. "What's up?" she asked as Amy shut the door.

Amy whirled around to face her. "Alex, do you feel like there's something missing, something huge, and that it's important that it be here?"

_She must be referring to the Doctor,_ Alex thought. She felt sad that Amy couldn't remember him, but also a burning curiosity on why she herself could remember him. It's didn't make sense. Aloud, she said "Um, I'm not sure."

Amy sighed and muttered something under her breath that sounded like 'you're no help'. She grabbed her phone from where it was charging on the nightstand and dialed a number into it.

"_Hello!_" Rory's voice called out.

"Do you feel like you've forgotten something really important?" Amy asked in greeting. "Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"

A pause and then "_Yep._"

"He's only saying that because he's scared of you!" Alex laughed.

"_Are_ you just saying yes because you're scared of me?" Amy asked.

"_Yep,_" Rory confirmed.

Amy smiled a little. "I love you."

"_Yep. Er, I mean, I love you too!_"

Alex snorted. "Smooth, Rory!" she called out.

"_Shut up, Alex,_" Rory retorted.

Alex snickered and turned away to give Amy some privacy. She looked around the room. It looked the same as she remembered, only there were now a few photos of Amy's parents on the dresser, the giant crack on the wall was gone, and the room smelled of air freshener, not cheap perfume which the girls had tended to use before adults lived in the house again.

And, much to Alex's surprise, one thing hadn't changed. On the desk and chest next to the bed were the same TARDIS models and Doctor dolls that had always been there. Alex leaned over and picked up one of the dolls. She smiled as she played with the brown yarn used to make hair. She wondered how the Doctor would react if he saw all this. The last time he had been in the room, Amy had tried to kiss him, so he probably wasn't paying much attention to her little Doctor shrine.

"Alex, what are you doing?" Amy asked, sitting down beside her.

"Oh, nothing," Alex pretended to dismiss. She had a feeling she could get Amy to remember the Doctor back into existence, but she had to do it carefully. Forcing Amy to try and remember him wouldn't work. "Just admiring your dolls."

Amy burst out laughing. "Pretty crappy, aren't they?" she asked. She tugged at a piece of the doll's hair, the yarn breaking off to lie limp in her hand.

"You didn't think so when you were seven," Alex reminded her.

Amy nodded. "Yeah." She was silent for a moment when she abruptly asked "Alex, tell me honestly. You were the first person to believe I wasn't crazy when I told you about…." She paused, her brow crinkling as she tried to remember the Doctor's name. "My imaginary friend. Do you think he was real?"

Alex didn't even hesitate. "Absolutely. And Amy, a good friend once told me that not everything is forgotten. Sometimes, you just have to think hard enough, and then you'll remember it."

Amy stared at her. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"Never mind." Alex put the Doctor doll into the pocket of her robe and stood up, quickly pulling Amy up as well. "Now come on! We have to get you ready for a wedding!"

* * *

The wedding had been gorgeous. Alex had cried, though she would never admit it. As Amy and Rory greeted the wedding guests outside the church, Alex hurriedly went over to her car. She slid into the front seat and peeked at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked gorgeous, several jealous bridesmaids muttering she looked prettier than the bride herself. Alex's hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail with a bejeweled hair tie. Her eyes had been painted in a mixture of pinks and gold's with the thinnest amount of mascara and eyeliner. Her cheeks were a light rose and her lips were painted light pink. She wore a spaghetti-strapped light pink dress with a full skirt and a black ribbon around the waist, gold-colored strappy high-heeled sandals, tiny gold stud earrings, and a small cross necklace which had once belonged to her mother.

Alex cranked the engine and sped out of the church parking lot. The reception hall was only about a mile away, but Alex didn't go there. She needed time to think. Alex turned her car into a wooded area and aimlessly drove as the radio belted out a Mariah Carey song.

Amy still didn't remember the Doctor. Neither did Rory, though Alex hadn't been surprised by that. As far as Alex could gather, Amy still had an imaginary friend, the Doctor, but she really couldn't remember him and most everyone preferred not to think about him. Amy had still gone to a bunch of psychiatrists in this reality, though whether she had bitten all of them or not was unknown.

Alex felt tears come to her eyes and she quickly pulled the car to a stop. She was in the middle of a dirt lane, fields on both side. One of them contained sunflowers. Alex bit her lip, thinking of Vincent. If the Doctor didn't exist here, Vincent had never known of his future success as an artist. _Ally's Roses_ didn't exist.

She shuddered and reached down into her purse. Zipping it open, she pulled out the Doctor doll. If Amy didn't remember him, this was the only thing that let Alex know he was once real.

She kissed the doll on the head. Was the Doctor okay? What was the Void exactly? Was it like Hell? Alex bit her lip. She hoped he was okay. She placed the doll on her lap. She had to get Amy to remember that wonderful, crazy, impossible man. She just had to.

Checking her watch, Alex realized she needed to get out to the reception hall and make sure everything was in place before the rest of the wedding party arrived. She switched the ignition on and put the car into reverse, trying to focus on insane wedding details, but failing miserably.

* * *

Alex leaned back in her chair and took a long sip of champagne, almost draining the glass. She was sitting at a long table in the back of the only reception hall in Leadworth with the rest of the wedding party. All around the room were a bunch of smaller tables where wedding guests were seated, laughing and chatting excitedly. Alex, however, was trying to get insanely drunk. It seemed to be her best and only option at the moment.

To recap, Ricky the Sleaze had hit on her a grand total of four times and even tried to grab her ass until Alex had 'accidentally' dug her heel into his shin, Rory's father had been unable to make the wedding and reception because of salmonella poisoning, Amy's cousin Rebecca had called Alex a 'shallow American Barbie', Alex had told Ricky the Sleaze that Rebecca liked him as revenge, and Amy still didn't remember the Doctor. And now, her father was getting ready to make a long father-of-the-bride speech.

Needless to say, it was no wonder that Alex thought getting drunk was a very, very good idea.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a man Alex recognized as Amy's uncle Mark called out. "Ladies and gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!"

Glasses clinked and cheers erupted as Augustus stood up, pen and paper in hand. "Sorry, everyone," he apologized over the noise. "I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects."

Tabetha rolled her eyes. "Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute _death_ of me," she complained. "Unless, of course, I strike pre-emptively."

Amy laughed heartily. Alex watched her. She looked beautiful in her white strapless wedding dress, her veil shimmering over her red tresses. Much to Alex's surprise, Amy hadn't complained once about the red stiletto heels she was wearing. Alex and Rory had a bet going on how long it would be until Amy took them off and so far, Rory was winning.

Alex gulped down the rest of her glass as her gaze traveled around the room. As her eyes passed over the windows, she caught sight of sudden movement. Her eyes zipped back over just in time to see none other than River Song walking past. Her eye caught Alex's and she winked before looking over to Amy. Alex turned, thrilled to see that Amy had noticed her as well.

Amy stood up, staring at the now vacant window. Rory looked over at her. "Amy? You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy murmured, obviously not fine as she sat back down.

"Slutty poodle," Alex muttered just loud enough for Amy to hear.

Amy's head turned to look at her. "What did you say?"

Alex put on her best innocent-looking face. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Rory eyed her empty glass. "Alex, are you drunk?"

Alex glared at him. "No!" she cried sharply. "I was aiming, though."

Rory shook his head and grabbed her champagne glass. "I'm cutting you off," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Alex ignored him. "You sure you're okay, Ames?" she asked, trying not to let excitement creep up in her voice. Amy had to be remembering the Doctor a little by now. She had seen River for Christ's sakes!

"I'm fine," Amy insisted, but she didn't sound so sure. In fact, a tear slid down her cheek.

"Right," Rory said slowly, his eyes noticing the tear and following its path down Amy's face. "Um…you're crying."

Amy sniffled a little and touched her cheek. "So I am," she mused, pulling her fingertips away to examine the water now stained on them. "Why am I doing that?"

"Because you're _happy_, probably," Rory guessed, smiling hopefully. "Happy Mrs. Rory. Happy, happy, happy."

_Sounds like a drug,_ Alex thought as she swiped a champagne glass off a passing waiter's tray. She wisely stayed silent as she listened to her friends' conversation.

"No," Amy corrected, her head shaking slightly and a few more tears boiling up in her eyes. "I'm sad. I'm really, really, sad."

"Great," Rory choked out, clearly upset.

"Not like that Rory," Alex assured him, patting him on the arm.

Rory looked at her questioningly. "Why is she sad then?"

"Why am I sad?" Amy echoed. She looked around, only for her eyes to fall on a familiar blue book in front of Rory. "What's that?"

"Oh, er, someone left it for you," Rory said as he handed it to her. "A woman."

"But what is it?" Amy asked as she flipped through the book.

"It's a book."

"Diary," Alex corrected, calmly taking a sip of champagne.

"It's blank," Amy pointed out.

"It's a present," Rory argued just as Alex said "At the moment, it is."

Amy frowned as she caught Alex's sentence. She leaned forward and swiped Alex's glass out of her hand. "Alex, either you are incredibly drunk right now, or you know something that I don't." Amy's eyes narrowed in an attempt to intimidate her. "Talk. Now."

Alex smiled brightly and calmly reached behind her to pull her hair down from its ponytail. "Well, you know the old wedding saying, Amy," she said as she fluffed her hair and put the hair tie around her wrist. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something…_blue_."

Amy blinked. Alex could tell that the saying was stirring something in her brain. Amy slowly sat back down in her chair, her fingers running over the cover of River's diary. She slowly looked ahead as her father stood back up.

"Ready now," Augustus announced. "Sorry about that. Last minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year since…"

Alex tuned his speech out, instead choosing to watch Amy. Amy was also ignoring her father's speech, her eyes instead roaming over the crowd. Alex followed her gaze as Amy spotted one of the guests wearing a bow-tie, and then another one wearing suspenders. Amy then turned to look at Alex herself, watching as her friend's eyes switched from honey colored to dark green. She looked down at the book, a tear falling and staining the cover.

"…at the age of six and announced that the new head teacher wasn't real because she looked like a cartoon."

"Shut up, Dad!" Amy snapped, standing up and looking out into the crowd, but not really seeing them.

"Amy?" Rory asked, concerned.

"Amelia?" Augustus questioned.

"Sorry, but shut up, please," Amy begged. She looked out into the crowd intently. "There's someone missing. Someone important. Someone so, so important."

_Now she's getting it!_ Alex cheerfully thought. She put her champagne glass down and leaned forward excitedly.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked seriously.

"Sorry." Amy cleared her throat, Augustus reluctantly sitting down again. "Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend."

"Oh, no," Tabetha groaned. "Not this again."

"The raggedy Doctor," Amy continued, ignoring her. "My raggedy Doctor. But he wasn't imaginary, he was real."

"The psychiatrists we sent her to!" Tabetha sighed.

"Tabetha, with all due respect, be quiet," Alex said. She stood, ignoring everyone's shocked looks, and stepped over to Amy. "Keep going, Amy," she urged. She removed a hand from behind her back and lifted up the doll she had kept in her lap all throughout the reception. "You're doing great."

Amy looked at her for a moment before breaking out into a grin and nodding. "I remember you," she said, turning back out to the crowd. "I remember! I brought the others back, I can bring you home, too. Raggedy man, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!"

As she spoke, the room began shaking a little, the glasses on the tables gently rattling. A breeze blew throughout the room, blowing Amy and Alex's hair behind them. "I found you!" Amy cried. "I found you in _words_, like you knew I would! That's why you told me the story; the brand new, ancient blue box. Oh, clever! _Very _clever!"

"Amy, what is it?" Rory demanded.

"It's like Alex said," Amy told him. "Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something _blue_."

Right at that moment, the TARDIS engines whirled around in the air and the majestic blue box materialized in the middle of the dance floor.

"It's the Doctor!" Rory shouted, standing up. "How did we forget the Doctor? I was plastic! He was the stripper at my stag!" Noticing the baffled looks from some of the wedding guests, he added "Long story."

Amy hiked up her wedding dress and climbed over the table to run over to the TARDIS. Rory ran around the table to join her, but Alex merely leaned forward in excitement, the doll resting on the table in front of her.

Amy knocked rapidly on the TARDIS doors. "Okay, Doctor! Did I surprise you this time?"

The door swung open and out stepped the Doctor. It was all Alex could do to keep from screaming in euphoria or shouting out something like 'Thank you, God' even though it seemed suitable for the circumstances. She looked the Doctor up and down. He was dressed to the nines in a black tux, white shirt, white bow-tie, white scarf, and a black top-hat. As was typical of him, he made it work.

"Uh, yeah," he smirked, showing he really wasn't. "Completely astonished. Never expected that. How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing. Hello, everyone! I'm Amy's imaginary friend. But I came anyway." He then looked around, seeing only Amy and Rory. "Hang on, wait, there were _three_ of you. Amy, I told you to look out for her! Alexandria Nicole Locke! Show yourself!"

"Hello, Doc!" Alex called, directing his attention to the back of the room. He felt his hearts skip a beat as he looked at Alex. She looked _beautiful_, rivaling Amy actually. She was dressed in a short pink strapped dress with a black sash and a hem that stopped just above her knees. He watched as she calmly stepped up onto the table and hopped down, before rushing over to him.

"You are _such _a liar," Alex proclaimed the second she was by his side.

"Rule One," he reminded her. "The Doctor lies."

"How could you not tell me?" Alex demanded. "I was sobbing all over you when I thought you were going to be forgotten forever!" She didn't even notice some of the wedding guests looking shocked at this. Alex? Crying over someone? Had this whole world gone mad?

"Well, I wasn't sure it would work," the Doctor admitted.

"No kidding! I've been dropping hints to Amy all day!"

"Why didn't you just tell me straight away?" Amy bemoaned.

Alex arched an eyebrow at her. "Would that have worked? Forcing you to remember?"

Amy shrugged, silently saying probably not. "Well, now that that's settled…" Amy strutted forward and smirked at the Doctor. She was itching to tease him a little and she wanted to see if he would finally admit his feelings for Alex now. She had discovered weddings did things to people, weird, crazy things. "You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride." She puckered her lips out, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Amy!" Alex cried, feeling the familiar burn of jealousy make its way through her system.

The Doctor frowned and put a finger over her lips, standing a good distance away from her. "Amelia, from now on, I shall be leaving the kissing duties to the brand new Mr. Pond." He removed his finger from her lips and wiped it on Rory's jacket disdainfully.

Rory frowned. "No, I'm not Mr. Pond," he protested. "That's not how it works."

The Doctor looked at him seriously. "Yeah, it is," he insisted.

"It's true," Alex agreed. "I'm surprised you haven't figured that one out already."

Rory sighed, resigned. "Yeah, it is."

"Right then, everyone!" the Doctor declared, moving back towards the TARDIS. "I'll move my box. You're going to need the space. I only came for the dancing."

"Care for some company, Doc?" Alex asked, stepping up beside him. She doubted that he was leaving, but she _had _thought she had lost him. She didn't want to stray too far away from him.

Luckily for her, the Doctor felt the same way. His time in the Void had been spent thinking of nothing but Alex. Now that he was right next to her again, he didn't want to leave her side. "I'd be honored, Ally," he smiled.

There was a collective sucking in of breath throughout the room at this. Everyone waited for an explosive response from Alex, but surprisingly, she giggled. "Thanks, Doc!" With a swish of her skirt, she stepped inside the TARDIS, as if she completely and totally belonged there.

* * *

"Oh. My. God." Alex grabbed her champagne glass and sucked all the contents down. "Dear God, make him stop!"

Amy laughed at her as she continued to dance with the Doctor. Alex couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Doctor was _horrible_ at dancing. His current movements reminded her of some kind of drunk giraffe. She couldn't understand how he had danced so well in Rio and how he was rubbish here.

"You're terrible!" Amy told him. "That is embarrassing! Look, Alex is trying to get drunk so she can avoid seeing it!"

The Doctor looked over and watched as Alex downed another glass of champagne. He frowned. He still vividly remembered Alex's drunken babble in Rio. "Have you ever seen Alex drunk?" he asked Amy as they walked over to her.

Amy thought for a moment. "Once. But I don't really remember. I was drunk too."

By this point, they had reached Alex. Alex was perched up on a bar stool, her long legs swinging. "Hello, Doc. Hello, Mrs. Williams!" she greeted. She didn't sound drunk, but one never could be completely sure.

The Doctor reached over and snatched her glass out of her hand. "How many of these things have you had?" he asked, examining the bubbling liquid inside with a critical expression.

Alex shrugged. "A few. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Good. I still remember all your drunken babble in Rio."

"Oh, right," Alex winced. "Did I ever apologize to you properly for that? 'Cause if not, I'm sorry."

"You're fine, Ally," the Doctor dismissed.

"Good." There was a short pause and then "What the bloody hell was that?!"

Amy snickered while the Doctor looked at her, confused. "What the bloody hell was what?"

"Those moves you were doing that you call dancing!" Alex retorted.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! I'm not that bad."

Amy and Alex snorted. "Hate to break it to you Doc, but you are."

The Doctor looked down at her challengingly. "And I suppose you could do better?"

Alex crossed her arms and hopped down from her stool. "Oh, I _know_ I can do better," she retorted. "Remember Rio?"

The Doctor smiled. "Vividly."

"You know," Alex said thoughtfully, "we never really did do any more dancing after that one time." Behind her, Amy looked at her questioningly, but the two ignored her.

"We did get a little busy," the Doctor reflected.

"Alien invasions and meeting Vincent Van Gogh tend to do that to a person," Alex commented.

"What are you two talking about?" Amy demanded as Rory came up behind her.

"What's up?" he asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close so that her back was pressed up against his chest.

"I'm not sure," Amy admitted.

"Then it's settled!" Alex declared.

The Doctor blinked. Did they just agree to something? He didn't remember agreeing to anything! "What's settled?"

Alex smiled impishly at him. "Don't worry, you'll see," she said mysteriously. Before the Doctor could try and get answers out of her, Alex had darted off, heading towards the salsa band seated in a corner of the room.

"What's she doing?" Rory asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor started to reply but right then, a familiar song began playing. The Doctor grinned as he recognized the familiar Latin drumbeat with Spanish words being called out over it. "Actually," he laughed, "I think she wants me to dance with her."

Alex ran back over to them. Gathering her hair up in a ponytail, she stepped up to the Doctor and smirked at him. "Doctor, would you do me the honor?" She reached up and removed his top-hat, setting it on the table. She pulled on his scarf and dragged him out to the dance floor, answering her request for him.

"You're very persistent, aren't you?" the Doctor observed.

"It's one of my best qualities," Alex shrugged. "Now, stop stalling! Let's see if you've still got those moves." She carefully moved him into position and once the beat got faster, they began.

Alex began by rolling her hips, her shoulders bopping a little in time with the music. She began moving backwards, the Doctor following along. Just like last time, he focused on her bright, confident eyes as he startled twirling her around.

Alex twirled around so fast, she thought her head would spin. The Doctor expertly led her back into his arms only to twirl her back in another direction. Her dress spun around her and she was glad she had put her hair back in a ponytail. It was bopping around everywhere.

The Doctor twirled her around some more and once Alex came back into his arms, he lifted her up. Alex instantly wrapped a leg around his and, getting daring, lifted one long leg straight up into the air, grateful that she was wearing shorts underneath her dress. It was surprisingly easy. The crowd gasped and Amy and Rory's jaws dropped.

"Impressive," the Doctor murmured, before quickly releasing her, forcing Alex to quickly lower her leg and unwrap her other leg from his. The Doctor led her backwards, Alex following. And just when she least expected it, he dipped her.

Alex giggled as he lifted her back up and began rapidly twirling her around again. Alex twirled around five times before being dipped again. As she rose back up, he twirled her around again, this time bringing her into his arms. The music stopped and Alex collapsed against his chest. Her breath was ragged, her heart was racing, and her feet ached, but none of that mattered. She had just danced with the Doctor, _her _Doctor, and no matter what happened next, nothing was going to ruin this moment.

Everyone gaped in shock at the two before bursting into wild applause. It was unbelievable. Everyone had seen how bad the Doctor danced on his own, but in Alex's arms, he looked eligible to compete on _Strictly Come Dancing_.

Alex looked up at him as the applause continued. "Not bad, Doc," she teased. "I guess I doubted you for nothing."

"I guess you did," the Doctor smiled, pulling her closer to him.

The two stumbled off the dance-floor as a slower song began playing. Over by the bar, Amy and Rory looked stunned. Amy's jaw was still hanging open and Rory's eyes were widened in disbelief. "Okay!" Amy cried as the two approached. "_When_ did that happen?!"

"Remember Rio?" Alex asked.

Amy thought for a moment. "Yeah, but I don't recall you two dancing at any point during that trip."

Alex blushed. "We kinda sneaked off while you were asleep."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Amy whined. "Do you know how much I would've paid to see that?"

"I don't remember going to Rio," Rory spoke up.

"You wouldn't," the Doctor said quietly. "You were erased at the time."

"Oh." There was a slight uncomfortable pause for a moment. "But in all seriousness," Rory said cheerfully, "you two were good."

"Really, _really_ good," Amy clarified.

The Doctor and Alex blushed. "Thanks," they said.

Around them, couples began drifting to the dance floor, taking advantage of the slow song that was being offered. No one could compete with the Doctor and Alex at salsa dancing. "What do you say, Mr. Pond?" Amy asked, standing up. She lifted a leg and pulled off one of her high-heels. "God, I'm getting sick of these things." She pulled the other shoe off and handed them off to Rory. "Come on, let's go!"

Rory looked over his shoulder as Amy dragged him off. "Twenty quid!" he mouthed, smirking at Alex. Alex groaned while the Doctor frowned at Rory's words.

"Twenty quid?" the Doctor repeated. "What's that about?"

"Rory and I had a bet on how long Amy would wear those killer heels," Alex explained. "Rory won and I owe him twenty quid."

"And does Pond know about this bet?"

Alex gave him a look. "No! And don't you tell her either!"

Alex leaned back against the bar, propping her elbows up on the cool tabletop behind her. She watched as a few couples moved to the outskirts of the dance floor and began slowly dancing. In the center of the floor, Rory and Amy were also dancing. Rory had his arms wrapped around Amy's waist, one hand holding her heels. The two's gaze never drifted from the other's eyes.

"Two thousand years," the Doctor murmured, also looking at the pair. "The Boy Who Waited. Good on you, mate."

Alex nodded in agreement. Rory and Amy were a good couple. It had only taken two years, but somehow, she had gotten them together.

* * *

"Is my angle right?" Amy asked her husband, glancing over her shoulder at the approaching crowd.

It was time for the traditional tossing of the bouquet. Amy fingered the bouquet of sunflowers as she watched all her single friends and bridesmaids gather in front of the wedding party table. All the women were giggling excitedly, some of the glancing over their shoulder at their male dates, who, in contrast, looked a little apprehensive. Whichever lucky lady caught the bouquet would be pressuring her date to pop the question, and each guy was hoping it wouldn't be their date.

Rory looked around, finally spotting Alex on the outskirts of the crowd. He practically had to drag the girl away from talking to the Doctor just so she could participate. He watched as Alex crossed her arms, glancing over her shoulder at the Doctor, who was hovering by the back door. It looked like he wanted to make a quick getaway and it was highly doubtful Alex would be okay with that.

"Turn a little to your right," Rory advised.

Amy gave him a grateful look. "Thanks," she murmured. She repositioned herself and lifted the bouquet up. "Am I aiming directly at her?"

Rory checked. Amy was almost lined up with Alex, but she was still a few centimeters off. "Can you move a little more?"

"Not without making it obvious," Amy replied. She had been scheming for Alex to catch the bouquet ever since the Doctor had returned. Now that she was married, it was time to get her best friend involved with someone. Alex had done so much for her and Rory and helping her realize her feelings for the Doctor was just a small attempt to thank her.

Of course, Alex didn't know of Amy's plan. If she had, she'd have protested loudly and the bridesmaids and other attendees would have called the tossing fixed. Amy didn't really care about them though. All the other girls she knew were shallow and conceited. Alex was the only one here she actually liked.

"It's mostly up to Alex," Rory reported. He was a slightly unwilling participant in Amy's scheme, but was going along with it anyway. He could tell the Doctor and Alex liked each-other more than they said they did and quite frankly, the sexual tension gathering between them was getting annoying. "She's going to have to jump to grab it so that Rebecca doesn't get it."

Amy made a face. "Shrew." She had been informed of Rebecca calling Alex a 'shallow American Barbie' and would've said something to the former about it if she hadn't seen Ricky flirting with her as part of Alex's own revenge scheme.

"Toss it, Amy!" Amy's cousin Olive cried. Olive, aside from having a rather unfortunate name, had a very nasally voice from some nasal condition, making her sound permanently bratty and whiny.

Amy rolled her eyes and readied the bouquet. "Okay, here we go!" she cried, before throwing it over her shoulder in Alex's general direction.

Alex watched the bouquet spin in the air. Out of habit, she held out her arms as the other girls raced to grab it. But shockingly, the bouquet landed right where Amy had intended it to; right in Alex's arms.

There was a gasp among the women and an audible sigh of relief from all the unmarried men. A few women stormed off, muttering about dumb luck. Olive frowned and marched back over to her date, some pressed-up physics major at the University of London, and dragged him out onto the dance floor. Rebecca sneered at Alex.

Alex only stuck her tongue out at her. "Cheer up, Becky," she smirked. "I'm sure you'll get your chance at the next wedding. Seven times the charm, isn't that what they say?" Sadly for Rebecca, this was her sixth time being a bridesmaid.

Rebecca glared at her and stomped her foot before storming over to the bar. "How am I related to that girl?" Amy wondered as she and Rory came up.

"As long as we're questioning things, why are you friends with Mels?" Alex countered. "Ungrateful brat didn't even show up."

Rory shook his head. "Yeah, I think her wedding gift to us was a gift-card to Starbucks."

"She's a good kid!" Amy cried. She was constantly defending Mels, more than she should in Alex's opinion.

"She stole my car!" Alex argued. "And _scratched _it!"

Amy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Moving on. That was a good catch."

Alex laughed. "Thanks. Though I'm sure you helped in some way."

Amy put on her best innocent and offended face. "I would not! Rory, would I do such a thing?"

"Nope," Rory quickly replied.

"You're just saying that because you're married to her," Alex pointed out.

Rory grinned. He hadn't stopped smiling all night. "And I've never been happier," he affirmed, pulling Amy in to kiss her on the cheek. Amy giggled, something Alex had never heard her do.

"Okay, you two are grossing me out," Alex said, but she was actually happy. It was nice to see her friends so in love. "See you later, lovebirds." Amy and Rory ignored her though, too caught up in their own happiness.

Alex made her way through the still lively crowd. Some of the older guests had already gone home, but the younger crowd remained, determined to make the most of the reception. As Alex made her way through the throng of dancing couples and family members reminiscing about Amy and Rory's adventures as kids, she looked around for the Doctor. She had seen him hovering around the back-door, waiting until she turned her back so he could make a quick getaway. But that was not happening. No way. Not after she had almost lost him forever.

Alex played with the petals on one of the sunflowers as she made her way out the door. It was nighttime, the stars twinkling brightly overhead. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. Alex's heels made tiny clicks on the concrete walkway, which stopped as she hopped into the grass.

"Did you dance?" a voice abruptly asked. Alex paused and looked around, not seeing anyone. She was about to dismiss it, when the voice piped up again. "Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?"

Alex frowned and listened attentively. She recognized that voice. She turned around, coming face-to-face with a large hedge. She knelt down and nudged a few branches away. Sure enough, standing just a small distance away, was River Song. She was standing a little ways away from the Doctor, who was right next to the TARDIS, having been stopped in the process of making a quiet escape.

"You tell me," the Doctor challenged.

River smiled a little. "Spoilers," she replied. Alex rolled her eyes. That word was so bloody annoying.

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out her diary and vortex manipulator. "The writing's all back, but I didn't peek," he promised as he handed them to her.

"Thank you," River smiled, clutching the book to her heart. Alex's eyes zeroed in on the book. She really wanted to know what was in there. Or did she? Alex thought about this for a moment. Did she really want to know what happened to her in the future? _Probably not,_ she thought. She had told Amy the truth. Knowing your own future was dangerous.

Now, she watched as the Doctor turned. For a brief moment, she thought he was done talking to River, but she then realized he was looking around for something. "Alex!" he called out. "I know you're hiding behind that shrub!"

Alex laughed. She had forgotten about her and the Doctor's chemical connection to each-other. "Okay, guilty as charged," she smirked, stepping out from behind the bush and going over to him.

The Doctor smiled at her, still blown away at how beautiful she looked. "Having a nice time?" he asked, nodding to the bridal bouquet in her hand.

Alex grinned and lifted it up for him to look at. "I caught the bouquet," she shrugged, "with a little help from Amy."

"I wouldn't be surprised," the Doctor said, smiling a little at the sunflower bouquet. He looked up and noticed River watching them. "Are you married, River?" he asked. He was genuinely curious. There had to be someone in River's life.

"Are you asking?" River asked back.

"Yes," he replied, wondering what she was getting at. Beside him, Alex frowned, quickly picking up the double-meaning behind River's counter-question. Oh, no. She couldn't possibly…

"Yes," River answered.

It was then that the Doctor realized what he had said to River's question and the double-meaning behind it. "No, hang on!" he cried, glancing nervously at Alex. She had figured it out too and she didn't look very happy with River. "Did you think I was asking you to marry me, or, or, or, asking if you were married?"

River smirked at him. "Yes."

_You know what he meant! _Alex mentally screamed. She tightened her grip on the bouquet to keep from strangling River.

"No, but was that yes, or yes?" the Doctor pressed, digging himself into an even deeper hole.

"Yes," River whispered. She looked happy that she was causing the Doctor this much frustration and Alex this much jealously and hatred.

"River," Alex sighed. "Who are you?" It was the million-dollar question, one that Alex wanted answered desperately.

River's face fell and Alex was stunned by the overwhelming sadness that appeared in her eyes. What could cause a person that much sadness? "You're going to find out very soon now," River told them. "And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes." She touched a button on her manipulator and disappeared.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Alex asked.

The Doctor sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea. Not anything good though."

"I'm getting so tired of her cryptic answers," Alex confessed. She turned around to give him a significant look. "Maybe I'll be better with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Doctor, I was able to remember you when everyone else couldn't. The Atraxi, the Daleks, the Weeping Angels, nearly getting processed on Base Diana, all of it. But Amy and Rory couldn't. How come I could remember you but I couldn't bring you back?"

The Doctor smiled a little at her. "Oh, Ally, you're brilliant."

"Yeah, I know I'm smart, and thank you, but what I meant was-,"

"No, Ally," the Doctor interrupted. He tapped his head, then reached out and tapped hers. "You're _brilliant_."

Alex frowned. "Sorry, still not getting it."

"Ally, Amy grew up with those cracks in time. You didn't. They may have been around you at some point in your younger years, but you didn't have one in your bedroom whispering the secrets of the universe into your ear every night as you slept. Amy grew up with one of the cracks in her wall, giving her some control over them. Also, her memory of me was much stronger than yours. She's known me ever since she was seven years old. You've known me for two years."

"So, only Amy could remember you because she was actually affected by the cracks in time, which you stepped through?"

"Correct."

Alex nodded. "Okay, I understand that. But how come I could still remember you when you were supposed to be forgotten?"

"Alex, what have I been telling you since the day we met?"

Alex smiled a little. "That my mind is very powerful."

The Doctor nodded. "Exactly. You can't be affected by anything that tries to trick or erase your memories. Me stepping through a crack in time wouldn't do anything to your memories of me. It's like when Rory was erased from existence. You didn't forget him, even though he was a part of your life."

"I guess my mental shields locked down around my memories of you," Alex guessed.

The Doctor chuckled. "You're probably right."

"So…what happened when you flew the Pandorica into the exploding TARDIS? If you don't mind my asking."

"It's fine," the Doctor assured her, but he was, in truth, a little hesitant. He would have to recount how he went backwards in time and he knew Alex would quickly figure out he had traveled back to the _Byzantium_, where he kissed her with no warning. "Well…I started traveling backwards through my own time-stream. I ended up back in the TARDIS on the day we went to Space Florida."

Alex's brow crinkled as she remembered this. "Yeah. It was just the week before we went to the Pandorica. I was listening to you describe the planet and watching you pilot the TARDIS to try and take my mind off of having to go to the beach. Then…I heard you. But….you didn't say anything."

The Doctor blushed a little. "I got a little impulsive," he admitted. "I called out to you and Amy."

"You did!" Alex realized. "I heard you! So did Amy. We turned but….we couldn't see anything."

"You were squinting though," the Doctor reminded her.

"Yeah, I thought I saw something, like this fuzzy image," Alex said. "But then it just went away. I forgot all about it until you mentioned it."

"I also went back to when you and Amy put Craig's flat ad into the coffee-shop window."

"You called out to us then too!" Alex cried. "I could almost see you but you vanished again. Amy said we were seeing things and I agreed because I didn't know what else it could be."

"Right."

"Where did you go next?"

The Doctor was silent for a moment before answering. "The _Byzantium _oxygen factory."

Alex's eyes widened a little. She _knew_ that had been a future version! Something bad had happened and then….the Doctor kissed her. _This _Doctor, the one standing right in front of her, kissed her. She stepped a little closer to him, wondering if he was going to run off. Surprisingly, he stayed in place.

"That was you," she breathed. "That was you who told Amy to remember what you told her when she was seven. You must've gone from the oxygen factory to Amy when she was a little girl." Alex paused a moment, wondering how to approach her next question. "But before that, you kissed me."

The Doctor ever so slightly nodded. "Yes. I did."

There was a long silence between the two. The only sounds that could be heard were the chirping of crickets and the blast of the latest Pitbull hit from the reception hall. Alex couldn't think of a time when there had been this much silence between them. It was horribly awkward and strange. She swallowed, trying to gather the courage to ask her next question, the one she most wanted to know and the one she was most dreading.

"Why?"

"Well…" the Doctor nervously began. What was he supposed to say? He wanted to tell Alex that he had kissed her because he wanted to, because he couldn't live with the knowledge of never having done it with her, and because he wanted to do it in case he was forgotten forever and never got to see her again. The words were on the tip of his tongue, ready to be spilled out, but something was holding him back. He couldn't tell her that. Alex was young, a child compared to him. Even if she did enjoy the kiss – which, based on her actions, she certainly had – he couldn't be with her. He was an old man and she was a fresh-faced twenty year old.

As much as he wanted her and needed her, he couldn't have her. She'd leave him one day and he didn't think he'd ever recover from that. It was better for everyone, better for him, better for her, if he didn't tell her. If he lied.

"Well, you were about to reveal that I was a future version," the Doctor babbled nervously. "Amy couldn't know. So, I had to distract you somehow."

Alex felt her heart twist. It had been a ruse? Well, she had suspected that, but it felt like so much more than that. "Oh. Um…okay."

The Doctor bit his lip as he saw Alex trying to hide her reaction. She looked a little disappointed and heartbroken. "Ally-,"

"No," Alex said quickly, cutting him off. He didn't have feelings for her. That was okay. She could deal with that. Even if she felt attracted to him, she just had to keep doing what she had been doing. She had to keep hiding it. Besides, maybe it was better this way. A real relationship between them could never work out. He could live almost forever, while she could only live about eighty years. This was for the best.

"No," she continued. "It's fine. I understand. Completely."

"You do?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I mean, it would create a paradox or something if I blurted that there was another you there. You did what you had to do, right?"

The Doctor nodded quickly, his top-hat almost falling off. "Yes!" he affirmed, reaching up to steady his hat. "Absolutely!"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I mean, what did you think I meant? That I like you or have feelings for you or something? Because I don't."

"You don't?" the Doctor asked. That was good, but also disappointing. "I mean…good! Yeah, cause I don't either."

"Great," Alex nodded. But they were both lying and they knew it.

"Oi!" an irate voice suddenly called out, breaking the awkward moment. The two turned to see Amy rushing towards them, Rory just a little ways behind her. "Where are you off to?" she asked the Doctor. "We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet!"

"Amy!" Rory and Alex scolded while the Doctor took that moment to unlock the TARDIS door and step inside.

"Shut up!" Amy retorted, following the Doctor. "It's my wedding!"

"_Our _wedding," Rory corrected, him and Alex heading in behind her.

"Sorry, you two!" the Doctor called down from his position on the central platform. "Shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?"

"You just saved the whole of space and time," Rory reminded him as he, Amy, and Alex joined him by the console. "Take the evening off! Maybe a bit of tomorrow."

"Space and time isn't safe yet," the Doctor corrected. He took his hat and scarf off and placed them on hooks near the console before beginning to pace. "The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up. Why? And why now?"

Just as he finished talking, the console phone rang. "Doctor?" Alex called out. "Your phone's ringing."

The Doctor nodded and stepped over to it. "The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to-," He picked up the phone. "Excuse me a moment. Hello? Oh, hello! I'm sorry, this is a very bad line." There was a pause and the Doctor frowned. "No, no, no, but that's not possible," he protested. "She was sealed into the seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express…_in space_. Give us a mo."

He lowered the phone and turned to Amy, Rory, and Alex. "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

Alex frowned. No matter that he said he didn't have feeling for her, she still didn't want to leave him! "Yeah," Amy said slowly. "I think it's goodbye." She turned to look at Rory and Alex significantly. "Do you think it's goodbye?"

"Definitely goodbye," Rory agreed.

Suddenly, Alex caught on to what they were doing. "Oh, absolutely," she agreed. "It is time for goodbye."

The Doctor watched as the three humans rushed down to the doors. Amy threw them open. "Goodbye!" she shouted.

"Bye!" Alex called out, Rory waving a little behind her.

"Goodbye," Amy murmured, looking around at the tiny English village she called home. But she knew she wasn't going to miss it. The biggest adventure of her life was about to begin.

Alex grinned. She felt the same way as Amy. Why would anyone want a normal, peaceful, boring life when they could have a huge exciting one? She and Amy turned to look at each-other, identical smiles on their faces and mischievous twinkles in their eyes.

Alex shut the doors and the three humans hurried up back to the console. "Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty," the Doctor said into the phone, smirking at them. "We're on our way."

A/N: So…no romantic declarations here. *hides behind desk to avoid sharp objects* But it WILL happen! And when it does, everything will truly kick off. :) On the bright side, a LOT of fluff in this chapter! The salsa dancing returned! :)

Some notes on reviews…

**dream lighting **- They'll admit they have feelings for each-other...eventually. And Alex was okay when the Pandorica closed! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Yeah, I liked writing the kissing scene from his point of view. :) Yep, she remembered him! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Oh God, 60 chapters?! I cannot believe it. Speaking of parties, this chapter had a party in it, so it was kinda like a big celebration. :) Alex did remember! Glad you liked the fluff in the last chapter. It's still going strong in this chapter. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Nope, no reunion kiss. :( But I'm glad you liked the Doctor's POV on the _Byzantium _kiss! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- This episode is kind of sad, but at least it got happier at the end when he came back. :)

**Commander Cheesecake **- Thank you for the advice. It really means a lot. :) Lol, yes, I have long chapters. This chapter is 22 pages long on my Word doc. :) I can't stand spelling errors or stuff like that either. I've stopped reading stories because the grammatical errors were driving me crazy. I do plan on adding some more original moments in the future. There's another original adventure that starts the day after tomorrow. I'm going to try and change some stuff in the canon episodes, so we'll see how that goes. I agree with what you said about the episodes being 'background noise' in the OC stories. After a while, you just know what's going to happen. :) I'm glad you liked 'Bristol, KY Stop' and the 'Apollo 23' adventures. They were so much fun to write! :) Again, thank you so much for the advice and praise! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yes, they kissed! Kinda. :) Yes, the dress from 'The Lodger' will come back in this story. It actually returns in the original adventure that starts the day after tomorrow, 'Alex's Birthday'. :) It's not that I don't think Booth/Bones aren't a good couple. I just think they got together the wrong way. I felt like the baby forced them to admit their feelings. And I do like the crime elements too, even though sometimes I have no clue what they're talking about. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Lol, I hope that 'jeez!' is a compliment! :) Good point. When Alex finds out who River is, she's going to have to stop her name-calling and be a little nicer to her. The rivalry and tension and frenemy relationship will still be there, but toned down. :) Really? I never knew that! I don't know anyone else who watches 'Bones' and is a Whovian, but maybe someday! :)

**SasuTenLuvr **- A lot of feels in the last chapter, yeah. At least this chapter was a bit lighter. :)

**Lazyandloveit **- Yes, she remembered him! And she was Amy's maid of honor! Don't you just love when the stuff you hope for happens? :)

**rycbar15 **- Aw, I'm sorry! Hope you get to feeling better! :) I can't say when they'll get together! Sorry! :) Yeah, the beginning of 'Death of the Doctor' is a rather emotional time for Alex. But thankfully, it doesn't last long! :) Glad you liked the twist with Alex being in the Pandorica and where she was pleading to go with him. :)

**jesterlover **- She remembered the Doctor! :)

**NunquamAlius **- Here's more! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	61. Space and Time

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Alex glanced over at the Doctor as he whistled. He was working underneath the console on a rolling board, just a few feet from where Alex herself was sitting. Alex was curled into a small ball underneath the console. She wasn't sure why. She had just felt like it.

Alex glanced down beneath her. Rory was underneath her, helping the Doctor work on the TARDIS. Amy was off doing something somewhere in the further depths of the time-machine, while Alex had elected to curl up with a book. For some reason, she had decided to read in the control room underneath the console.

She shrugged. She was turning into the Doctor. Sighing a little, she turned back to her book. It was a good one. It was called _A Brief History of Montmaray_ and she had stumbled across it in the TARDIS library. It had evidently belonged to somebody before. Alex had found a small inscription inside the cover; _Property of Susan Foreman, Age 15_. Alex made a mental note to ask the Doctor who Susan was later.

Regardless of the identity of the former owner, the book was a good one. Alex was just getting sucked back into the life of Princess Sophie and the drama surrounding Europe in the years leading up to WWII when she heard footsteps approaching.

She glanced over to see a pair of female legs clad in black tights and boots approaching the Doctor. "Hey," Amy greeted.

"Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed, wheeling himself out long enough to say this.

Alex could practically taste Amy's displeasure at this. She looked over just in time to see Amy reach down and pull him back out. "Listen, can we talk?" she asked nervously.

"RORY!" the Doctor shouted, before shoving himself back under the safe confines of the console. Alex snickered a little. Did he really think that would work?

Amy grabbed his jacket lapels and yanked him back out. "No, shut up!" she hissed. "I just got a question, that's all, and I can't find Alex anywhere…" She trailed off, spotting a familiar almost-blonde head underneath the console. "Alex!" she cried.

Alex, startled, jumped up, hitting her head on the underside of the console painfully. "Ouch!" she winced. She closed her book and crawled out.

Amy stared at her. "What are you doing under there?"

Alex was about to answer when Rory called up. "Everything okay up there?" he asked, looking up at them through the glass floor. He was wearing large black goggles that Alex thought looked hilarious on him. The only thing that stopped her from laughing and poking fun at them though, was the fact that he was currently wielding a small blowtorch.

"Yep, fine, no problem!" the Doctor replied.

Alex stood up and placed her book down on one of the chairs. In front of her, Amy had her hands on her hips as she stared down at her husband. "What are you doing?" Amy demanded.

"Helping the Doctor," Rory answered. As Amy continued to eye him, he turned to look at something on the underside of the floor. "Um, it's humming," he told the Doctor as the latter started to wheel himself back under. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," the Doctor answered, pushing himself back out. "We're just entering conceptual space. Imagine a banana or anything curved! Actually, don't, cause it's not curved or anything like a banana. Forget the banana!"

Alex rolled her eyes as he wheeled himself back under. "Once again, ladies and gentlemen, the Universe According To the Doctor!"

"Don't be a smart-alec, Ally," the Doctor mildly scolded. "It doesn't suit you." Alex only stuck her tongue out in reply before adjusting the sleeves on her graphic baseball t-shirt. She had paired it with dark skinny jeans, black sparkly Converse, a small gold-colored watch like the one the Doctor wore, and a pendent necklace that she guessed was supposed to reference _Cinderella_, based on the bejeweled glass slipper charm and the charm that featured a figure in a blue dress.

"Uh, is he helping you fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked, her mind not straying away from the topic in the slightest.

"Attach thermo-couplings 2, 7, and 11," the Doctor called out, ignoring Amy altogether as he wheeled back out and got up. "Like I showed you!"

"How come he gets a go?" Amy demanded, following the Doctor as the latter began to walk around the console. Alex leaned back against the railing. There had been a sorrowing lack of entertainment lately. "You never let me have a go!"

"Or me," Alex inaudibly muttered.

"Uh, Doctor, don't!" Rory called, panicked. "Seriously. I let her drive my car once."

"Yeah, to the _end of the road_," Amy scoffed.

"Yeah, where, according to Amy, there was an unexpected _house_," Rory retorted.

The Doctor walked to the other side of the console, leaning over to type something but still listening to the conversation. Beside him, Amy said "Oh, he's jealous because I passed my test first time."

"You cheated!" Rory accused. "You wore a skirt!" Alex snorted. Now this was getting interesting.

"I didn't wear a skirt," Amy argued.

"Yeah, well, that would've worked too," Rory commented.

The Doctor, who had ducked back around to check something underneath the console, glanced up at this. He looked over at Alex, who smiled and mouthed "Mom and Dad are fighting."

"Behave," he mouthed, grinning a little as he went around Amy.

At the moment, Amy was deep in thought. "No, no, I _did _wear a skirt," she recalled, "but it was any old skirt."

"You ever see Amy drive, Doctor?" Rory called up.

"No!" the Doctor returned, not really paying much attention anymore as he checked another part of the console.

"Neither did her driving examiner," Rory said.

"Actually," Amy suddenly realized, "it was this one." She pointed down to her short denim skirt. "It was this skirt!"

Just as she finished saying that, the TARDIS suddenly lurched. Amy and the Doctor gripped parts of the console while Alex threw her hands up to grab the railing before she could get thrown over it. The lights above them switched off, the only illumination now being provided by the console.

"What happened?" Alex demanded. She released the railing gingerly, ready to grab it in case the TARDIS lurched or did something equally terrifying again.

"Rory!" the Doctor shouted, ignoring her. He looked panicked, which didn't calm Alex down any. "Did you drop a thermo-coupling?"

There was silence and then a sheepish "Sorry."

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, how did you do that?!" he cried, letting go of the console to walk around and look down at him through the floor. "I TOLD you, don't drop them! I specifically mentioned not dropping!"

"It was my fault," Amy said quietly. She looked slightly embarrassed and sheepish.

"Of course it wasn't your fault," the Doctor told her, walking around her.

"It kinda was her fault," Rory agreed.

"How can it be her fault?" the Doctor wondered.

Alex's eyes widened, instantly seeing where this was going. Just as she figured that out, Amy said "Because it was _my _skirt, and _my _husband, and _your _glass floor."

"Emphasis on glass," Alex helpfully called out.

"Thank you, Alex," Rory muttered.

There was silence from the Doctor as he processed this. He looked down at the floor for a moment before his head burst up, revealing widened eyes. "Oh! _Rory!_"

"Sorry!" Rory apologized.

The Doctor turned to look at Alex, happy to see that she looked just as disgusted as he did. "What do you think, Ally?" he asked. "Can you believe this?"

"Sadly, yes," Alex answered. And it was the truth. It had only been a week since Amy and Rory's wedding and Alex could practically taste the hormones in the hall outside their room or in any of the rooms the couple spent time in. This morning, Alex had Lysoled the kitchen table just to be safe.

Alex shuddered. _Ew. Focus on the present, Alex!_ She pushed off the railing and went over to the Doctor. "So, a thermo-coupling breaking is bad. Got that. What happens now?" She leaned over to examine the console, even though she knew she would have no idea if anything was wrong on it or not.

"Well, we've landed," the Doctor told her, running around to fling a lever up. "Emergency materialization, we should be fine. Should have locked on to the safest space available." He reached over and pulled another lever up, causing the lights to come back on.

The group looked around, allowing their eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. But then, their attention was captured by something on the other side of the room. Alex stared at it, her jaw hanging open a little, and she reached out to grab the Doctor's arm. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist in comfort while his free hand tapped his chin in thought. The time-travelers slowly made their way to the railing to look down at the new object in the room.

Sitting on the floor near the doors was the TARDIS.

"Doctor, what's happened?" Amy breathed, staring at the TARDIS in shock.

"It's not supposed to do that, right?" Alex asked.

"Safest spot available," the Doctor mused. He pulled his arm away from Alex and began descending the stairs. "The TARDIS has materialized inside itself."

"Is that supposed to happen?" Rory asked.

Alex turned to give him a look. "No," she said flatly.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "That's the one," he confirmed. By this point, he was standing right in front of the TARDIS. Hesitantly, he reached out to touch the doors.

"What are you doing?" Amy questioned.

"I have absolutely no idea," the Doctor murmured, before throwing the door open and running inside. However, he suddenly reappeared by the interior front doors.

"Uh, okay, that is a bit weird," Amy observed.

The humans watched, stunned, as the Doctor stuck his hand through the interior doors. His hand reappeared through the smaller TARDIS doors. Rory laughed, causing Alex to look at him critically, which he either ignored or just didn't notice. "That is actually pretty cool."

The Doctor stepped back through the main doors and came back out through the smaller TARDIS's doors. "Oh, I'm glad you're entertained, Rory!" he scolded, glaring at the man as he walked back up to them. "Now that we're stuck here for all eternity, at least you won't be bored!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, back up!" Alex cried, feeling her inner panic level rise. They couldn't really be stuck here for all eternity…could they? "We're stuck?"

The Doctor looked down at her, wishing he could calm her down. She looked worried and he hated seeing her like that. "The inside of the TARDIS is now joined to the outside of the TARDIS," he explained, trying to keep his voice calm so as not to scare her. "Worse than a time loop; a _space_ loop. Nothing can enter or leave this ship ever again."

But just as he finished this, the main doors burst open. Everyone turned to see who had arrived….only to be dumbstruck when they saw another Amy and Alex standing there.

"You were saying, Doc?" the other Alex smirked.

"Okay, kids," the other Amy said, "this is where it gets complicated."

Amy stared at her other self. "Who the _hell _are you two?" she demanded.

"I'm you, from your future!" the other Amy smirked while the other Alex rolled her eyes. Alex smiled a little. It looked like something she'd do.

The Doctor approached them. "Tell me exactly what's happened," he instructed.

"The exterior shell of the TARDIS has drifted forwards in time," the other Alex calmly explained. "If you step into the box now, you step inside the control room a tiny bit into the past." The current Alex nodded along with her. That made sense.

Amy shook her head. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I," the other Amy admitted.

"But she just said it!"

"No, she's just repeating it," the other Amy explained. "We're both just remembering what we heard ourselves saying when we were standing where you are now and repeating it. I'm just repeating this too, and this, and this…"

"I still don't understand."

"I do!" Alex exclaimed. "It makes total sense!"

"Good job, Alex!" her other self said encouragingly.

"Of course _you _would," the other Amy said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay," the Doctor cut in, getting a slight headache from all of this. "When do this Amy and Alex step inside the box? We need to maintain the timeline."

"Ah, as soon as Amy slaps Rory," the other Amy informed him. Beside her, the other Alex stuck her finger down her throat.

The present Alex frowned and leaned over the railing. "Why are you doing that?" she asked.

"You'll find out in a minute," her other self muttered.

"Okay," Amy nodded, looking fully prepared to slap her week-old husband.

Rory let out an unamused laugh. "No," he argued, stepping back from Amy a little. "Why do I get slapped?"

"Because we have to stick to the established timeline," the Doctor and both Alex's replied. Startled, the Doctor and the present Alex turned to look at the future one. The Doctor and Alex eyed her as they all simultaneously added "One mistake, the whole timeline could collapse."

Amy and Rory leaned over the railing to peer at the future Alex. "That is just weird," Rory muttered.

"Creepy," Amy corrected.

"That too."

The Doctor frowned. "Huh, River was right," he muttered. He started to say something else, but eyed the Alex's suspiciously. "Alright, neither of you say anything," he instructed.

Both Alex's rolled their eyes. "Yes, Doc," they replied.

The Doctor stared at them for a moment, getting a little creeped out by their simultaneous speaking. It was like an episode of _The Twilight Zone_. "We'd end up with two Amy Ponds forever!" he cried, turning back to Rory. "And then what would you do?"

Rory thought about it for a moment before turning to Amy. Alex's eyes widened as he opened his mouth. She was about to interject but Amy, quickly seeing what he was about to suggest, let out an outraged shriek, and slapped him.

"Ew!" Alex cried, wrinkling her nose.

The other Alex nodded. "Told you! God, this is even more disgusting the second time around."

"Okay!" the Doctor cried out, eager to get this over with. He hurried up and nudged the girls down to the TARDIS. "You two, into the police box, now!"

Amy and Alex rushed down to the blue box. Their other selves stepped forward, leaning against the side of the doorframe. "What, and we become them?" Amy asked.

"It's very simple, Amy," Alex said, her other self nodding in agreement.

"Yes, go, go, go!" the Doctor urged.

Amy was about to open the door, but paused. She looked her other self up and down. "Do I really look like that?" she wondered.

"Yeah," the other Amy confirmed. "Yeah, you do."

"Oh, good Lord," the other Alex groaned, raking a hand through her hair.

Amy smiled suggestively at her other self. "Hmm, I'd definitely give you a driving license."

"Amelia! Focus!" Alex snapped. Honestly! She was _flirting_ with herself? _Talk about shallow,_ she thought.

Her other self, remembering what she had been thinking during this moment, nodded in agreement. "Amen," she agreed.

The other Amy ignored them. "Oh, I bet you would."

"Oh," the Doctor groaned above them. "This is how it all ends!"

"Pond flirting with herself!" he and the Alex's all finished. The Doctor frowned at the two and gave them a look. "Sorry!" both Alex's cried.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "True love at last," he added. Then, realizing what he had said, he looked over at Rory. "Oh, sorry, Rory."

"Absolutely no problem at all," Rory murmured, still stunned by the fact that two Amy's were currently in the control room. Alex grimaced, trying to make her brain not think about what his thoughts at this moment might be.

"Now, girls!" the Doctor demanded.

Amy turned to her other self. "What's the first line?"

"It's my line, actually," the other Alex retorted.

"Weren't you listening?" the present Alex questioned. "I say 'you were saying, Doc' and then you say 'okay kids, this is where it gets complicated'."

"Gotcha!" Amy nodded before throwing the door open and stepping in. Alex raced in after her, closing the door behind them.

The other Amy and Alex turned and raced up the stairs. "Is that good, Doc?" Alex asked. "Is the space loop done now?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, we're still trapped," he revealed.

Right at that moment, the main doors opened and another Amy, Rory, and Alex stepped through.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor demanded.

"You told us to get into the police box," the other Rory said. "Well, from your point of view, you're about to tell us to get into the police box. From our point of view, you just told us to get into the police box. Which is why we got into the police box. Which is why we're here…"

Rory stared at his other self, confused and baffled at all of the dialogue spouting out of him. "Do I have to remember all of that?" he frowned.

"It just sort of happens," the other Rory shrugged.

It was then that Amy noticed her other self. "Hi!" she flirtatiously waved.

"Hi!" The other Amy waved back in an identical manner.

"Oh, not again!" Alex groaned.

"Aren't you glad you and I don't do that?" her other self asked.

"Immensely," Alex replied.

"Wait, why don't you two do that?" Amy wondered.

"Because it's too meta and weird!" both Alex's retorted.

Amy shrugged. "Well, I like it," she said, winking at her other self.

"Me too," the other Amy agreed, winking back.

"Stop that!" the Doctor and both Alex's chastised. The Doctor jumped slightly at all of the simultaneous speaking and glared at the two Alex's. "Stop that!" he scolded.

"Sorry!" the Alex's apologized.

"It's just really easy to do," the other Alex defended.

The Doctor shook his head. "You three," he nudged Amy, Rory, and Alex down the stairs to the police box, "into the police box, now!"

Once the three had gone into the box, the other Amy stepped forward. "So what now?"

"You three stay where you are!" the Doctor ordered as he ran over to the console.

"What are you doing?" Rory questioned.

"I'm setting up a controlled temporal implosion," the Doctor explained as he flicked a switch. "It's the only way to reset the TARDIS, but unless I find exactly the right lever to control the implosion…" He trailed off and winced. "…we're all going to die."

Alex pursed her lips and closed her eyes, her hands landing on her hips. "And you don't know which lever?" she guessed, unable to believe him. He'd been flying the TARDIS for centuries! Surely he knew which lever did what by now!

"No," he admitted. The Doctor stepped forward, his eyes boring into the doors behind the humans. "But I'm about to find out."

Right on cue, the main doors opened, Rory and Amy jumping out of the way while Alex watched in amazement as another Doctor came running in. "The wibbly lever!" he shouted.

_Two Doctors…_ Alex couldn't help but think. _In the same room…_ She jumped slightly, shocked at what she had just thought. _Oh my God, control yourself Alexandria Nicole!_

"The wibbly lever!" the present Doctor cheered, thankfully unaware of the tawdry thoughts running through Alex's head. "Thank you!" The Doctor whirled around and tugged the lever in question before sprinting down the stairs and into the other TARDIS. A moment later, the other TARDIS dematerialized, emitting its signature grating-groaning noise before vanishing completely.

"Okay, we're back in normal flight," the Doctor announced. He put his arms around Amy and Rory, the fingers on his right hand just barely grazing Alex's shoulder. "The TARDIS is no longer inside itself, the localized time field is no longer about to implode and rip a hole in all causality. But, just in case…" He looked down at Amy's legs meaningly. "Pond, put some trousers on." He then walked off.

While Amy rolled her eyes and gave Rory a sharp look since she still remembered the reason she slapped him, Alex headed back up to the console. She fell back in a chair. "Well, that was interesting," she remarked as she picked up her book and tried to find her place.

"More like annoying," the Doctor muttered.

"Doctor!" Amy called out. She bounded up the stairs while Rory ducked under the console to clean up the remains of the thermo-coupling he had dropped. "Just out of mild curiosity, what would you have done with two Alex's?"

There was a long pause. The Doctor leaned back against the console. _Two Alex's…_ he mused before mentally smacking himself. What was he doing?! He couldn't be thinking things like that!

He glanced over at Alex. Alex was looking at him expectantly, her nails tapping the seat of the chair. It was like she was waiting to see whether she had to slap him or not.

She watched him critically. It was okay for her to thing such tawdry thoughts, but she didn't like him thinking the same thoughts with her.

"Go mad, of course," he retorted. "All that simultaneous speaking…" He shuddered. "I'd end up throwing myself into a black hole."

"You don't mind when you and I do it," Alex pointed out.

He smiled at her. "That's different. There's only one of you."

Alex rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Good answer, Doc," she murmured, turning back to her book.

The Doctor snorted slightly and turned back to the console as Amy left, presumably to put on some pants to prevent another space loop. Alex flipped through her book, getting through seven pages before stumbling across something weird. "That's odd," she murmured.

"What is?" the Doctor asked.

"There's a bunch of passages in my book that are underlined and have notes scribbled in the margins," Alex explained. "This is the third one I've come across." She squinted down at the page, trying to decipher the delicate, spidery writing. "This one says…._That's not right. Invasion happened slightly later due to Grandfather's accidental intervention._ What does that mean?"

She looked up, noticing with alarm that the Doctor had gone stiff. One hand was pressed to the edge of the console and he was staring off into the distance. She leaned to the side a little to see his eyes. They had gone dark and looked irrevocably sad. "Doctor?" she hesitantly asked.

"What's the title of that book, Ally?" the Doctor asked, his voice stiff and guarded.

Alex bit her lip and turned the book over so she was facing the cover. It wasn't necessary since she already knew the title, but more to stall the possible forthcoming outburst. She was vaguely aware of Amy having returned, the redhead standing in the doorway, noticing the obvious tension and not willing to step into the room any further. Beneath the console, Rory had gone silent and Alex could just picture him eyeing the nearest door, plotting an escape.

"Um…it was one I stumbled on in the library," Alex replied apprehensively.

"The _title_, Alex," the Doctor demanded.

Alex gulped. "_A Brief History of Montmaray _by Michelle Cooper," she answered nervously, the words flying out of her mouth as fast as she could make them.

The Doctor sucked in a breath. Both hands clenched the console as he stayed completely still. Amy, Alex, and Rory remained dead silent, terrified that making the slightest sound would set him off. Alex tensed up in her seat, wondering why the notes in the book could make the Doctor act like this.

"Is there an inscription?" the Doctor choked out. His eyes drifted down to the controls, but not before Alex caught a slight tear in the corner of his right eye. "On the inside cover?"

"Yes," Alex answered. She opened the book to the inside cover. "'Property of Susan Foreman, Age 15.'"

The Doctor bit his lip. His shoulders hunched forward like someone in pain. Alex watched him anxiously, wondering if he was going to explode or not. Strangely, he just stayed silent, like he was reliving something and he couldn't find the words to explain it. "Doctor?" She stood and carefully approached him. She rested a hand on his arm, feeling the muscles beneath her fingertips tense and relax slightly under her touch. "Doctor, who is Susan Foreman?"

The Doctor took a deep breath before answering. "She was my granddaughter," he said quietly.

There was a gasp from Amy's direction, but the Doctor didn't seem to hear it. "That book you have?" the Doctor added, nodding at the book clutched in Alex's hand. "I gave that to her for her fifteenth birthday. We had just visited Winston Churchill and I figured she might be interested in learning more about the war." He chuckled a little, but not in a happy way. It was more bitter and sad. "Based on those scribbles, she obviously knew more than I thought she did. I haven't seen it since she…." He trailed off, tears filling up in his eyes.

Alex wanted to ask what happened to Susan. Based on the way the Doctor was talking about her, something bad had happened. _She must've died in the Time War or something, _Alex guessed. But she knew better than to ask. God knew how the Doctor might react.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, I didn't know," Alex apologized. It wasn't really her fault, how was she supposed to know, but it felt like the right thing to say. "I'll just put it back where I found it." She stepped around him, beginning to make her way back to the library, when the Doctor called out to her.

"No, no, you're fine Ally. It's just…" He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to get the words out as Alex stood in front of him, patiently waiting. "Just…be careful with it. It's very…_precious _to me."

Alex nodded. There was no question she would do that. She was always gentle with a book, but now that she knew it had belonged to the Doctor's granddaughter, she would treat it like it was made of glass. "Of course, Doctor. I wouldn't dream of doing anything otherwise."

The Doctor nodded and, sensing the conversation was over, Alex walked out of the room. She passed a completely stunned Amy, who was probably shocked at the idea that she had tried to seduce someone's grandfather. After Alex passed her, Amy stepped into the room. Alex paused on the steps, waiting to see if she or Rory would start peppering the Doctor with questions he didn't want to answer.

But Amy and Rory were smart enough to know that Susan was an off-limits topic with the Doctor, at least in their case. Alex was debatable. They already knew the Doctor confided things to Alex he never would with them, and they were okay with that. As Rory had pointed out to Amy, they probably didn't _want _to know any of the Doctor's darkest secrets.

"Right then!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, his sadness replaced by a large amount of cheer and enthusiasm. "Pond, excellent. Trousers. Good job! Now Rory, place couplings 4 and 16 in that space above the stabilizer break…"

Alex smiled slightly as she headed up to her room, Susan's book clutched to her chest. The Doctor may not have been willing to talk about his past, but she was okay with that. Now that she knew who the book belonged to, she felt an even deeper urge to read it and absorb it, if only to better understand her Doctor.

A/N: This is one of my favorite mini-sodes and I loved writing this. All the simultaneous speaking and innuendos... :) Also, the Susan thing wasn't even planned here. It just popped into my head when I was writing about the book Alex is reading (which I totally recommend reading, by the way). :)

Also, we start another original adventure tomorrow! It's titled 'Alex's Birthday' and, without giving too much away, contains possessions, Savannah, numerous mentions to a popular book, psychics, and more. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- I know, they're completely oblivious. *sigh* On a brighter note, thanks! :) Hmm, never watched _Matrix_, but I here its good. :)

**ShadowTeir **- All really good guesses, but, as is typical, I won't say if any of them are right or not. On a brighter note, glad you liked the chapter! This one is a bit funnier and kind of makes up for the last chapter. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I know, I am a tease. But the waiting is important. A few things need to happen before they admit their feelings and Alex has to come to a major realization. I'll say that she reaches the realization in the original adventure that starts tomorrow. :)

**yeah **- I'm sorry if you don't like how I'm writing the story and if you want to stop reading, I understand.

**Percabeth Jackson **- I know, and they will get together. Just not yet. Some things need to happen before they do get together and Alex has to realize something mega-important, something she'll realize in the original adventure that starts tomorrow. :)

**rycbar15 **- Thank you! Glad to hear you got your phone fixed. :) I'm writing 'A Christmas Carol' right now, the final adventure for this book and I'm working on two other OC stories; one which will be up during the time I'm writing 'Living the Life of Ally's' sequel and one that is a crossover fic between Doctor Who and General Hospital which may or may not go up. It depends on how much interest there is in that one. :) My favorite episode to write for this one has been 'Bristol, KY Stop' because I got to truly expand my writing and reveal more about my OC. For canonical stories, my favorite one to write 'The Vampires in Venice' because that's one of my favorite episodes. :)

**MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon **- I know, but some things need to happen before they can become a couple. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I know! So close! On the bright side, we got fluff and met Amy's parents. :) In answer to your question, yes, Alex pulled her hair down. She pulled it down when she was talking to Amy at the table during the wedding reception and trying to get her to remember. She was talking about the TARDIS being something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. She pulled her hair back up before she and the Doctor danced. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- I know, I hate that part too, but it happens and always leads to the couple confessing feelings for each-other. :) Glad you like the chemical reaction! It actually ties in to why Alex is a fixed point, but we won't find out why for quite a while. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Thanks! :)

**jesterlover **- Lol, I don't know if Amy had chips at her wedding, but the salsa is always a hit. I wish I could dance like Alex. :)

**titieli **- I know, I love them too. And I don't blame you for getting confused by the Alex/River relationship. It is complicated. Hope you liked this chapter! :)

**Gwilwillith - **Thanks! :)


	62. Alex's Birthday Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who, but I do own Alex and anything else you don't recognize from the Whoniverse.

"Hey Alex?"

Alex glanced up from the stove at Amy. She was attempting to make scrambled eggs, but so far, it wasn't going very well. Alex jumped back as the stove hissed, nearly throwing grease on her white t-shirt, paired with a denim vest, jeans, tan leather boots, and hoop earrings.

"Yeah Ames?" Alex asked, cautiously reaching back out to grab the pan handle again. Beside her, the Doctor looked up from his food to eye her warily. Alex had the feeling he lived in constant fear of her burning down the TARDIS whenever she tried to cook.

"What do you want for your birthday?" Amy asked. She was perched on one of the kitchen's industrial style tables, swinging her legs. Rory was seated on a stool beside her. "It's coming up in a few days, isn't it?"

Alex paused for a moment, trying to think about this. Time was really hard to keep track of in the TARDIS. She knew her physical body was aging, but she wasn't sure by how much. She estimated that she and Amy had traveled in the TARDIS for about a month, and it had been about two weeks since Amy and Rory's wedding.

"I guess so," she answered. "I don't really know though. Time is pretty hard to keep track of in here."

The Doctor dug his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket. "Ally, turn and face me," he instructed. Alex turned around, looking at him skeptically as he ran the sonic over her. A second later, he lowered the sonic and lifted it up to read the results. "You are aging, Ally," he announced. "According to the sonic, your body clock is set to turn twenty-one in approximately five days, seventeen hours, and five minutes."

"So it is coming up," Amy smiled, glad to know that she was right.

Alex hummed in agreement and turned back to the stove. "So it is," she murmured. Behind her, the Doctor frowned. She didn't sound very excited.

"Come on, Alex," Rory pleaded. He stood and went over to Amy, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You must want _something _for your birthday."

"I don't need anything," Alex said as she poked at a runny egg. The stove hissed again and she jumped back.

"Alex, we're not taking 'nothing' for an answer," Amy told her. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes level with Alex, hoping to intimidate her.

Alex raised an eyebrow at her friend's attempts to intimidate her. "Okay, fine. I would like a new diary. Mine is completely filled up."

"Thank you," Amy smiled.

Alex smiled a little, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She turned back to the stove, jumping back again as the pan sizzled. "August 31st, I'll be 21," she laughed wryly. "I can legally drink in the U.S."

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory watched Alex critically. They all were a little concerned on why Alex, normally a very eager and chipper person, didn't seem very excited about her birthday. It was so weird and unlike her and frankly, it was a little disturbing.

Shortly after breakfast, the Doctor made an excuse about having to make some repairs on the TARDIS. While Alex went off to explore the TARDIS, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory gathered in the control room.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Rory questioned. He watched as the Doctor raced around the console, feeding in the coordinates for Bristol, Kentucky, August 31st, 1996.

Amy nodded alongside him. Though she had been initially ready to figure out why Alex didn't like her birthday so much, she was starting to have second thoughts. Were they intruding too much on Alex's private life? Alex didn't like talking about her life with Carla, and it had to be for good reason. "It does seem a little invasive," she admitted.

The Doctor looked up at them. "Okay," he said reluctantly, throwing a lever and putting the TARDIS to a stop. He leaned against the console, observing the couple's guilty looks. "How did Alex celebrate her birthday before?" he asked.

"She didn't seem to care about it," Amy told him. "In fact, I only learned when her birthday was after I took a message from one of her friend's in Kentucky wishing her a happy birthday."

"She never told you when it was?"

Rory shook his head. "No. We asked her about it, but she said it wasn't a big deal."

"We did get her a present and cake," Amy recalled, "and she liked it and thanked us. Now that I think about it, she seemed surprised that we cared. It was like she wasn't used to it."

The Doctor thought about this. He had seen that Alex's friend's in Bristol cared for her very much, and they surely would've done something. But as little kids, you really couldn't do much, especially when your friend's grandmother was a completely horrible person. Maybe Alex had grown used to horrible birthday celebrations in those early years and even lavish teen celebrations couldn't quite cure her of it.

Suddenly, the TARDIS shifted to the side, throwing the occupants sideways and causing them to grab on to the nearest bolted down thing. "What the bloody hell did you do?!" Amy demanded as she clung to the railing.

"I didn't do anything!" the Doctor retorted. He ran around the console, staring bafflingly at the moving controls. "It's the TARDIS! She's flying of her own will!"

"Where is she taking us?" Rory wondered. He had been thrown to the floor in the sudden takeoff and was clinging to the underside of a chair as he tried not to slide all over the floor.

A moment later, as if in reply to the question, the TARDIS abruptly stilled. The trio looked around the room as they hesitantly released whatever they were hanging onto. They half-expected the time-machine to move again, but nothing happened. The Doctor went over to the scanner. "We've landed," he announced.

"Where?" Rory asked as Amy helped him up off the floor.

"Exactly where we first intended. Bristol, Kentucky, August 31st, 1996." The Doctor looked up at the time rotor in thought. "I guess she wanted us to see whatever's here."

The Doctor stepped down from the platform and approached the main doors. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was also a bit reluctant to intrude on this obviously private part of Alex's past. She was so understanding with him when he divulged parts of his past that were painful, and even when he didn't. He hadn't heard one question from her about Susan since he learned she was reading his granddaughter's old book. She somehow knew it was a part of his life that still deeply hurt, and she was okay with not knowing all the details. She knew he would tell her when he was ready.

But now, he was poking around in her past, completely messing with the comfortable balance they had on truth-telling. It seemed like a total double standard. But wasn't it really necessary? How much did he know about Alex anyway? She probably knew more about him than he did her.

So, in a sense, he was doing the right thing here. But that still didn't stop him from feeling immensely guilty as he opened the door.

The TARDIS had parked in the shadows of a weeping willow near the end of the driveway at Alex's old house. It was mid-afternoon, the sun overhead shining brightly. The house wasn't as decrepit as it had been during the group's last visit to Bristol. The lawn was almost completely manicured and not a beer can could be seen anywhere in sight.

Amy poked her head out. She visibly started at the house. "God, can you get any tackier?" she murmured, staring at the brown brick on one side of the house and the white brick on the other.

Rory looked out as well. "Bloody hell," he muttered.

Right at that moment, the front door to the house banged open. A Spanish woman in her mid-fifties came out. She had short, wavy black hair and wore a white blouse, dark-wash jeans, and black cowboy boots. She was holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer bottle in the other. The woman squinted out in the light, clearly having not left the house for a number of days. She turned to look at someone just beside her.

"Get outside!" she hollered, reaching behind her and pulling a little girl outside. The little girl had long light brown hair and wore a neat white summer-dress, white socks, and matching Mary-Jane's. The Doctor felt his hearts pang. It was Alex, only seven years old.

Alex was roughly pushed out onto the porch. She stumbled, falling onto the wood. The Doctor watched, feeling sick, as Alex's face contorted into one of pain. Her bottom lip stuck out and quivered. "Grandma, I got a splinter!" she whined.

Carla narrowed her eyes and simply took a sip of beer. "Oh, who cares? It's just a damn piece of wood! Pick it out yourself!"

"Bitch," Amy growled, her eyes narrowed. Rory held her hand in an attempt to keep her from running out and causing a paradox by strangling Carla.

Alex hesitantly stood up, one of her legs stiff from the splinter. "Are we going somewhere today?" she asked eagerly in the child-like enthusiasm seven-year-olds were known for. "Are we? It's my birthday!" She bounced up and down in a fashion very similar to her older self.

"Guess it's not a new thing," Rory commented, observing this.

Carla didn't seem very concerned about this bit of news though. "So it is," she muttered. She took a drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out, just barely missing Alex. As the young girl waved the smoke away, Carla took a last sip of beer and hurled the bottle out into the yard. The bottle hit the trunk of the weeping willow, missing the TARDIS by less than an inch.

The Doctor glowered at the woman. How had Alex lived with her?

"Go entertain yourself," Carla said now, waving her hand in the general direction of the yard.

"But my birthday!" Alex begged.

"Who cares?!" Carla snapped. The young girl jumped and ran to the other end of the porch. "What are you, God?! No one freaking cares, Alexandria, least of all me! Get used to it!" She then stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. A moment later, the door locked.

Alex stared at the door for a moment. As if knowing she wouldn't be able to get back in, she hurried off the porch and ran down to the end of the driveway. She sat down on the concrete and picked up a pebble. A moment later, she turned and hurled it at the house, the stone hitting a window shutter. Carla, if she heard it, didn't respond.

The TARDIS hummed and the engines began grinding up. At the same time, a semi-truck passed by the house, horn blaring. The Doctor quickly shut the door and the TARDIS dematerialized, the seven-year-old Alex none the wiser to who had witnessed this so-called birthday.

"That was awful!" Amy cried as soon as the TARDIS took off. She looked almost on the verge of tears. "I-I, I don't want to see anything else!"

Rory went over and hugged her. "Don't worry, you don't have to," he assured her, giving the Doctor a pointed look behind her back. The Doctor nodded. He didn't think he wanted to see something that cruel and heartless ever again either.

Amy pulled back, sniffling slightly. "We're giving Alex a great birthday," she declared. "I don't want her living like that ever again!" Amy rushed off, her heels clacking as she ran upstairs. Rory gave the Doctor a sad smile before following her.

The Doctor leaned back against the console wearily. God. That had been hell to see. He just wanted to run up there, grab Alex, and take her far-away from that horrible woman. He didn't see how Alex had been able to live with that so-called grandmother that day, let alone for thirteen years.

Just as he thought this, the TARDIS landed again. He looked up at the time rotor suspiciously. "Where have you taken me this time?" he asked.

'_You'll see,_'the TARDIS responded.

The Doctor looked over at the doors warily. "What if I said I didn't want to go out there?"

'_Then I wouldn't budge until you did go out there._'

The Doctor frowned and sighed. He knew she was telling the truth. Almost reluctantly, he pushed off the console and went down to the doors. He hesitated a moment before opening them.

They were in the same spot as before, only it was night now. A full moon hung overhead and owls and nightingales sang all around the TARDIS. The mansion was now lit up with lights and an amount of time had obviously passed; beer cans were stacked up on the porch railing, a window shutter on the second floor had tilted to the side, and a few new trees had been added to the yard.

The front door banged open and out came Carla, now looking like she was in her sixties. That didn't seem to be stopping her from wearing a silver mini-skirt and five-inch heels though. She tottered down the steps, drinking out of a flask. "Bye-bye, dear!" she called out in a sardonic voice. "Don't wait up!"

The front door banged open and out came Alex. She looked like the twenty-year-old the Doctor knew, only slightly younger with not as defined features and highlight-less hair. The Doctor estimated this Alex was about fourteen or fifteen. She was wearing a white camisole, jeans, and sneakers, a red cardigan tied around her waist.

"Why would I?" Alex retorted. "Why should I care about a pill-popping drunk?!"

"Watch your mouth young lady!" Carla snapped. "I am your grandmother!"

"That's a title, not a defense!"

"I am in charge of you Alexandria Nicole, and I will not stand for-,"

"You're in charge of me?!" Alex retorted. She laughed sarcastically. "Please! If anybody's been in charge of me, it's _me_! I've been taking care of myself since I was eight years old! All you've been good for is doctor visits and buying groceries!"

"I've taken care of you more than that!"

"Oh yeah?" Alex scoffed. "You've never gone to any of my school events, talked to me about my day, or even given me a birthday or Christmas gift!"

Carla rolled her eyes. "You're a drama queen!" she shouted, stomping over to her car. "You get that from your mother!"

"Do this whole town a favor and go to Hell!" Alex screamed, before running back inside and slamming the door. Carla ignored her, instead getting into her car and speeding off, nearly hitting the mailbox in her attempt to flee.

The Doctor shook his head. Alex had said growing up with Carla wasn't easy, but he had no idea it was this bad. He felt a strong desire to run into that house and comfort the young teen inside, but he knew he couldn't for so many reasons.

A minute later, the door reopened. Alex came back out. She was now clutching something in her hand. The Doctor squinted, able to make out a small cupcake, a candle, and a pack of matches. Alex headed down the porch and over to the weeping willow. The Doctor ducked back inside the TARDIS, but he needn't have worried; the TARDIS was perfectly concealed behind the tree and Alex would never be able to make it out in the dark.

Alex sat down on the other side of the tree. The Doctor slowly opened the TARDIS door and stepped out, inching his way around the tree-trunk until he could just see Alex. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting sitting by her feet. He watched as she stuck a candle in it, then struck a match and lit it. She blew out the match and tossed it in the grass.

Alex picked up the cupcake, studying it. "So, this is it then," she said aloud. "My fourteenth birthday and all I get out of it is a cupcake in the grass." She snorted slightly, but the Doctor could hear the tears creeping into the edge of her voice.

"Yeah, I know that Lacey and Marigold and all the others care, but…" Alex trailed off and shuddered. "They're only doing it because they feel like they need to make up for me having a shitty childhood. Maybe Carla was right. Maybe no one cares."

_I care, Ally!_ The Doctor thought. He wanted to scream it out right now so that Alex would know it. Was this really how she thought of herself? That she was so undeserving of love and care and affection? _Maybe Alex isn't as strong as I thought, _he mused. _Maybe Carla did more damage to her than she realizes or is willing to admit._ He frowned at the idea. No. He was going to make sure Alex knew that he, Amy, Rory, and everyone else in her life cared about her.

Alex sniffled again. "Well, I care. That's all that matters." Alex looked up into the night sky. "So…birthday wish. I can say it out loud. No one's around to hear it." The Doctor bit his lip to keep from laughing. _Not exactly, Ally._

"Okay. My wish this year…is for something incredible to happen. Something amazing and exciting and thrilling and crazy, but all so wonderful. Actually, I want something like that to happen at any point in the future. It doesn't have to be this year. I just want something incredibly amazing." With those words poured out into the universe, Alex blew out her candle.

The Doctor had to wait a few minutes before he could safely leave without disrupting the timelines. Alex ate her cupcake and then went back inside the house, the door locking behind her. As soon as the door shut, the Doctor ran back into the TARDIS.

He went up to the console and flicked a few switches, sending them off to a distant point in space. After seeing glimpses of Alex's life pre-Leadworth, he knew he had to do something wonderful for her birthday. He was going to show her that he cared about her and that he wanted her to always look forward to that wonderful day when she had been brought into this universe.

* * *

Two days later, Alex was lounging in a seat in the control room. Her nose was buried in a new book, Susan's copy of _A Brief History of Montmaray _now safely back in its place in the library. The Doctor was underneath the console, making some type of repairs which, based on the alien curse words flying out of his mouth at various intervals, were extremely difficult. Amy and Rory had grown bored and were playing hearts – at least, Rory was trying to teach Amy how to play, but she couldn't quite get it.

"No, Amy," Rory said exasperatedly for what seemed like the tenth time. "That's not right."

Amy groaned and reluctantly reshuffled the deck. "I think it's because we don't have three players," she suggested as she tried not to accuse her new husband of not teaching her right. She finished shuffling and looked down at the Doctor. She quickly dismissed the idea as the Time Lord loudly swore as a spark went off in his face, singeing the tip of his nose. She then looked over at Alex, whose nose was deeply buried in some thick paperback that she was already a quarter of the way through.

"Alex? Wanna play?" Amy called. Not getting a response, she frowned. "Alex?" she called a little louder.

"You have to yank the book out of her hand," the Doctor helpfully called up. "It's the only way to get her to listen to anything."

Amy nodded and quickly got up, heading over to Alex. Once she was right in front of her, she grabbed the book and yanked it up. "Alex!" she cried as she took the book.

Alex jumped and looked up, startled. "What?" she cried, reaching out for the book, only for Amy to step out of her reach. "I was reading!"

"No kidding. You've been absorbed in this." Amy turned the book over and examined at the cover. "It looks creepy. This statue on the front reminds me of a Weeping Angel."

"It's not," Alex said dryly, though she did also think that when she first found the book on a dark shelf in the TARDIS library. "It's a statue in a cemetery."

"Sounds even creepier," Amy remarked. She glanced down at the title. "_Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,_" she read aloud. She looked over at Alex. "Again, creepy!"

"I think it's referring to voodoo," Alex told her, taking the book back.

Amy shrugged and settled in beside her. "What's it about?"

"Amy!" Rory called, nodding down to the card deck.

"I can't learn that, Rory," Amy said apologetically. "This looks much more interesting." She turned back to Alex expectantly, waiting for the answer to her question.

"It's a true-crime novel," Alex explained. "It's about the murder of a male prostitute in Savannah, Georgia and the ensuing four trials of his employer for his death. It also includes a bunch of other stuff like…" Alex trailed off and flipped to the back of the book to read the description. "A foul-mouthed drag queen, a man who could potentially poison the whole town, and other interesting characters."

There was silence as the other three TARDIS occupants processed this. Finally, Rory spoke up. "Sounds…interesting."

"When did I get that book?" the Doctor murmured.

"It's good!" Alex argued. She shook her head. She sometimes felt the Brits and alien she traveled with were way too sheltered. "It makes me want to go to Savannah more than I already want to."

This got the Doctor's attention. "Really?" he said. He took his goggles off and looked up at her through the glass floor.

Alex nodded eagerly. "Yeah, ever since I was a kid. Marigold used to tell me and Lacey about it. She went to boarding school there and all her stories were about shopping on River Street, going to society parties, and other glamorous stuff. It made me want to go there so bad but I never got a chance." What Alex didn't tell them was that the first time she had ever left Bristol was when she moved to Vegas to go to Octavian. It was too strange and she didn't like talking about the bad aspects of her Bristol life that much.

Alex returned to her book, Amy peeking over her shoulder at the written words, her eyes widening at certain parts. Rory eventually came over and also looked at the book. But underneath the console, the Doctor was planning. He knew exactly what he was going to do for Alex's birthday now and it was going to be the best one she ever had.

A/N: And here's the first part of 'Alex's Birthday'! This chapter revealed more about Alex's psyche. Just to recap, Alex isn't quite used to a fuss being made over her or people caring about her. Her friends in Bristol obviously care, but there's only so much they can do. We'll get more about Alex's birthdays in Bristol in the next chapter, which will reveal more about her psyche and view on her birthday. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- It is pretty hilarious! I will be doing all the 'Night in the Doctor' mini-sodes from the Season 6 box-set. I'm excited for them since some of them contain a jealous Alex. :)

**dream lighting **- I can't say when they'll admit their feelings for each-other, sorry. It will happen though! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you liked my version of 'Space and Time'. Hope this adventure is just as well-received as 'Bristol, KY Stop'! :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Thanks! Glad you liked the Susan bit. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Yeah, I couldn't flirt with myself either. That's just too...ew. There will be more fluff in this adventure! There has to be fluff in this! :) In answer to your question, Alex will not be 200 years older in 'The Impossible Astronaut'. Instead, she'll be with Amy, Rory, and River when they see the Doctor get 'killed'. }:)

**SasuTenLuvr **- Ooh, the SAT. I've heard it's pretty hard. Glad I only ever had to take the ACT. :) Demon's Run is crazy. A lot happens in it. That's all I can say without majorly spoiling it. :)

**Ryan T. Morris **- I love that part too. It's hilarious! :) Glad you liked the parts with Susan. :)

**ShadowTeir - **It was kinda sad, but I think the comedic elements made up for it. Ooh...if the Doctor wasn't hiding his feelings and there were two Alex's there...I think this story would go up to an M-rating. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- I will say that Alex isn't from a parallel universe and that the reason behind her fixed point status isn't really tied in with her identity. Good guesses though! :) Glad you liked the bit about Susan and her book. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**jesterlover **- Too bad, but I'm pretty sure no one dances like Alex. :) I've been to weddings too and they were pretty boring. I'd have liked to gone to Amy's wedding. It was much more exciting. :)

**rycbar15 **- Thanks! Hmm, without giving too much away, I will say their relationship takes a great big step in Season 6. Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**Gwilwillith **- I love the mini-sodes too. They're always so funny! Thanks! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	63. Alex's Birthday Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex and anything else you don't recognize from the Whoniverse.

On the morning of her birthday, Alex sleepily rolled around in bed. She knew she had been asleep for longer than she usually slept, probably close to ten hours. That was okay though. It was her birthday and she was allowed to do it. Besides, the Doctor had never shown much desire to wake her up if she slept late.

She stared up at the ceiling, not quite wanting to get up. She had a lot to think about.

First off, she was twenty-one years old. That was interesting. She was a whole year older. So far, she didn't feel any different. She was still the same Southern girl with a smart mouth and brilliant mind that she had been since, oh, probably twelve. The only main difference now was that she could legally drink in the United States, putting an end to her illegal drinking and purchasing of alcohol in all fifty states.

Also, it was her birthday. Alex shifted slightly at this thought. She knew many people got excited over their birthdays. Lacey kept countdowns on the bulletin board in her room, the decreasing days cheerfully written in glittery pink ink. Emmy always celebrated her birthday by buying one expensive thing on that special day; once it was a pair of leather pants, another time a huge emerald ring that she had to keep hidden from her parents since it cost so much.

Alex, in contrast, had never been that excited about her birthday, at least not during her Bristol years. She had vague recollections of outlandish birthday parties in New York, one of them a Disney Princess themed one with a huge Cinderella cake and a visit to Broadway to see _Beauty and the Beast_.

But Carla had never really cared about her granddaughter, something Alex had quickly learned. The open disdain for her granddaughter continued on Alex's birthdays. When she was younger, Carla had sent her out into the yard, the door locked to keep Alex from bugging her. When Alex turned ten, she learned to keep her mouth shut and simply spent the whole day in her room, sulking and reading her favorite books over and over to keep her company.

During this time, Alex's friends had been far too young to do anything more than give her Barbie dolls or a whole Hershey bar at school, which Alex hid in her backpack from Carla until the woman had fallen asleep on the settee in the living room, leaving the elementary-school kid to thoroughly enjoy her 'birthday party'. But in high-school, things changed.

Starting at fifteen, huge parties would be thrown at Blondie's, always lasting way into the night, regardless of whether Alex's birthday fell on a weekend or a weekday. You could always guarantee the group to be absent from school the next day if the party was on a weekday.

The parties were extremely fun. There was always Alex's favorite cake served (marble with vanilla icing), Alex's favorite songs being played as loud as possible on the jukebox (mainly country with a few bubblegum pop hits thrown in), and presents. There were clothes and books and jewelry from the girls, and gift-cards from the guys. Ross would even present her with roses, the number varying depending on what age she turned.

Even when the parties became a regular thing, Alex was always amazed that her friends bothered to care about her. She knew they really did care about her, but it never failed to surprise her when Lacey turned up at the driveway, a conspiratorial look on her face as she said "Come on, Alexandria. Your party awaits!" Alex had grown used to those bitter birthdays spent playing in the dirt while Carla did God-knows-what inside. It had been all she knew.

In Leadworth, Alex didn't really think the parties would continue. That disappointment from those early years in Bristol came back and she simply accepted it. She hadn't told Amy and Rory when it was until Amy confronted her after receiving a call from Emmy wishing Alex happy birthday. She had been surprised when the two presented her with a cake (not marble with vanilla, but it was still good) and a present (a teal sweater with black lace around the collar, which she really needed to wear again since it was gorgeous) mostly because she expected them not to care. After all, they hadn't known her for that long.

Alex sighed. Of course, that was completely untrue. She should've realized that. Now, it was her birthday, her twenty-first, and waiting outside her door was some kind of surprise for her. In a few minutes, she'd force herself out of her comfortable bed to see it.

As Alex was thinking all of this, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were all gathered in the control room.

Amy checked her watch and rolled her eyes. "Honestly! How long can she sleep? We've been up for two hours already!"

"She sleeps a long time," the Doctor told them as he piloted the TARDIS.

Amy sighed. "Well, I'll get her in a minute. But first…" She gave the Doctor a critical expression. "What did you get Alex?"

The Doctor glanced up. "What do you mean? You already know where I'm taking her!"

"That's a _place_, Doctor," Rory said. "Not a _present_."

"You'd better be giving her something nice," Amy threatened, her eyes slightly narrowed.

The Doctor sighed. He knew they weren't going to relent until he told them. "In answer to your questions, I am getting Alex something. It's not quite ready yet, but it will be soon."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

The Doctor only gave her an infuriating smirk. "You'll see, Pond. You'll see." He turned back to the console, flipping a lever. A second later, the TARDIS landed with a thump. "Now, go and get Alex."

Amy nodded and eagerly ran down the hall to Alex's room. "Alex!" she cried out as she banged on the door. "Wake up and get out here!"

Inside, Alex bolted upright at Amy's pounding and yelling. She had almost dozed off again. Almost reluctantly, Alex pulled herself away from the comfortable duvet and sheets and flicked the light-switch on, before padding off to the bathroom to get ready.

Approximately twelve minutes later, Alex finished applying her lip-gloss and pulled open the small jewelry drawer in her vanity. She was about to grab a pair of hoop earrings when she noticed a slim blue velvet box that hadn't been there yesterday. Curious, she pulled it out and opened it.

Inside was a pair of beautiful earrings. They were round with large green peridots, Alex's birthstone, in them. They were surrounded by tiny diamonds in a silver setting. The wall beside Alex hummed delightedly.

Alex glanced over at it. "Is this from you?" she asked. There was another delightful hum. Grinning, Alex patted the wall. "Thank you. They're beautiful." This was a surprise. Alex hadn't expected the TARDIS to get her anything. But then again, who expected a sentient time-machine to give birthday presents anyway?

Alex put the earrings in and headed out of the room, pausing only to check her appearance in the mirror. She was wearing a white shirt, jeans, and white Converse. It was casual, but cute, and as usual, she looked gorgeous.

Alex wasn't surprised by what she saw in the console room as she walked in. Pink and silver balloons had been tied to one railing, matching streamers underneath. On the seat beside it was a package wrapped in TARDIS blue and silver wrapping paper.

"Happy birthday!" an excited Scottish voice cried out. A split second later, Alex found herself being picked up and being whirled around in Rory's arms.

"Put me down!" Alex cackled. She kicked a little, laughing hysterically as Rory put her down.

"You're twenty-one," he smirked. "Wow, you're old."

Alex stuck her tongue out at him. "Gee, thanks."

She turned away from the excited Ponds to find herself face-to-face with the Doctor. He was casually leaning against the console, observing all of the giddiness that comes with a birthday with polite interest. "Happy birthday, Ally," he smiled.

Alex smiled back at him. "Thanks, Doc."

"Here you go, Alex," Amy said, handing her the blue and silver wrapped present. "Hope you like it, because we can't return it. So you better like it."

Alex laughed and quickly ripped the paper open. She had never been one for gently easing the paper open to try and save it, like Bree notoriously did. The paper was concealing a small white box which Alex ripped open with equal intensity. She smiled broadly as she lifted a brown leather bound journal out. A red rose had been stamped into the cover and a small chain attached to the spine held a brown pen with red roses on it.

"It's gorgeous," Alex told them. "Thank you." She set the journal down on a nearby chair and studied the balloons and streamers some more. She went over and fingered one of the tied-up balloons. "You shouldn't have gone to such a fuss," she told them, since that was what you were supposed to say.

"It's your birthday, Alex," Rory said. "We're supposed to do that."

Alex laughed. "Okay, okay. Any other surprises I should know about?"

"Well, the Doctor does have something planned…" Amy revealed, before turning to the Doctor.

"Exactly!" the Doctor confirmed, racing around the console. As the companions held on to various parts of the control room, the Doctor ran around piloting, talking enthusiastically all the while. "Alexandria Nicole Locke, wait until you see what I have planned for you!"

The TARDIS came to a stop a few moments later. Alex released the railing eagerly and raced over to the Doctor. "Where are we?" she asked, her eyes glittering in excitement.

The Doctor smiled mysteriously at her. It looked incredibly sexy. "Go take a look." He nodded down at the main doors.

Alex looked at him for a moment, half-expecting a trick, before bolting down the stairs to the doors. She didn't even pause once she reached the doors, instead flinging one open and stepping out.

Alex's eyes widened as she stepped out onto a cobblestoned street. Around her, buildings that had once been old cotton warehouses stretched up to the mid-afternoon sky. On the other side of the cobblestoned street was the Savannah River, several cargo ships going up and down the pale blue waters. People went past her, either not noticing or ignoring the newly arrived blue police box.

An arm slung around her shoulders and Alex looked over to see the Doctor's grinning face. "Alex Locke, welcome to River Street in beautiful Savannah, Georgia!"

"Savannah?" Alex repeated incredulously. "As in the real Savannah, Georgia?!"

"How many Savannah, Georgia's do you know?" Amy asked, her and Rory stepping up behind Alex.

Alex could only laugh in response as she turned back to the Doctor. The Doctor smiled broadly, delighting in her thrilled expression. "Happy birthday, Ally."

Alex squealed and jumped up and down a little. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried, jumping up and hugging the Doctor.

The Doctor laughed. He knew she'd be ecstatic. "You're welcome, Ally."

Alex giggled and pulled back. "How long are we here?"

"Oh, a day or two," the Doctor replied, grasping her hand as he began to walk down the street. "Plenty of time to take in the local scenery, celebrate your birthday…_shop_." This last part was said with a sneer as the group passed a small clothing store which a bunch of teenagers were rushing out of, shopping bags in hand as they giggled excitedly.

"Shopping isn't the end of the world," Amy protested, rolling her eyes.

"Yes it is," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

Alex didn't hear him, too caught up in looking around as she tried to absorb everything at once. "This is amazing!" she cried. She looked around excitedly. She couldn't believe she was _actually _in Savannah, Georgia. It was so beautiful here, just like Marigold described.

Alex reflected for a moment on the stories Marigold used to tell her and Lacey when they were younger. Marigold had attended Oglethorpe Hall for Girls for middle school and two years for high school at a time when Bristol's educational establishments had been, at best, subpar. Marigold's stories were positively thrilling and detailed; Alex could practically smell the azaleas and taste the Creole cooking from any number of the houses in the black ghetto Victorian district.

Marigold had spoken of dinner parties and mint julep sipping in between studying and concocting new and interesting ways to avoid the nuns at Oglethorpe Hall. She had also spoken of many things that were in _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_; there was a man who owned a bottle of poison that could kill the entire town; Marigold recalled having had a lovely conversation with him at a drugstore one time when he helped her with the topic for her science report. She could also recall a few black drag queens, but she admitted that she tried to stay away from that part of town. She admitted to sneaking into Bonaventure Cemetery one time with friends and getting scared half to death by poet Conrad Aiken's grave when one friend pretended to be his ghost. There were several other stories, but Alex knew that Marigold had gone back to Kentucky a year before the events in _Midnight _began.

Still, Marigold had nothing but fond memories of Savannah. She would be delighted to learn that Alex was here for her birthday.

Which reminded her…she was in Savannah, and only for a few days at that! She had to make the most of this trip. Starting now.

Alex whirled around and grabbed Amy's hand. "Come on, Ames!" she cried, pulling her to the first store she spotted. "Shopping now!"

The Doctor audibly groaned, Rory sighing along with him. "Stop complaining!" Amy called back. "Wait outside if you want!"

The boutique they stepped in was a medium-sized space with exposed brick walls and gray carpeting. Racks of clothing were cluttered all around in seemingly no order. A bunch of bookcases in the middle of the room housed small figurines such as snow-globes, seashell bracelets, statues of the _Bird Girl_ statue on the cover of _Midnight_, and more.

Amy bent down to study a book titled _Historic Hauntings: Savannah Edition_. "Is Savannah supposed to be really haunted?" she asked.

Alex nodded. "Yep. Savannah is America's most-haunted city. Hundreds of bodies are buried here…even right where you're standing."

Surprisingly, Amy didn't jump. Instead, she rolled her eyes and said "Alex, I live in _England_. Haunted as all get-out it is. Being in the most haunted city in America doesn't really scare me."

"Damn," Alex frowned, but in a teasing way.

The girls browsed around for a little while the guys impatiently waited outside on a bench. Alex took a little delight in this. She knew that the Doctor couldn't complain because this was her birthday present. She also knew that Rory couldn't complain because Amy would tear him a new one.

Eventually, the girls exited the store, much to the visible relief of the guys. "You done?" the Doctor asked hopefully, leaning forwards on the bench he and Rory had claimed.

Alex smirked and leaned down to where her face was right next to his. "Not. Even. Close."

Amy laughed. "Come on, Doctor! You can't deny her on her birthday!"

The Doctor sighed but then smiled slightly. "You're right, I can't," he admitted.

The group toured River Street for a couple hours. It was a really interesting place to be. Bars and restaurants and stores lined one side of the street while the other side was mostly river. A few outdoor bazaars were on the opposite side of the street, stairs leading down to a section of land that looked out at the river below.

The group walked along the cobblestones, staying away from the thickly populated sidewalk. They effortlessly dodged various pedestrians, cars that decided to brave the cobblestones, and numerous touring trolleys. Amy watched as a bright orange one passed them by, the tour guide at the front yelling something about penal colony and charter. "They sure like their trolleys here," she observed.

"It's tourism they like," the Doctor told her. "That book Alex is reading made this city famous."

"Nothing like a good murder to improve business," Rory commented.

After a while, the group began to get hungry. By this point, Amy and Alex had already amassed a few shopping bags. The time-travelers quickly descended upon a restaurant with outdoor seating. Alex sank back into a chair, feeling the sea brine sink into her skin and the setting sun lightly illuminate her features.

She picked up the menu and scoured it quickly. The majority of it was sea-food, something Alex really didn't like. She wasn't sure why. Fish just disgusted her. Running her eyes over the laminated pages, she finally settled for a chicken Caesar salad with extra ranch dressing and a Sprite. As she passed it back to the waitress, she caught something from the Doctor about just giving him a large plate of fish fingers and custard. Noticing the wait's astonished look, Alex quickly mouthed 'just got off his meds'. The wait nodded in understanding and scurried off.

The second she was gone, the Doctor lightly whacked the back of her head. "Ow!" Alex cried, glaring at him. "What was that for?!"

"Why do you have to tell everyone I just got off medication?" the Doctor questioned.

"Why do you eat a disgusting combination such as fish sticks and custard?" Alex asked, a disgusted sneer on her face. She couldn't understand how anyone, even an alien, could eat such a combination.

Rory and Amy snickered a little at the sharp and withering look on the Doctor's face. Only he could pull off such an expression. "Don't knock it until you try it, Alex," he scolded.

Alex merely rolled her eyes. _No way in hell am I eating fish sticks and custard, _she thought.

A few minutes later, their food arrived. Alex looked out at the water as she ate her salad. It was truly beautiful. The setting sun made the water gleam and glisten, turning it azure. She was so happy the Doctor had brought her here. Savannah was gorgeous.

"Better hurry up Ally," the Doctor suddenly announced. He had already finished his meal and was calmly leaning back in his chair, observing the others. "You and I have got plans."

Alex put her fork down. "What kind of plans?" she asked before taking a sip of Sprite.

The Doctor smiled at her mysteriously. "It's a surprise."

Alex frowned. Oh no. She wasn't having any of that, not this time! "Please tell me?" she requested.

The Doctor, of course, was prepared for this. "No."

Alex stuck her lower lip out and pouted, much to the amusement of Amy and Rory, who had yet to see any of her begging techniques. "_Please?_"

"No," the Doctor insisted, although a tiny bit of his mind was starting to think about telling Alex where they were going.

Alex thought for a moment. She was going to have to up her ante some if she was going to find out where the Doctor was taking her. "Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please?" she pleaded.

"Doctor, just tell her," Rory urged as Alex continued to beg. "She's not going to let up until you do."

"Okay!" the Doctor cried, putting Alex's 'pleases' to a stop. "Ally Nicole Locke, how do you feel about going on a historic ghost tour?"

_Wasn't expecting that, _Alex thought. Still, the idea of a ghost tour intrigued her. She had never really been scared by ghost stories, mostly because she didn't believe in them. But that brought up a question… "Sounds great, Doc! Only…are ghosts real?"

The Doctor gave her a withering look. "Of course not, Alex. Now, some aliens have been confused for ghosts, like the Vashta Nerada, but there's no actual ghosts."

Alex nodded. "Right, I knew that. Just checking."

Amy shuddered. "A ghost tour. I don't know why you'd want to go on one of those."

"I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts," Alex commented.

"I'm not, but I still don't like hearing about them."

"Neither do I," Rory added. "There's this old story at the hospital in Leadworth that says a poltergeist haunts the old tunnel that was used to carry bodies down to the morgue during the Spanish flu epidemic."

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Amy asked.

"No, but it doesn't make it any less creepy."

The Doctor sighed. "Well, regardless, this little tour might be fun." He reached into his jacket and tossed a few ten dollar bills on the table. "That should cover it. Ponds, have fun. Don't get into any trouble. Ally, let's go."

After leaving her bags in Amy's possession and waving good-bye to the Ponds, Alex dashed over to the Doctor, who was waiting a little ways down the street. Once she caught up with him, she stuck her arm through the crook of his, and they walked off.

The sky was slowly turning dark as they reached the spot where they would meet the tour bus. Already, several people, obviously tourists based on their cameras and fanny packs, were gathered around, chatting excitedly. Alex observed the crowd. She saw two families, three couples, one group of college students, and an elderly woman with a young woman around Alex's age that had to be her granddaughter.

The young woman turned as the time-travelers approached. She had long black hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a sleeveless black top, dark-wash skinny jeans, and well-worn gray Converse. "Hi," she greeted. "I'm Eva."

"Alex, and this is my…" Alex paused for a moment, not really sure what to call the Doctor.

Thankfully, the latter chose to step in. "Her friend John," he said smoothly.

Alex didn't miss the way Eva's eyes lit up upon seeing the Doctor and the way they traveled up and down his body. "Pleasure to meet you," she smiled flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes for emphasis.

Alex felt the familiar burn of jealously run through her. It was like a close friend now, always there and just waiting for the opportunity to make a visit again. Unconsciously, she pulled the Doctor closer to her, resisting the urge to rip Eva's lovely eyes right out of their sockets. "So, you here for the ghost tour?" she politely inquired.

Eva proudly nodded. "Well, it's my fourth time. My grandmother and I are from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Gran loves coming down here and every time we do, we have to go on the ghost tour."

"You must be quite the expert then," the Doctor commented.

Eva giggled outrageously, obviously pleased with his comment. "I guess you could say that," she smirked. Alex felt bile rise up in her throat. Dear God, why was she here?

Thankfully, before Alex could do something illegal to Eva, the tour bus chose that moment to come up. It was a long dark green bus with the name _R.I.P. Savannah Tours_ on it in neat white script. The group watched as the bus crawled to a stop, and a second later, a woman stepped out.

She was older, probably in her early sixties, with sagging skin and long black hair that had been cheaply dyed. She was wearing a sky blue tank-top, stonewash jeans, and tan hiking boots. She had the expression of someone who had seen a lot and knew a lot and was reluctantly resigned to that fact.

"Evening all," she greeted, her voice a deep Southern twang with the undercurrent of a former cigarette smoker. "Welcome to Rest In Peace Savannah Ghost Tours. Tonight, you will hear many tales involving the former inhabitants of this lovely city. You may be scared, you may be excited, you may see things you never thought possible before." Alex and the Doctor looked at each-other on this, as if silently saying _wanna bet?_

"Now, before we begin, I just need to check each of your tickets." There were a few groans from the crowd, to which the woman rolled her eyes. "Come now, everyone line up. Get them out. This is a security thing."

The Doctor and Alex got at the back of the line. "How are we supposed to get on if we don't have a ticket?" Alex questioned.

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a familiar blue leather wallet. "Psychic paper, Ally," he said, dangling the sheet in front of her.

"Right, stupid question," Alex nodded. "That mean you fixed it from where Albert Smoth ruined it?"

"Had to get a new sheet," the Doctor grumbled.

"Aw, you poor thing," Alex teased, sticking her bottom lip out in faux sympathy.

The Doctor eyed her protruding bottom lip. God, the things he wanted to do to that lip… Of course, he couldn't do any of them because he and Alex were _not _like _that_. They couldn't be and they never would be. No matter how much he wanted it to be otherwise.

Luckily, before his mind could start playing the fantasies he had concocted detailing what exactly he wanted to do to Alex's bottom lip, they reached the front of the line. The tour guide was looking at them expectantly. She looked slightly weary and bored, as if she just wanted this whole day over with already.

"Ticket," she requested.

The Doctor held the psychic paper before her. "Here you go," he said, keeping a tight grip on the wallet. He didn't want what happened during the Talerian invasion adventure to happen again. Getting a new sheet of psychic paper was not as easy as it sounded. "Two-person ticket. All in order, I should think."

The tour guide squinted at the paper and for a second, Alex was worried. The Doctor had once admitted that not everyone could be fooled by the psychic paper, only those with brilliant minds or those who had psychic training. She highly doubted that the tour guide had had psychic training. The brilliant part could be true.

"It's fine," the tour guide suddenly announced, making Alex's thoughts vanish with a poof. "You're good."

The Doctor led Alex on board, the two taking a seat near the back. Alex got the window seat while the Doctor sat near the aisle, an arm wrapped around Alex's shoulders. "Good thing your paper worked," Alex murmured. "I was afraid it wouldn't."

"Don't be so doubtful, Ally," the Doctor told her, his voice low and undeniably sexy. Alex shivered slightly and bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself under control.

"Welcome everyone!" the guide cried out, now speaking through a microphone at the front of the bus. "My name's Cassie and I'm one of your tour guides this evening. Welcome to Savannah, Georgia, a city full of intrigue, mystery, and more." Alex and the Doctor looked at each-other, both thinking that the tour guide was going a little overboard with the mystery.

The bus started up, emitting a large cloud of exhaust fumes as it scurried on. The passengers were jostled as the vehicle went over the cobblestones before finally turning onto normal asphalt. "Savannah, Georgia was founded in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe," Cassie began. "Now, Oglethorpe came here with several former prisoners from debtor's prison back in England. Debtor's prison was a place where you went if you had a large amount of debt and you had to stay in prison until it was paid off. Only problem was that you really couldn't work off your debt in prison, so Oglethorpe convinced the king to let several prisoners accompany him to the new colony to work off their debt."

Cassie continued to entertain them about Savannah's history, including how Savannah was spared General Sherman's wrath in Sherman's infamous March to the Sea. All around them, old historic houses stretched up to the sky, surrounded by wrought iron fencing and manicured gardens. Alex looked at the houses enviously. She had always loved older houses like these, how beautiful and simple they looked, unlike the gaudy one she had grown up in. If she could, she'd own a house down here.

"…and we are now coming up on the Telfair Museum of Art," Cassie announced, the bus coming to a stop. Outside was a large white Regency-style mansion. It was probably considered the height of the social strata a long time ago, but it reminded Alex of a mausoleum.

"The museum was founded upon the death of Mary Telfair, who bequeathed her house to the museum in her will. Mary Telfair was the daughter of Governor Edward Telfair. She grew up very rich and well-off, and as you can probably guess, that made many young men very interested in her. Miss Mary fell in love with one gentleman, but that young man left her for her sister, who he ended up marrying.

"Angry and miserable, Miss Mary vowed to never marry and she remained a spinster until the day she died. As I previously mentioned, she left her house to be turned into a museum upon her death, but with a few stipulations. There could be no drinking, eating, dancing, music, or parties in the house.

"For a while, the museum abided by her rules. But one year, the museum decided to hold a big fundraising ball right in this house, completely ignoring Mary's stipulations. They sent two workmen to the house to set up and take down a portrait of Mary that had hung in the main room since the museum was founded. However, as they were doing so, a giant piece of the ceiling fell and nearly hit one of the men on the head." Everyone started murmuring excitedly, except the Doctor and Alex, who sat in their seat, identical expressions of amusement and doubt on their faces.

Cassie waited until the noise level settled down a bit before continuing. "As you can probably guess, the Telfair decided to hold their event elsewhere and the portrait of Mary still hangs in the main room this day, keeping an eye on everything."

"Doubtful," Alex muttered as the bus started up again. "That house is from the 1800s. That ceiling is old. A piece could've fallen off at any time."

"Good job Ally," the Doctor complimented. He was glad that she didn't believe in ghosts. He couldn't quite understand why the human race insisted on believing in something so silly when all the stuff ghosts were blamed for could be easily explained.

By this point, it was pitch black outside. A few stars twinkled overhead, Alex just able to make out the Big Dipper above a bunch of trees adorned with Spanish moss. The residential streets they were going through were quiet, the houses around them locked up tight and more often than not, completely dark. It was a little unnerving to Alex. The vacant houses looked like they were watching the group as they went further down the street.

"We are now coming up upon the sight of one of many deadly fires in Savannah," Cassie solemnly announced. Ahead of them was a large brick house, curtains drawn and lights off. "This house stands where an all-girls orphanage used to be. There used to be two girls who lived there. They were the best of friends and could often be seen playing together out on the street.

"One night, a horrible fire broke out. All of the girls were rescued…except for the two friends. They died that night in the attic. Now, witnesses since then have reported seeing two little girls in nightgowns playing on the street here. Also, if you'll notice that window up there…" she pointed to one of the top floor windows, "…a handprint often appears on that attic window, no matter how often the glass is washed."

"That's so sad," Alex said, her heart going out to those two little girls. If they were ghosts, at least they had each-other for companionship. The Doctor hummed in agreement, not being able to stomach seeing children suffer.

They went along several other houses before coming up on a large and grand white house with an extended portico. "This house used to be the residence of William Washington Gordon II and his wife Nellie, the parents of Girl Scouts founder, Juliette Gordon Low."

Alex smiled. "Good old Girl Scouts," she muttered. Lacey had been a Girl Scout for several years. Alex fondly remembered being coerced into helping Lacey sell cookies every year so she could win a prize. When she was older, Alex had bought a couple in support, but never ate them. She thought they tasted bad.

"William and Nellie were very much in love and Nellie was distraught when her husband died. On February 22nd, 1917, Nellie lay in her room dying, surrounded by her five children. The wife of one of her sons left the room to give the family some peace. As the wife left the room, she passed one of the adjacent rooms. Waiting in one of them, she reported, was the ghost of Nellie's husband William. She also said that William walked into Nellie's room just as she died. According to her children, Nellie died with a radiant look on her face. A servant had also seen William and told the Gordon children that the General had come to fetch his wife and lead her into the afterlife himself."

There was a bunch of awing at this. Alex even spotted one woman with tears in her eyes. She had to admit, that ghost story was pretty romantic. She wouldn't mind having an experience like that when she died. _Of course, you want that to be with the Doctor, _a snippy part of her mind commented. Alex swallowed and pushed that thought to the back of her mind.

The bus went on for several blocks, Cassie commenting on the squares they passed. Soon, they came to one large square. "This," Cassie announced in a very dramatic voice, "is Monterey Square and on the southwest end of the square, you can see the Mercer-Williams House, the setting of the murder that took place in _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil._"

Many of the passengers craned their heads to get a good look, Alex one of them. She studied the house. It didn't look like how she had pictured it in the book. She had envisioned a tall, imposing structure with dark paint and curtained off windows. The actual house was a two-story brick house with a flat roof surrounded by iron gates. It seemed so simple, certainly not the kind of place you pictured a murder happening at.

"As many of you already know, this house is the scene of the murder that takes place in the novel _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_. But this house has actually been the home of two more deaths. In 1913, a previous owner tripped over the second floor banister, fractured his hip, suffered a concussion, and died three days later. In 1969, a boy was chasing pigeons on the roof when he fell off and impaled himself on the iron fence you see around the house." The passengers murmured for a few moments until the bus started up again and drove off.

As Cassie began talking about hauntings in several old buildings that made up part of the campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design, the Doctor asked "How are you liking this Ally?"

"It's interesting," Alex responded. And it was. She knew Savannah had an eclectic history, but she never realized just how much. "Some of the stories are a bit creepy though."

"If you think that's bad, remind me to tell you some of the stories they tell on Crimson Kel."

A few minutes later, they arrived at a new destination. Alex peered out the window to see a large wooden structure with light blue window shutters. Light pooled out of the windows and she squinted through the glow to make out the hanging sign over the porch. It read PIRATES HOUSE.

"Okay, everyone!" Cassie called. The bus doors opened and she backed up against the driver's seat as people began making their way outside. "You can wander around for a few minutes and then we'll meet in the front room, okay?"

The Doctor and Alex were the last ones off. As Alex hopped off the final step, she noticed Eva loitering around the front door. She was leaning against the doorframe in a provocative manner, one hip jutted out and cleavage spilling out of her strapless top. Alex felt her jealousy burn through her system again. Eva was gorgeous. She had the whole dark seductive thing going on while Alex looked like an innocent goody-goody. It was sad to admit, but it was the truth.

"You not going in?" Alex politely inquired through clenched teeth as she and the Doctor approached.

Eva yawned. "Nah, it's not that exciting. I've been in here loads of times." She pushed off the doorframe, allowing her to stand just a centimeter away from the Doctor. She smiled through pursed lips and batted her eyelashes. "Say, why don't you hang out here with me? There's nothing going on in there and I'm sure we could find something else to do."

Alex could tell that Eva was only speaking to the Doctor, not her. As far as Eva was concerned, Alex didn't exist. Gritting her teeth, Alex marched into the restaurant, determinedly not looking behind her.

The entrance of the Pirates House had wood paneled walls and wooden flooring. Several tour members were scattered all around the room. One of the families was taking pictures by a large pirate statue, Eva's grandmother was chatting with one of the young couples, and the college kids were talking about getting wasted after this snooze-fest of a tour. Alex rolled her eyes as she passed them. It was a good thing she had been blessed with intelligence.

As Alex was beginning to wander into the dining room, a familiar tweed-clad figure rushed up to her. "Why did you leave me alone with her?!" the Doctor hissed, pushing Alex back up against the wall and out of sight of the other tourists.

Alex looked at him. She was surprised to see that the Doctor looked slightly angry, nervous, and confused. "Who?" she said, playing dumb. "Eva?"

The Doctor gave her a look that translated as _who else?_ "Yes, Eva," he said, rolling his eyes. "Why did you leave me alone with her?"

Alex shrugged. What was she supposed to say? That she was practically spitting with jealousy? That she wanted to claw Eva's eyes out instead of letting them settle on the Doctor's body for another minute? She knew she couldn't have a relationship with the Doctor and that she had told him she didn't have feelings for him. Admitting any of her real thoughts was too risky. She couldn't do it, no matter how much she wanted to.

Thankfully, before she could try and formulate a response, the stomping of boots sounded throughout the room. "There you two are!" a voice exclaimed. The Doctor and Alex turned to see Cassie standing in the doorway, clipboard in hand. There was a slight smile on her lips and anyone could see that she was trying not to laugh. "I hate to interrupt, but we're about to continue."

It was then that the two became aware of how…_amorous _their current position looked. The Doctor had Alex pushed back against the wall and his hands were on her waist, keeping her in place. He towered over her but his head was craned down so he could look her in the eye. Alex's head was tilted up to meet his. To the casual observer, it looked like the two were in the midst of stealing a passionate moment.

The Doctor gathered his voice first. "Of course," he said smoothly, although his face showed embarrassment. He pushed away from Alex and hurried out of the dining room. "Come along, Ally!" he called weakly before disappearing.

Alex shoved herself off the wall and ran a hand through her hair, attempting to look dignified. It wasn't a difficult thing for her to do, but the fact that she had to do it was mortifying. She was all too aware of Cassie's gaze on her as she walked past.

"He's quite the looker," Cassie commented, her Southern twang sounding mischievous. "You're very lucky."

Alex's face turned a dull shade of red. "He's…h-he's not, I mean, we're not…we're not a couple."

Cassie only smiled at her, the action serving to make Alex's face flush harder. "Of course not dear," she grinned. Alex could tell that she didn't believe her and that she was only pretending to buy her argument.

Alex refrained from commenting and instead hurried back into the lobby. The tour group had reunited and was buzzing excitedly at what was to happen next. The Doctor was on the edges of the group, staying as far away from Eva as he possibly could without making it obvious. Alex eyed her competition. It seemed the sex-kitten, as Alex had now taken to calling her, had been reined in by her grandmother for she was currently standing with the elderly woman, arms crossed, an abiding expression on her face. A smile crossed Alex's lips. She couldn't help but enjoy this.

"Alright everyone," Cassie said as she reentered the room. "Welcome to the Pirates House. This is the oldest building in Savannah and, as you would guess, one of the most haunted."

Alex and the Doctor listened attentively as Cassie went on to describe the history of the Pirates House. The land had originally been purposed to house a botanical garden to help out with the wine and silk industries. Unfortunately, Georgia's soil was not compatible with several of the plants and would only grow peach trees and cotton, both of which later proved vital for the state's economy.

The first part of the Pirates House was built in 1734 to house the garden's gardener. Twenty years later, it was decided that the botanical garden was no longer needed since Savannah was quickly becoming a port town. The gardener's house was turned into an inn and tavern to house visiting seamen, quickly garnering an unfavorable reputation due to all the pirates and sailors that stopped by.

"And it didn't earn this reputation by rumor." Cassie turned around and headed through the dining room, gesturing for the group to follow her.

The dining room was fairly large and not really busy at this time of night. Two waitresses were rolling up silverware at the back of the room while two men were conversing at a nearby table, one of them leisurely smoking a cigar. The group traveled through the room to a back corner where a series of narrow steps led downwards. Cassie went down first and everyone else followed, single file. The Doctor and Alex were the last of the group.

As they went down further, the walls turned to stone along with the steps. Dim lights were placed in irregular order along the walls and Alex unconsciously shifted closer to the Doctor, who wrapped an arm around her waist. Neither would admit it, but this place was starting to creep them out.

They entered a medium sized room with faded brick walls and compact dirt flooring. On one side of the room was a kind of stone ledge, where Cassie was currently perched. The rest of the tour group was gathered all around the room. Alex noted that some of the college kids looked nervous, the kids in the families all looked a little scared, and that Eva was casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking bored.

Cassie looked rather scared. She kept looking above her head at a hole in the wall near the ceiling. Alex frowned and crossed her arms. Something was up here.

"This is the entrance to one of the infamous underground tunnels that run underneath Savannah," Cassie explained. "The tunnels were used for a variety of purposes. Some were built during the yellow fever epidemic during the 1800s to hide bodies from the public. Others were used as hideouts as part of the Underground Railroad. They also served as a way to get alcohol into the city at a time when it was banned in Georgia. But this tunnel in particular was used for a much more sinister purpose.

"Sailors used to come here all the time during the 17 and 1800s. They would drink in the restaurant upstairs and, as you can probably imagine, get pretty drunk. Captains would wait until a customer was so drunk they could barely function. They would flog them over the head and carry them down to the Savannah River through this tunnel to their ships. Those people would then wake up on a ship in the middle of the ocean somewhere and be forced to work as a sailor for the rest of their lives. The citizens of Savannah referred to this as _shanghaied_ as the sailors were believed to be taken to China."

Cassie looked up and eyed the hole in the wall again. Alex looked up at it. It didn't seem very remarkable. It had probably been caused by a loose stone. Why did Cassie seem so afraid of it? It made no sense.

"The tunnels are also believed to be haunted. Several tour groups have reported seeing specters in photos and also having jewelry snitched right off them." Alex's fingers quickly wrapped around her parents wedding bands. Though she highly doubted this story, she wasn't about to take any chances in losing the last connection she had to her parents. If a ghost wanted her rings, it was going to have to pry them from her cold dead fingers.

"The ghosts are also a bit…violent." Cassie was looking nervous and she eyed the hole again. "One time when I was down here, a brick came flying out of that hole up there and nearly hit me in the head." Several people gasped, but the Doctor and Alex stayed silent. Cassie nodded furiously. "It did. It missed me by an inch! Now, whenever I conduct tours down here, I sit right here in this arch where nothing can get me."

As Cassie continued to talk about some of the other encounters people had had down here, Alex became aware of a pounding in her head. She winced as the pounding increased. It felt like a professional boxer was hitting her skull. She gritted her teeth as the pounding increased and she clutched her forehead.

This didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor. He looked down and worriedly watched as Alex rubbed her forehead. "Ally, are you okay?" he whispered. _Dear God, please don't let it be another bloody perception filter!_

Alex nodded, the movement causing the pain in her head to increase a little more. "Fine," she grimaced, but the Doctor knew she was lying. He watched as Alex shut her eyes and looked down at the ground.

Alex could feel something in her mind. It was a terrified force that kept banging around in a random manner. Alex was trying to use her shields to lock it down, but the force was too quick for her still-developing mental barriers. Her headache increased as the force crept closer to the epicenter of her mind. Closer…closer….closer…

A sudden stab of pain burst in Alex's head, sending her staggering back against the wall. She could feel tingles of pain rushing down her spine and sprinting through her head like a bunch of racehorses. Whatever this force was, it was malevolent.

Alex's staggering didn't go unnoticed. Everyone whirled around as she fell back against the wall, her back arching in an almost painful manner. The Doctor rushed over to her. "Alex, Alex, Alexandria!" he cried, kneeling in front of her. Alex's hand was still clutched to her forehead, making it impossible to see her eyes.

The Doctor watched as her body stilled. She stood up straight, but her hand was still covering her eyes. "Alex," the Doctor said softly. "Ally, look at me. Are you okay? Alex, lower your hand and look at me."

A second later, Alex responded. She lowered her hand stiffly, the muscles stretched tightly. It was a very unnatural reaction. The Doctor rose up slowly, watching her for another movement. Her eyes were still shut but her face seemed calm.

The Doctor relaxed. She was okay. Whatever had happened was over. It had probably been a headache, though why it was so violent was another question entirely. He was about to ask Alex if she was okay when Alex's hand suddenly shot out and gripped his wrist. Her fingers clenched around him, squeezing him painfully and with a strength he knew Alex didn't have.

"Alex," he gasped. He reached over and tried to pry her fingers off him, but her incredibly tight grip was too strong. "Alex, what's wrong? Please, let go of me!"

"Doctor," she stated, her closed eyes still fixed on the ground.

"Yes," the Doctor said slowly, wondering why she was saying his name like that. "Yes Alex, it's me."

"I am not Alexandria Nicole Locke." Alex looked up and her eyes burst open. Everyone around them staggered back in shock. Alex's normally beautiful eyes were now a bright, lifeless white. Those alarming eyes settled on the Doctor and she then jerked him forwards, nearly pulling him on top of her.

"Alex, what's happened to you?" the Doctor frantically asked.

"I am not Alexandria Nicole Locke," Alex insisted, her voice turning from Alex's light American accent to a darker, rougher voice that sounded almost manlike.

The Doctor's eyes darkened and he yanked back from Alex's grasp. "Who are you?" he demanded lowly, his voice sending shivers through everyone in the room. "Who are you and what have you done to Alex?"

"Alexandria Locke is indisposed at the moment." But then Alex's body jerked to the side in an unhuman manner before slamming back against the wall. A brief glimmer of hazel appeared in her white eyes.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"She…is…strong!" the voice gasped out. "She is…fighting!" Alex's body slumped forward before jerking back up in another unnatural manner.

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded once again. Whatever this thing was, it had possessed Alex and he wanted it out of her. _Now_.

"There is a coming threat," the voice gasped as Alex's body slunk down against the ground. The being inside her shoved away from the wall and rushed to stand in the middle of the room. Tourists scattered away from the girl and Cassie shrunk back even further into the little arch.

Alex whirled around to look at each and every one of them, focusing a few extra seconds on Cassie, before turning back to the Doctor. "There is a coming threat, Doctor. Only you…can…stop…IT!" Alex's body fell to the ground and started convulsing.

"Everybody out!" the Doctor shouted as Alex thrashed around on the floor, her fingers clawing at thin air. "Everybody get out now!" A few tourists hastened to do this, Eva being one of them. She sent a final horrified look at Alex before sprinting up the stairs.

"Can't…stay….any longer!" the voice in Alex choked. Alex suddenly sprang up in a way no human could ever manage. The Doctor could see drops of hazel in the white irises, meaning that Alex was fighting her way back. "Threat, Doctor. Threat! Water…evil…water…" Alex whirled around to face Cassie. "And I only threw that brick at you as a joke!"

Alex whirled away from a dumbstruck Cassie and back to the Doctor. Her eyes closed and her back arched again. Alex stayed still for a few seconds before her eyes burst open, no longer white but a reassuring topaz. "Doctor," she wheezed in her normal voice. Suddenly, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her legs gave out from under her. Alex Locke toppled to the ground, unconscious.

A/N: Now we're getting somewhere! Alex is getting possessed! But by what? What's going on?! }:) I also hope you all liked the exploring Savannah part of this chapter. Savannah is one of my favorite cities and I love going there. I actually went on a ghost tour down there once, which is where I heard all the ghost stories mentioned in this chapter. And there's more to come in the next chapter! :)

Some notes on reviews...

**The Raggedy Time Traveller **- Me too! Savannah is so beautiful and gorgeous. They should really do a 'Doctor Who' episode there, in my opinion. :) I've never heard of that candy store. Since this adventure is already written, it probably won't be in here, but it may crop up in a future story. :)

**jesterlover **- Lol, that sounds like a fun wedding! I was a flower girl in my uncle's wedding and a bridesmaid in my aunt's wedding and I've also been to a few weddings with my parents as a guest. None of them were that fun though. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- You can find those mini-sodes on YouTube. They are hilarious! I'm especially partial to 'Bad Night'. :) Yes, poor Alex. At least her teen birthdays weren't bad. :) August 31st is just a random date. It's actually two days after my birthday, August 29th. Alex and I have a lot in common; same home-state, same middle name, and same birth month. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Yeah, not having a lot really makes you appreciate what you have. Those birthdays were actually painful to write, but now that the Doctor's here, things will get better...after the possessions mystery, of course. :) Yeah, the Doc did overstep his boundaries. So far, I don't have Alex finding out about his venture into her past, but I think it'll come up sometime. He could let something slip or something. If Alex did find out, I think she'd be furious for a while, but later come to understand he was only trying to learn more about her and help her. :) Hint...hmm...I think one I can give you without revealing too much is that it happens after a major event. That could mean after the Doctor's 'death', Melody getting kidnapped by the Silence, the Doctor coming back after Lake Silencio, Amy and Rory getting taken by the Angels in Manhattan, any number of times. But it's a hint! :) Glad you liked the chapter!

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yep, poor Alex. The Carla aspects of her Bristol life were awful, but her friends made up for it. :) I can definitely say that Alex is not a future version of the Doctor. That would be too...ew. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**LizM **- Thank you! I'm glad you like the story! There is going to be another story for Season 6, the title of which will be revealed at the end of 'A Christmas Carol'. Roughly, there are probably about 15 chapters left until the end of this story. It depends on how much I edit down and combine chapters for this original adventure. :)

**rycbar15 **- Lol, I do have a gift with that. But you got another hint here! It happens after a major event...which could be pretty much anything in Seasons 6 and 7. :) Yep, the Doctor was a bit stalkerish here, but I think, considering the circumstances, he was allowed to be. :) Lol, glad you like little Alex! She still contains some of the feistiness of her older self. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- I know! It's so sad! I felt bad writing those parts. Yep, I would've slapped Carla too. Or bashed her over the head with her own beer bottle. Whichever suited my fancy at the time. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks!

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yep, poor Alex. At least some parts of her Bristol life were good, like Lacey, Ross, and Marigold. :) Lol, that's a good name for her! Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- On behalf of Alex, thanks! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	64. Alex's Birthday Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex and all original elements of this adventure.

Alex twisted away from the coldness on her forehead. Her hand came up to swat it away but quickly fell back down. Her whole body felt like it was weighted down and sore, like she had been doing weird complicated movements the human body wasn't supposed to make.

Her head also felt…weird. There was a strange buzzing in it like her brain was recharging. She didn't know what had happened to her but she knew something had occurred. The last thing she remembered was walking down some steps into a brick-walled cellar.

From somewhere far off, Alex could hear voices. Some were high and others were low. "….the hell was that?" "…thrashing around like a demon…" "That voice!" Alex strained to hear all of them but not even she could hear everything.

The wetness on her forehead ceased for a moment before coming back with a new force. Alex grimaced as a water droplet ran down her cheek. "Get off," she murmured, forcing her hand back up to shove the washcloth away. As she did this, she felt a strange material scratch at her fingertips. It was…tweed.

Something clicked in her brain, causing Alex to open her eyes. She quickly shut them as a dim light hit her pupils, making them ache. She groaned and squeezed them shut even tighter, trying to block that horrible light out.

"Ally," a familiar voice murmured. "Ally, it's okay. Just open your eyes." Alex was reluctant, but ultimately decided to obey the voice. She slowly opened her eyes, the light not nearly as blinding as it had been before. "That's it, good girl. Slowly now."

Soon, Alex's eyes were open all the way and she turned to see the owner of the voice. She looked into the familiar dark green eyes of the Doctor. She smiled upon seeing him. "Hey Doc," she greeted.

"Ally," the Doctor grinned, relieved beyond measure that she was okay. She had been unconscious for fifteen minutes and he was just two minutes away from rushing her back to the TARDIS.

Alex looked around the room. She appeared to be lying on a chaise lounge that reeked of mothballs, suggesting it had been in storage until very recently. Around her were tables and chairs, complete with tablecloths, silverware, and pepper and salt shakers, fully prepared for a dinner rush. More things clicked into place in her brain. She was in the restaurant at the Pirates House in Savannah, Georgia and today was her 21st birthday.

"Do you know where you are?" the Doctor asked gently.

Alex nodded. "Pirates House dining room in Savannah, Georgia. Doctor, what happened?"

"You don't remember?"

She shook her head. "The last thing I remember is going down some stairs. Then…nothing."

The Doctor sighed. He wasn't surprised by that. "Alex, do you remember fighting? For control?"

Alex looked at him blankly. What did he mean by that? She was about to reply in the negative when she recalled something. It was barely anything, but it was a little snippet of memory that she could just make out. "I was…fighting. There was something…holding me and I couldn't escape. I fought…" Her voice trailed off, suggesting that was all she knew.

The Doctor nodded. "Right. Okay. Alex, I'm going to help you up and then I'm taking you back to the TARDIS."

He moved to help her up, but Alex pushed him back. "Whoa!" she protested. "Wait, what? Doctor, what is going on?"

"Alex, it's nothing," the Doctor lied. He didn't want to scare her but he also didn't want her remaining out in public where another possession could happen.

"You're lying," Alex said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Rule One, the Doctor lies. Doctor, something happened to me and you are going to tell me, right now."

The Doctor groaned and ran a hand over his face and into his hair. Why did Alex have to be so bloody stubborn? "Okay, fine, here's the truth. Ally, you were…well, for lack of a better word, possessed."

Alex blinked. That was the _last _thing she had expected to hear. "Possessed?" she repeated. She stared at him, trying to see if this was some joke he was playing, but she was sure that wasn't the case. "As in, ghost-movie _The Exorcist_, floating, thrashing possessed?"

"Yes," the Doctor said carefully. "Possessed."

Alex sank further into the chaise lounge's cushions, unable to believe it. She had been possessed? Stuff like that only happened in horror movies and bad sci-fi shows, not in real life. "But, but, I couldn't be!" she argued. "Stuff like that never happens!"

"In this case it did," a new voice spoke up. The Doctor and Alex looked up to see Cassie standing just a few feet away. She was clutching her clipboard to her chest and she looked frightened. Her gaze softened slightly at Alex, but not by much. "I saw it myself. You showed all the signs. Different voice, white eyes, unhuman-like movements, super strength…"

"Oh, God," Alex gasped. It was true. She had been possessed. "But, like a demonic possession? Because I'm Catholic! Well, I don't really go to church, but I have a rosary!"

"Not exactly," the Doctor said. "More like…spiritual."

Alex once again blinked. "Spiritual? As in…a _ghost_?!"

The Doctor and Cassie nodded. "Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "A ghost."

"But that's impossible," Alex protested. "Ghosts aren't real. No offense," she said to Cassie.

"None taken," Cassie assured her. "But I know what I saw. You were possessed by a ghost. Do you remember what I said about nearly getting hit in the head by a brick?"

Alex wrinkled her nose. It sounded vaguely familiar. "Vaguely."

"Well, you mentioned that. You said, and I quote, 'and I only threw that brick at you as a joke'."

Alex shook her head. No. No, this was impossible. But she knew deep down that it had happened. That buzzing in her brain had to be from where it was powering itself back up to where it had been before she was possessed. And, after traveling with the Doctor for so long, Alex knew that there were many strange things in the universe. Why should possession be any different?

In an effort to keep her thoughts from focusing on the fact that she had been possessed, Alex swung her legs over the edge of the chaise lounge and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her limbs screamed in protest and her vision swirled slightly, but Alex ignored it. Instead, she put one hand on the Doctor's shoulder to brace herself as she hauled herself up. She stumbled slightly, but was quickly pulled into the Doctor's arms.

"Ally, I'm taking you back to the TARDIS," the Doctor told her. He moved to pick her up, but Alex pushed him back.

"Doctor, I'm fine!" she objected. She moved backwards, hitting a chair and clutching it for balance. "Trust me, I'm fine. Let's just continue on."

Cassie watched them. "The group is still eager to stick on with the tour. I think the possession thrilled them more than anything."

"Lovely," the Doctor sneered. Honestly, how could people be so heartless? Alex's body had been taken over and if her mental abilities weren't so strong, she probably would have died.

Alex smiled a little at him. She liked that he was so protective of her. "Come on, Doc." She held out her hand. "You can guide me back to the bus." The Doctor seemed reluctant, but he finally took her hand and led her outside.

Outside, a burst of thunder sounded overhead. The Doctor and Alex looked up. "Here," he said, pulling off his jacket and handing it to Alex. Alex took it and placed the comfortable garment over her head. Rain pelted against it as she and the Doctor rushed to the vehicle and hopped aboard. Once inside, the Doctor led her to the very back seat and settled in next to her. She handed him his jacket back and he put it on, brushing raindrops off into the aisle.

The rest of the group came on ten minutes later. Alex caught some people glancing at her and the Doctor in surprise. Apparently, they had thought she'd want to leave after her little possession. She also saw some people looking like they wanted to come up to her, but they seemed to reconsider upon seeing the Doctor's warning look.

To Cassie's credit, she didn't mention the possession once. Instead, she launched into a tale about how several houses in Savannah had light blue somewhere on them because the color was believed to ward off ghosts. Alex couldn't help but snort at the irony of this statement.

They drove on, Cassie rattling off other tales, but the Doctor and Alex didn't listen. Alex stared vacantly out the window as the rain continued to pour down. The Doctor stared ahead at the seat fabric in front of him, desperately trying to figure out what had happened with Alex but unable to come up with anything.

Eventually, the bus came to a stop in front of a large house. Alex peered up at it and shivered. It was a large orange house with dark green shutters. Trees and other plants were planted all around the house and in the darkness, it only served to make the structure look creepy and forbidden. "This is the Sorrel-Weed House," Cassie explained, "one of the most haunted buildings in Savannah."

They were led off the bus just as the rain let up. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Alex's waist, keeping them at the very back of the group in case anything happened and they needed to make a quick getaway. Cassie stood before the group. "This is where I leave you," she told them. "But don't worry. We have another guide for you." She turned to someone who had quietly made their way next to her while she had been speaking. "Take it away, Alice."

"Thanks Cassie." Alex craned her head to study the stranger. Alice was a woman roughly in her forties. She was plump with short blonde hair and, for some reason, wearing a floor-length tattered teal party dress with Nike sneakers. Alex looked her up and down. This woman didn't look a tour guide; she looked crazy.

"Hi everybody!" Alice chirped. "Welcome to the Sorrel-Weed House, one of the most haunted buildings in Savannah. There's a bunch of ghosts in there and I can't wait to tell you about them! Come on! Let's go! Follow me."

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the TARDIS?" the Doctor murmured as the group followed Alice.

"Okay, she does seem a bit crazy, but I feel fine," Alex insisted. "Whatever happened is not going to happen again." The Doctor wasn't so sure about that but didn't say anything further, instead leading Alex along the sidewalk to the house.

They passed through a garden that was cluttered with various plants and trees. Alex shivered and pressed herself into the Doctor's side. She knew there probably wasn't an axe maniac or vengeful ghost hiding in the bushes, but that didn't stop her from feeling that way.

The interior of the Sorrel-Weed house was relatively simple. A sparse amount of furniture was inside, limited to a few couches, tables, and other items that were native to the time the house had been built. Alice led the group into a dining room where a long table and a few chairs were set up. The group crowded around the room, the Doctor and Alex ending up near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Okay everyone, let's get going!" Alex frowned. This Alice was very quickly starting to get on her nerves. "The Sorrel-Weed House was built from 1835 to 1838 by Charles Cluskey, who is also well-known for designing the governor's mansion in Milledgeville. Now, this house was built for Francis Sorrel, a wealthy shipping merchant.

"Francis came from the French Caribbean, where voodoo is practiced. Francis didn't really believe in voodoo and one practitioner actually cursed him because of it. In the curse, it said that every woman Francis loved would die. His first wife died but that didn't stop Francis.

"Francis married again, this time to a young woman named Matilda. Matilda was a lovely lady and she was good friends with one of the household slaves. In fact, she valued this slave so much, she had her placed in the carriage house you see through that window. Well, one day, Matilda was going over to visit her friend when she saw through the carriage house windows her husband _with _her favorite slave!" There were audible gasps throughout the room, but Alex just rolled her eyes. Really? They didn't see _that _coming?

Alice was oblivious to Alex's less-than-enthusiastic reaction to her story. "Yes! Now, just a little bit after that, Matilda _slipped _on the back steps, an injury she died from. This being a proper Savannah at the time, everyone said it was an accident, not a suicide. And coincidentally, a few days later, that slave was found dead in the carriage house, hung from the rafters."

_A ghost killed her? _Alex sighed. It was truly amazing what some people would believe. But Alice wasn't done yet.

"There are also other stories about this house. One owner woke up repeatedly in the middle of the night to loud music and partying coming from downstairs. But when he went downstairs, there was nobody there." Alex grinned. Okay, that was pretty cool. Party-hearty ghosts? She could enjoy that.

Alice then cast a look over at the windows. "Some people have also reported seeing faces looking in here through those windows." Almost instantly, a bunch of people began snapping pictures of the windows, causing Alex to once again roll her eyes.

Once people had finished doing this, Alice reached into a hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out an electronic meter. "This is an electronic meter," she explained, pointing out the obvious. "This detects energy in the air around us. Ghosts let off a bunch of energy when they're around so we're going to use this to see if there are any with us tonight. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Where's your pipe full of crack?" Alex muttered.

The Doctor gaped at her, eyes wide. "Alexandria!" he hissed. "Behave!" Alex's response was to stick her tongue out at him.

As this exchange was going on, Alice was sticking the electronic meter up in the air. Both the Doctor and Alex noticed that she was keeping her fingers far away from a giant red button on the device, which could only mean the device was rigged. Just as Alice lifted it up, a steady beeping came out.

"Ooh! There's a ghost here!" she said excitedly.

Alex was about to roll her eyes again when a sudden pounding started right behind her eyes. Letting out a little whimper, she shut her eyes and clutched her head. That same pain she had experienced back at the Pirates House was back. She could feel the ghost or whatever the heck it was running around in her mind, trying to take her over again.

"Doctor, it's happening again," Alex whispered.

The Doctor looked down at her. "Ally, try and force it out. You can do it. I know you can."

"I can't." Alex hissed and tried desperately to get her mental shields to fall around the presence, but the force easily evaded her attempts. Her shields slammed down in empty spots, filling Alex's head with more pain.

"That's it." The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and backed them up so they could leave behind the group. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Too late," Alex gasped before she let out a sudden scream and fell to the ground, her body twisting and contorting uncontrollably.

"She's doing it again!" a woman from one of the families shrieked. All eyes shot to Alex, who continued throwing a fit on the floor. "She's possessed!"

"What?" Alice started. She pressed a button on the meter and then aimed it at Alex. Beeping rang out from the device. Alice's eyes widened. "Oh my God!"

"Would you stop pointing that thing at her?!" the Doctor snapped. How could these people care about whether a ghost was present while his Ally was thrashing around on the floor?

Actually, correction. She had abruptly stopped. She was lying face-down on the floor, stiff as a board. The Doctor could see her muscles stretched beneath her skin. Everybody watched as Alex slowly rolled around onto her back, her eyes tightly shut. But then, they opened, exposing white irises, and she jumped forward in an unnatural lunge.

She grabbed the Doctor by both wrists, her eyes tightly narrowed. It made her already scary eyes even scarier. "Doctor," she said in a raspy English-accented voice. "Danger is coming. Danger."

"What danger?" the Doctor demanded. What the hell was she talking about? These ghosts were possessing her for some reason, so why? "What are you talking about?"

"They come." Alex's back arched and she let go of the Doctor's wrists to throw herself against the opposite wall. Her nails dug into the wall, causing potential damage to centuries-old paint. "They come!" Her legs then started kicking at nothing, sending the Doctor and those behind him back. "Water….danger in water…" And then Alex's body slumped down to the ground, her eyes closing as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Call the police!" somebody shouted.

"What the hell is going on?" one of the college students demanded, weeping uncontrollably.

"She's nuts," Eva remarked.

"We need to lock her up somewhere," Alice suggested, still stunned by what she had just seen.

One of the men in the group nodded in agreement and turned towards Alex. "Absolutely…hey, where did she go?"

Everybody looked at the corner Alex had been lying in. It was empty. Alex Locke and the Doctor were gone.

* * *

The Doctor carried Alex's limp body out of the Sorrel-Weed House and down the dark Savannah streets. He knew better then to risk letting those tourists anywhere near Alex. They were a bunch of panicked humans who couldn't accept anything strange or unnatural happening. When something like that did happen, they wanted to lock it up and pretend it didn't exist. Well that was not going to happen with his Ally.

The Doctor walked at least three blocks before he finally put Alex down on a nearby bench. He was on a residential street that appeared to have some life living on it. He could see the glare of a TV coming out of one house and a bunch of laughter was echoing out from another down the street. It was pretty doubtful that any of these houses were on the tour group's itinerary, which meant they would likely be safe here until Alex woke up.

The Doctor smoothed loose hairs away from Alex's face. He hated seeing her in such a state. He had to figure out what was going on here. It was his fault she was here in Savannah and that she was getting possessed for no apparent reason on her birthday, so it was his job to figure out what was going on and how to stop it.

First things first though. He needed to call the Ponds so they could help. He dug around in Alex's jeans pocket for her cell-phone, ignoring the tingling of heat rushing through him that reminded him on how good this action felt, just in case he didn't get the message. He finally pulled out her Blackberry and quickly turned it on, grateful that it didn't ask for a password.

"_Hello!_" Amy sang after the second ring.

"Pond? It's me."

"_Doctor? What's going on?_"

"Listen, I need to meet you and Rory. Something's wrong."

"_Hold on, Doctor. Let me put you on speaker._" A second later, Amy was back on. "_Okay, continue._"

"Something weird is happening and Alex and I have to meet you two right away. Where are you?"

"_At the Six Pence Pub,_" Rory answered. "_Where are you at? And what's going on? Where's Alex?_"

"She's…indisposed at the moment," the Doctor said vaguely, casting a look at Alex's unconscious form. "And we'll tell you everything soon. We'll meet you there in twenty minutes, got it?" He hung up before either of the Ponds could protest.

The Doctor awkwardly placed Alex's phone back in her pocket and sat down beside her, pulling her head into his lap. "Come on Ally," he murmured, running a hand through her tresses. "Wake up. Please wake up."

A second later, Alex's eyes fluttered open. He grinned. He knew she couldn't disobey him. "Hey," he murmured as he continued to run a hand through her hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a bomb went off in my brain," Alex said dryly. She reluctantly sat up, moving her head out of the Doctor's lap despite how comfortable it was. "Was I…?"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Great. I'm getting possessed. I was promised a great birthday and instead I get possession!"

"That's not just it," the Doctor revealed.

Alex frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his head, wondering how exactly he was going to explain this. "While you were…possessed, you kept talking about some kind of oncoming danger."

"What kind of oncoming danger?"

"I don't know." The Doctor sighed and stood up. "Come on. We're going to meet Amy and Rory. I already called them on your phone."

Alex smirked at him. "You had your hand in my pocket and I didn't even feel it? Do it again."

Despite himself, the Doctor laughed. "Come on, you," he chuckled, pulling her up. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Six Pence Pub is, do you?"

"I know of it," Alex said. "It was in a Julia Roberts movie. Although I'm sure that's not why Amy and Rory chose it."

"Probably not," the Doctor agreed.

"Well, my phone has GPS. I'll use it and we can be there lickety-split."

"You mean this phone?" The Doctor held up the Blackberry, the lock screen glowing brightly in the dark.

Alex gaped at him. "Oh my God, how do you do that?! More importantly, will you do it again?"

* * *

Alex rested her elbows against the tabletop, feeling drained and tired. It had been a long day. First the excitement of her birthday, then the excitement of seeing Savannah, then a ghost tour, then getting possessed by ghosts _twice_…it was all a bit much.

She stared vacantly at the fish and chips meal Rory had ordered for her. It had barely been touched. Alex didn't feel like eating, not when she being used as some kind of…possession toy.

"Alex," the weary voice of Rory rang out. "Please. You have to eat _something_."

"I'm not hungry," Alex said, pushing the basket full of food away from her. And it was true. She really didn't feel like eating after a ghost had been inside her. Her body felt weird, like it was recharging from the ordeals. She was pretty sure if she tried to eat something, she'd just throw it back up.

She leaned back in her chair, feeling the cool breeze from the Savannah River blow over her bare arms. She had no idea what time it was but it had to be late, because the sky was a deep dark black. That wasn't stopping anyone else at the Six Pence Pub though.

The Six Pence was situated along a side street, a couple blocks away from River Street. Tables were set up out front for anyone who wanted to eat outside. At the side of the building sat a replica of a London telephone booth, currently where a young woman in a tube top was having a long drunk and weepy conversation with someone on her cell-phone. Inside, patrons drank and ate away, their problems nowhere near the level of complexity as the ones of the TARDIS crew's.

"So let me get this straight," Amy said now. Alex looked up in time to see her friend lean back in her chair as well and rub her eyes tiredly. "Alex got possessed at these haunted houses and was talking about some kind of danger?"

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed. His arms were crossed and he had his chair tilted back a little.

"What kind of threat was it?" Rory asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. "It was pretty vague and these ghosts didn't get a lot of time to tell me what was going on since Alex was fighting her way back the whole time."

Amy twirled an onion ring on her half-eaten plate around. "Great," she said sarcastically. "We're back at square one."

"We didn't even leave square one," the Doctor retorted.

"Drop it," Rory begged. "Look, we're all just tired. It's been a long day."

"Amen," Alex agreed.

"I say we check in at a hotel somewhere and start fresh in the morning," Amy suggested. This was met with great enthusiasm and ten minutes later, they had paid their bill and were off in search of a hotel.

* * *

Alex yanked a pillow over her head, trying to block out the incessant loud snoring coming from the bed next to her. _Jesus, how does she sleep at night?_ Alex wondered, not for the first time that night, as she lifted her head to look up at a sleeping Amy and a snoring Rory.

Rory let out a sound that sounded like his tongue and larynx were dueling it out. Alex sank back down into the mattress and covered her head with the pillow again. It was highly doubtful she was going to sleep though. She had been tossing and turning and mentally swearing for an hour and a half now.

She grimaced as another sound came out of Rory and she tilted her head to look at the door that led to the room next to theirs. That was the one that had been assigned to the Doctor. She glanced down, noticing that there wasn't any light coming out. Either the Doctor was actually sleeping or he had snuck out back to the TARDIS several blocks away. Alex was betting the latter.

She winced as another snore erupted and she burrowed her head deeper into the still tucked-in sheets, not even bothering to question their germy status. She pulled the pillow over her head even tighter, to the point where it was a little cocoon around her. She opened her eyes and listened to Rory's snoring some more. At least the pillow somewhat muffled it.

Alex's eyes wandered over to the wall opposite her bed. It was a dark forest green with thin lines of gold running down it. At the moment, the wall was lit up with the glow from the TV, currently muted on some Grace Kelly movie. The light went from bright to dark in a few split seconds as the movie played and Alex found herself becoming entranced by it, considering she had nothing better to do.

Her captivation with the wall was interrupted when Rory let out a huge snore, louder than the ones prior. It was a huge attention-grabbing snore that completely contradicted everything its owner did while awake. Alex poked her head up, wanting to see if Amy would wake up and sock him, but the redhead didn't even stir. Then again, Amy had once slept through a violent thunderstorm back in Leadworth that knocked down their neighbor's tree.

Alex rolled back over, her eyes traveling down to her parents wedding bands. She let go of the pillow, letting it sit on her head, allowing her to lift the hand wearing the rings up to eye-level. She ran a finger over them, feeling the smooth gold and the slight lump where the bands had been melded together.

Her thoughts drifted to her parents. Alex would never admit it, but she thought about her parents a lot, especially on her birthday. She often wondered about them, how they would have reacted to the various goings-on in her life. Her memories of New York City were vague at best, leaving her with the sad realization that she really didn't know a lot about her parents.

Alex liked to think that her parents would have been proud of her for going off and traveling with the Doctor, though she knew it probably wouldn't have been that simple if they were still alive. She liked to think her parents would like Amy and Rory and even the Doctor. Alex would also never admit that she imagined conversations with her mom in which they discussed how good-looking the Doctor was and Alex's conflicted feelings for him.

But then again… Alex had begun to realize her life would have been drastically different had her parents survived that boat accident. Alex remembered watching _Gossip Girl _marathons on TV and wondering whether she would have turned out like Blair and Serena had her parents lived. It was both interesting and frightening. She would have gone to the best schools, got into any Ivy League college of her choice, partied on the weekends where the menu didn't include discount beer and Doritos, and gone to exotic locales like Bora Bora or the French Riviera.

But the frightening part was that her personality might have turned out different as well. On _Gossip Girl _and _Real Housewives_ and all that other stuff, the girls were shown as prissy and spoiled and mean. Alex hated girls like that, especially the queen of them all, Hillary Westcott. It was a distinct possibility if she had grown up like Hillary, she might have grown to be a complete copy of Hillary. Minus the nose job of course.

Alex shuddered. She couldn't imagine being like Hillary Westcott. Okay, Alex would admit she was a bit vain, petty, could be arrogant, and easily prone to jealousy, but she was not like Hillary in other aspects. She didn't put down others and she wasn't mean just because she could be. Had she grown up rich and pampered though, she might've been.

Another loud noise sounded out around the room, courtesy of Rory. Alex groaned, at this point not caring if she woke the Ponds, and buried her head into the mattress as her hands went back to clutching the pillow to her head. At this rate, she was never going to get any sleep.

Then there was a tapping on her shoulder. Alex jumped up and about screamed until a hand clapped over her mouth. A tweed jacket tickled her chin.

"Don't scream," the Doctor hissed in her ear. "It's just me."

Alex's heart-rate returned to normal and she nodded her understanding. The Doctor removed his hand and knelt down beside the bed. He grimaced at another outburst of snoring from Rory. He craned his head to look over at Amy. "How does she sleep through that?" he wondered.

"I have no idea," Alex murmured. She settled down on her stomach and grabbed the pillow beside her to place it under her head. "You could hear it too?"

"It's merely audible in my room," the Doctor explained, settling on his knees.

"I think we oughta smother him or something."

"Don't be so violent, Ally."

Alex shrugged, not really minding this. "So what have you been doing? 'Cause I seriously doubt you've been sleeping."

"You're not wrong," the Doctor smiled. "I went back to the TARDIS for a little while. There was some…stuff I needed to work on. Important stuff. Stuff pertaining to you. No time for sleep."

"But doesn't a lack of sleep drive you mad? I mean…madder?"

The Doctor frowned at her and was about to retort when Rory suddenly let out a sound that sounded like his larynx was trying to jump out of his mouth.

"Oh my God," Alex snickered, burying her head into her pillow in an effort to muffle her laughter.

The Doctor started laughing. "It sounds like some aliens I once encountered. They were the first inventors of the garbage disposal. The sound a garbage disposal makes was modeled after their voices."

"Don't make me laugh," Alex told him, which only made her laugh harder.

It seemed her laughter was contagious for the Doctor actually had to place a hand over his mouth to contain his bubbling hysteria. He took a deep breath and lowered his hand, revealing a purposefully solemn face. "Think death," he deadpanned.

Alex couldn't resist. "Exterminate," she giggled with a bad British accent, enunciating each syllable like the Daleks did.

The Doctor bit his lip and burrowed his head into the mattress, his shoulders shaking with barely restrained laughter. "Rassilon," he gasped as Alex giggled madly into her pillow.

Eventually, the two quieted down as Rory's snoring let up a little bit. The Doctor lifted his head up and watched the Ponds for a moment. "He's quieted down," he observed.

"For now. There's about a ten minute interval and just when I'm about to fall asleep, he starts right back up again."

The Doctor was silent for a moment as he processed this. Then, an idea popped into his head. "How about you stay in my room for the night?" he suggested, hoping that the slight squeak in his voice wasn't noticeable to Alex.

Alex didn't even hesitate. "Deal," she agreed before sitting up and easing off the bed. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't woken Amy or Rory before walking into the Doctor's room.

The Doctor's room was a twin of the other room, right down to the wallpaper and the weird green carpet with golden swirls. The bedside lamp was now on along with the TV, currently muted to what looked like an episode of NOVA. The Doctor switched it off and shut the door, the click of the lock sounding as loud as a bomb in the room. Ignoring the nerves creeping into her system, Alex headed for the bed.

The bed's comforter was slightly wrinkled, indicating the Doctor had been sitting there. She turned around and watched as the Doctor took his jacket off, tossing the garment off so that it was strewn across the other bed. He loosened his bowtie, his braces now hanging limply at his hips.

Alex eased herself onto the bed, conscious of the fact that the Doctor was watching her every movement. Another flood of nerves ran through her system. She honestly wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She and the Doctor had slept in the same bed what, six times now? But, for some reason, this was different. All those other times, she had invited him into her bed but this time, he had invited her into his room.

The Doctor was well-aware of this. This was the first time he had invited Alex to stay with him. He didn't count her nightmare after the Dream Lord adventure because that had been in Alex's room and they both knew she wanted him to stay with her. The time in Craig's flat didn't count either because they had to share a room. There were no other options. This…was different. It was uncharted territory and they both knew it.

In an effort to retain her dignity and make it seem like this was totally normal, Alex curled up into a little ball on her side and patted the space next to her. Like an eager puppy, the Doctor quickly got in beside her, pausing only to kick off his boots and switch the lamp off.

Alex's breath hitched a little as the room was plunged into darkness. She knew how intimate the darkness was and how much it could influence her and the Doctor's interactions.

The Doctor maneuvered one of the pillows behind him to where it rested flat on the mattress. Scooting down, he rested his head on it and turned to where he was facing Alex.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Fine," Alex responded, knowing that he meant to ask how she was feeling about having been possessed. "It's weird but nothing that I can't handle."

The Doctor smiled a little at her. "You know you don't have to be strong all the time, Ally."

Alex was silent for a moment. She never even thought about her tough attitude. It was how she had always been, for as long as she could remember. Sure, there were times when she had gotten emotional and she had shoved the feelings down so as not to let anyone see her cry, but other than that, this was just how she was. Of course, she had to admit she was really, really scared about her possessions. But she also didn't want the Doctor to see her at her weakest. She didn't want him to think less of her.

Finally, she said "I don't like anyone seeing me so…vulnerable."

"I'm not 'anyone', Ally," the Doctor reminded her.

Alex scooted closer to him, soon able to hear the thudding of his hearts in his chest. "I know," she murmured, tilting her head to where her forehead was pressed up against him. She sighed contently and closed her eyes, feeling an enormous wave of exhaustion come over her.

The Doctor ran a hand through her hair, putting Alex further into slumber. He felt so content lying beside her, as he always did whenever circumstances got them into the same bed together. It was like Alex was meant to be by his side.

His eyes also began drifting close. His arm wrapped around Alex, pulling her closer to him as he drifted off into his sweet dreams of Alexandria Locke.

A/N: ANOTHER possession! What is going on? Don't worry. We'll find out soon!

Some notes on reviews...

**ShadowTeir **- Glad you liked the hint. There's no telling WHEN it could happen! :} Whatever is possessing Alex is pretty strong, but we'll have to wait and see what exactly it is. Glad you like the original chapters! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Alex is kinda based on me, yes. She's more of a glamorized version of me. We have a lot of similarities, like same middle name, love of reading, same birth month, but also a lot of differences. I'm nowhere near as out-going as Alex and I'm more of a goody two-shoes compared to her. :) Yes, it was alien, which you're right, is usually the case in 'Doctor Who'. Amy and Rory were off wandering around Savannah and, as shown in this chapter, at some point ended up at the Six Pence Pub. :) Yes, Alex is getting 'The Lodger' dress in this story, but not until near the end. Yes, Eva is awful! Thankfully, this is the last chapter to show her. :)

**EstherMarie117 **- Thank you! I'm SO glad you love the story! It means a lot! :D

**rycbar15 **- Yes, that was a rather compromising position, lol. Yep, my hint narrows it down SO much, lol! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- No, getting possessed doesn't count as the Doctor's gift to her. I think you'll all like the present he gives Alex. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! :)

**MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon **- Here's your update! I'm not sure of the total amount for the rest of the chapters, but I know it's less than 80. :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Lol, I've called teachers that name...not to their face, of course. :) Yep, it is pretty strong, whatever it is that got in her mind. Hmm, I wouldn't say to be scared of them, more like pity them. You'll see why later. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, the Ghostbusters would be useful wouldn't they? But I'm not sure how they would fare against aliens. :) Yep, it's aliens and no, Sex-kitten Eva's not one of them. She's just an annoying girl who flirted with the Doctor. Thankfully, this was the last chapter to feature her. :) Savannah IS a beautiful place! I've been there four times now, and I still love it! They really do need to film an episode there, preferably a ghost one. :) Yep, the TARDIS and the Ponds gave her presents! I wouldn't mind having them as guests at my birthday party. :)

**Mad mind flip **- Yep, nothing like getting possessed by ghosts to kick off a 2st birthday! Who needs a party at a bar anyway? :) Thank you! I'm glad you love the story! :D

**Trixie **- His anger? Well, she's already seen how mad he can get, particularly when something's happened to her, so I guess she'd mostly be alarmed and a little scared by his anger. Hope that helps! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	65. Alex's Birthday Part 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex and all original components.

Sunbeams streamed through the partially-closed curtains the following morning. Alex squinted a little in the oncoming glare and rolled over to try and avoid it. She was about to snuggle into the warm chest lying next to her when she became aware of something…no one else was there.

Alex's eyes burst open and she rolled onto her back and rose up. There was no one else in the room but she could hear the shower running in the adjacent bathroom. The Doctor was in the shower… Alex shook her head. _God, get yourself under control, Alexandria!_ She sighed and got up.

She crossed over to the mirror and examined her reflection. Naturally, she looked gorgeous, even with mussed up hair and smeared make-up.

Not having anything else to do until the Doctor got finished with his strangely long shower, Alex turned the TV on to the _Today _show. She sat back down on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Just as she was getting into an interview between Matt Lauer and the latest troubled Hollywood starlet, the bathroom door opened and the Doctor came out, fully dressed, something Alex was thankful for. She had no idea what she would've done had he come out in a towel. Actually, she did have a pretty good idea, one that she knew she should not be thinking.

"Ally, you're up," the Doctor observed. "Shower's all yours."

"Thanks." Alex got up and headed towards the bathroom, noticing that steam from the Doctor's shower was seeping out. She tried to ignore the pounding in her heart that reminded her she was going to be taking a shower in the same space the Doctor had. It wasn't something a person should think about, especially not with her current predicament.

Ten minutes later, the duo were walking through the early-morning Savannah streets. It was a bit muggy and Alex found herself quickly perspiring in the thick Georgia heat. The Doctor, however, didn't seem to be affected. _Stupid Time Lord biology,_ Alex negatively thought.

"I'll just be a minute," Alex assured him as they approached the TARDIS. She had been insistent on getting some new clothes for the new day and had said he should as well, pointing out how unhygienic and nasty it was to go around wearing the same clothes for several days.

The Doctor leaned up against the wooden exterior, not bothering to tell her he always kept a spare set of clothes in his bigger-on-the-inside jacket pockets. "Take your time," he dismissed as Alex ducked into the time-ship.

Five minutes later, Alex returned, now wearing a flowing pink strapless top, skinny jeans, pink sneakers, and simple gold owl earrings. But what the Doctor mainly noticed was the black rosary clutched in her hand. He watched, curious, as Alex placed it around her neck, fingering the cross delicately.

Alex noticed him watching and shrugged. "For luck."

* * *

Alex stabbed at her pancake with a fork before ultimately placing it down to rest against her plate. She really wasn't hungry. How could she eat with all this drama happening around her?

"Alexandria, please eat," the Doctor begged. "It's not healthy."

Alex narrowed her eyes at him. "This from the man currently nursing a glass of orange juice and _only _a glass of orange juice."

"Touché," the Doctor murmured.

Alex took a small bite of pancake just to please him before putting the fork back down and turning to face the water. The duo had found a small restaurant on River Street and were currently seated outside under the large deck that served customers of the bar upstairs. Various tourists and natives were seated all around them, talking and laughing with each-other, none of them concerned with possessions or ghosts or possible evil goings-on.

"Where are the lovebirds?" Alex asked, her gaze still on the glistening water.

The Doctor shrugged. "Somewhere. Probably sleeping or doing other couple…stuff."

Alex smiled and turned back to him. "Well, since they're off doing God knows what, what are we supposed to do? We have to figure out what's going on."

"You're right," the Doctor agreed, taking a quick gulp of his drink before pushing the glass off to the side. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "I've been thinking and I did come up with one idea but you're probably not going to like it."

Alex's eyes narrowed, quickly seeing where this was going. "No," she said flatly. "No freaking way."

"Ally, just hear me out," the Doctor urged, holding a hand up to silence her. When Alex didn't say anything else, he went on. "Okay. I know it's not ideal and I don't like it either, but I think it's the best we've got."

"Doctor, I am not walking around this whole town waiting for a flipping ghost to possess me so that you can interrogate it!"

"Well, what do you suggest?" the Doctor demanded. He wasn't really angry with her; he didn't want to set her up as ghost bait either. He was just angry at this whole bloody situation. "It's not like we can go up to somebody and say _My friend here is being possessed by ghosts. Please tell us why!_"

"Actually, you can," a new voice piped up. The Doctor and Alex jumped and turned to see a number of patrons looking at them. So caught up in their conversation, the time-travelers hadn't noticed that they were talking just a little too loud.

A man seated directly across from them blushed slightly. "Sorry," he apologized. "Couldn't help but overhear." He turned his chair around, allowing the time-travelers to study him. He was a bald man in his forties, a little plump, wearing a sky-blue polo and cargo shorts.

"The name's Joe," he introduced. He turned to look at Alex. "I'm guessing you're the young lady who got possessed over at the Pirates House last night?"

Alex stiffened and the Doctor, noticing this, reached out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. "How did you know that?" Alex demanded.

Joe smiled at her. "My eldest niece works there as a waitress and she called in the middle of the night talking on and on about your interaction with the dearly departed."

"And a bunch of the tour group were in the bar last night, talking about what had happened," a brown haired woman with a ponytail spoke up. She was leaning against the doorway, wearing a white blouse, black pants, and black ballet flats. She smiled sheepishly. "Candace Roberts, manager."

"Bet you think I'm crazy, huh?" Alex said sarcastically.

Candace laughed. "Sweetie, you are not crazy. My mother-in-law? She's crazy."

"Do you know someone who may be able to help us?" the Doctor asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Yes," Joe confirmed. "Madame Marie at the Psychic House." The Doctor and Alex must've looked skeptical because Joe burst out laughing. "No, trust me! She's not a flake at all! Knows her stuff, that woman."

"It's true," Candace nodded. "I had a ghost in the bar upstairs that kept causing all kinds of mischief. Broken bottles, salt and pepper shakers being moved around, you name it. Madame Marie came and had a talk with him and now I find the wines organized by type and year. She's the best."

Alex looked over at the Doctor, who still looked pretty doubtful about turning to a psychic for help. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," she mused.

The Doctor sighed. He didn't think highly of psychics or mediums or any of that junk people used to try and contact the supernatural. He recalled an evening spent watching Rose and Jackie attempt to use an Ouija board to contact spirits, but nothing had happened other than mother and daughter getting completely plastered after they grew bored of their game and turned to alcohol for fun.

But then again, he was desperate to help Alex. He didn't like the idea of her getting randomly possessed by ghosts or whatever the hell they were. At this point, he didn't know what else to do.

He sighed and grabbed his glass before proceeding to drain it of all its contents. "Well Ally," he said, slamming the glass down onto the table, "let's go meet a psychic."

* * *

It took the two a while to find the Psychic House. Apparently, the GPS on Alex's phone thought they wanted the Pirates House and had led them there instead. Alex had pointedly ignored the Doctor's mutterings of 'stupid bloody autocorrect' and how cell-phones were such a waste and that whoever had invented them ought to be introduced to a Dalek as she hastily typed in the correct building.

After almost an hour, they finally reached the Psychic House. They were on a side street near one of the 21 squares that made up Savannah. No one seemed to be out at the moment, indicating that this was a quiet street.

"Here we are," Alex announced as they stopped in front of a medium-sized building with light blue window shutters and a matching door. A wrought-iron balcony hung above their heads, Spanish moss trickling down it. Curly gold letters painted on the window announced this building as _Madame Marie's Psychic House. Readings, aura cleansings, and spirit consultations available within._

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at the sign. "Let's hope this isn't a trick," he murmured as he opened the door for Alex.

Alex didn't reply, too caught up in the appearance of the shop. The walls were made up of white paneled wood, which you could barely see due to all the shelves. The shelves held an abundance of jars and boxes, all of them filled and labeled with the strangest of things. Alex studied them. "Frog's eye, bat's blood, troll sneeze…" She blinked at this last one.

"Had a troll sneeze on me once," the Doctor recalled. "Not a pleasant experience."

Alex probably would've questioned him on this, but became entranced with the shop once more. Purple, gold, and silver scarves dangled down from the ceiling, creating an almost gypsy caravan likeness. The floor was covered in simple gray carpet but several worn Oriental rugs were spread out everywhere. In the center of the room was a large square-shaped glass counter. Alex peered inside to see a bunch of different colored rocks labeled as moon rocks, books on cleansing your aura, a display explaining palm readings, several crystal balls on sale for $59.99, and a bunch of other stuff.

The Doctor stood next to her, taking in all of this. He shook his head and began to fiddle with a pack of tarot cards on a display next to him. "I don't think anyone's here Ally."

"The door was unlocked," Alex reminded him. "And you just want to leave because you don't believe in psychics."

"Do you?" the Doctor asked. He couldn't really see Alex believing in any of that junk but then again, he hadn't pegged her as a Catholic either.

Alex shook her head. "No, I'm one of those people who points and laughs at psychics. But at this point…I'll try anything."

"Sorry!" a voice called from the back of the room, causing the Doctor and Alex to jump and look up. An older black woman entered the room through a beaded curtain in a doorway at the back of the shop. She was dressed in a flowing purple caftan with several gold beaded necklaces around her neck along with matching rings on both hands. The finishing touch was an Indian patterned turban loosely tied around her head.

She bustled up to the counter, tweaking her turban as she came up. "Sorry. Had to take a phone call. Apparently one of the bars on River Street is getting ghost activity again. Ghosts never rest and neither do I." She looked up and smiled at them. "Hello. What can I do for you today?"

"Are you Madame Marie?" Alex asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes, I am. And you don't sound like you're from around here." Marie's eyes turned to the Doctor. "And you come from so much further away, don't you?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he said slowly.

Marie nodded and turned back to Alex. She studied the girl for a moment, making Alex feel a little uncomfortable. "You're from Kentucky," Marie suddenly said. "A small town, starts with a B…Berea? No, Bristol! But you've traveled further. You've seen things you never thought possible, haven't you Alex?"

Alex stared at her in shock. How had she guessed all that? But before she could question her, Marie was turning to the Doctor. "And you," she murmured as the Doctor watched her with a guarded expression. "Doctor. You're not even from this Earth. You are older than you look, so, so old. You've seen the stuff of nightmares over and over again and think that that's all there is. Just nightmares. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you have no idea how significant it is. You have no idea how important it is. That light has always been destined for you, ever since the beginning, ever since you started traveling in that blue box."

There was dead silence for a long moment. The Doctor was stunned. There was no way Marie could know that much about his life, especially that he was an alien. It wasn't like he had a sign on his back advertising that. But what truly puzzled him was that light she was talking about. Light? What light? Did it mean he was going to die someday, probably in the near future? Or was it something else, something he didn't know or understand?

Marie smiled at them. "And you both are here for my help," she deduced.

Alex gaped at her. "How did you know?" she asked, not ruling out the possibility of one of those restaurant patrons calling the woman and telling her they were coming.

"I'm psychic," Marie smirked.

"What number am I thinking of?" the Doctor asked her.

Marie gave him a withering look. "It doesn't work like that," she said, rolling her eyes. She turned around and headed back over to the door with the beaded curtain. She waved a hand over her shoulder. "Come on back. And it's negative 87 by the way."

The Doctor's jaw dropped while Alex snickered. "Negative 87?" she repeated.

"No one ever chooses or guesses a negative number," the Doctor argued. Alex only sighed as they stepped through the beaded curtain.

The beaded curtain led into a small office area. The walls were chocolate brown and the floor was covered in a rich Persian carpet. A cherry desk sat in one corner of the room, a pile of books stacked up on it next to an iMac and an old tea mug. Opposite the desk was a leather couch with two matching chairs sitting in front of it. Bookcases lined the walls, filled with not only books but jars and boxes and even what looked like an incense lamp. A doorway led to a spiral staircase that led to Marie's apartment upstairs.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Marie told them as she bustled over to a small stove by the other doorway.

The Doctor and Alex settled themselves on the leather sofa. "This is pretty different from your shop," the Doctor observed.

Marie waved a hand dismissively. "That junk? All that's for the tourists. They like the weird spooky stuff. But back here is where I do my real magic." She grabbed a tea mug off a nearby shelf and poured some tea into it. She set it down and moved over to the desk where a mini-fridge was located, pulling out a Diet Pepsi. She grabbed the tea mug and carried it and the soda over to the time-travelers.

"Tea, no sugar, extra cream," she said to the Doctor, handing him his drink. "And you can't stand tea, so here's your favorite." She passed the soda to Alex.

The Doctor and Alex looked at her, impressed. "Wow, you really are psychic," Alex said admirably. Wait until Marigold heard about this.

Marie shrugged. "So I've been told." She sat down in one of the chairs in front of them, adjusting her caftan skirt accordingly. "Now, tell me why you're here. I assume it has something to do with those possessions at the Pirates House and the Sorrel-Weed House, right?"

"Let me guess," the Doctor chuckled. "Psychic?"

"Not exactly," Marie smiled. "News travels fast in Savannah. The manager of the Pirates House is a good friend of mine. She called me last night and told me all about it. Later, I overheard some college students discussing it as they were browsing through the shop. I figured the 'young couple' that was described to me would come in sooner or later."

The Doctor and Alex blushed at the mention of their being a couple. Seriously, why were they always mistaken for one?

"But that's neither here nor there," Marie dismissed, not missing how uncomfortable the two looked at being called a couple. "What is important, is why you my dear, are having these little…episodes."

Marie picked up a pad of paper and a pen from a small table beside her. "Now, I took the liberty of writing out a few theories on why this is happening. But, they are just theories. Why don't you both tell me what happened during these possessions and we'll go from there?"

For the next few minutes, the Doctor and Alex took turns describing what took place during Alex's possessions. The Doctor described Alex's actions and what the 'spirit' said and Alex talked about how she had felt something running through her mind, trying to shut her off so it could take over. Marie listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes. After they were done, Marie sat back in her chair and was silent for a long moment. Either she was processing what they had told her, or she was using her psychic powers to figure out what was going on.

"It seems to me," she said finally, "that Alex is acting as a host for various spirits, all who want to inform you Doctor, of something."

"Why me though?" Alex wondered. "Why are they specifically drawn to me?"

"I see you have a very powerful mind," Marie said. "Things try to trick it but don't succeed. For a time, you remembered things others couldn't. That, my dear, is like a magnet to the spirits."

"Aren't ghosts usually attracted to weaker minds?" the Doctor asked, not being able to follow Marie's explanation, a first for him.

Marie hesitated for a moment. "You're right but…these spirits are different. There is something more…_unique _about them."

Alex frowned. "Unique in what way?"

"I can't see it," Marie sighed. "But I know there's something strange going on, stranger than being possessed by ghosts, and it all has to do with what they want to tell you two."

"Well how we supposed to figure out what's going on?" the Doctor questioned.

"I think I have an idea on how to figure that out." Marie set her pen and paper aside and leaned forward. "I propose we try and get another spirit to come to Alex."

"That's what I suggested!" the Doctor cried.

Marie shot him a dry look. "Yes, well, this is not an easy thing to do. It's better if a professional is there to monitor the situation in case something goes wrong. I propose we meet in Bonaventure Cemetery no later than eleven thirty."

Alex perked up at this proposition. Bonaventure Cemetery was a big part of _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_. It was actually where the author went to watch a voodoo priestess do her magic.

She had to ask. "Are you a voodoo priestess?"

Marie laughed heartily, much to Alex's surprise. "I take it you've read _the book_, as it's referred to in Savannah. I do come from a long line of voodoo doers. I'm not as good as some of the other people in town, but I do dabble. I believe in this case, voodoo would be our best option in getting one of the spirits to communicate with us."

After agreeing to meet up with Marie at Bonaventure, the two left the Psychic House and headed down the street. As they walked, Alex called Amy. Apparently, the Ponds were at the public library, trying to see if possessions similar to Alex's had happened before.

"_There's nothing though,_" Amy reported sadly. "_Sorry Alex._"

"It's alright," Alex assured her. "The Doc and I did some investigating of our own and we met a psychic who says I'm acting as a host for spirits who want to tell the Doctor something."

"_A psychic?_" Rory repeated skeptically.

"She's good, Rory," Alex insisted. "Seriously. She knew stuff only the Doctor or I would know."

"_If you're sure,_" Amy said. "_So what else did this psychic say?_"

The Doctor motioned for Alex to put the phone on speaker. "The psychic, Alex, and I are meeting at Bonaventure Cemetery tonight for a little ghost-hunting."

"_Sounds fun,_" Amy said in the type of voice that indicated she wasn't sure what to say to that.

After making arrangements to meet the Ponds back at River Street before heading off to lunch at the City Market, Alex hung up her phone and she and the Doctor continued walking. By the time they reached River Street numerous streets later, Alex's feet were killing her.

"Doctor, please stop for a minute," she begged as she sat down on a bench at the curb. "We've been walking for practically twelve blocks! My feet are killing me."

The Doctor sighed and leaned against the bench. "And how long will we wait here?"

Alex shot him a look. "As long as it takes," she replied, crossing her legs and arms as she turned to stare out at the water.

The Doctor let out another sigh and went over to her. "Okay then. Plan B." Before Alex knew what was happening, the Doctor had picked her up to cradle her in his arms bridal-style and was now walking down the street.

"Doctor!" Alex cried. "People are staring! What will they think?"

"That you're horribly spoiled," the Doctor replied, smirking at her.

Alex shrugged and leaned into him. She had never really cared much on what people thought of her. It hadn't been a real concern of hers. In her mind, doing that was just a step away from becoming like Hillary Westcott, who worshipped MTV and wore whatever fashions were in style that month.

The Doctor carried her down the street until they reached the bar Rory had suggested they meet at before heading off. Alex smiled up at him as he deposited her in a chair. "So, are you like my servant now?"

The Doctor laughed a little. "Hardly. But no one can blame me if I find myself succumbing to your every will."

Alex giggled and leaned back in her chair as the Doctor went back out on the sidewalk to await the Ponds. A phone vibrated nearby, quite loudly, making her frown. _We really are dependent on cell-phones,_ she thought as the buzzing died down. As she started to relax again, a young woman with bottle-blonde hair and an even faker tan at the table beside her turned to face her.

"You're so lucky," she sighed wistfully. "My husband wouldn't even think about doing what yours did." Alex only smiled, not even bothering to protest that she and the Doctor weren't a couple.

* * *

Bonaventure Cemetery, while really pretty in the daylight, was downright creepy at night. The tombstones gleamed in the light of the full moon. The Spanish moss hanging in the trees overhead waved slowly in the light breeze, looking like the ghosts in movies. The statues on several gravestones looked like they were watching the group as they walked through the cemetery.

Alex shuddered as she passed one. The Weeping Angels had kinda ruined statues for her.

It had been remarkably easy to get into the cemetery. Alex had assumed the Doctor would use his sonic to open the gates, but Marie had surprised them by producing a key. "My voodoo helped the groundskeeper's son get off for drug possession," she had explained. "I can come in here whenever I like."

Marie led the way through the cemetery, explaining that she knew every inch of it. No one, not even the Doctor, spoke as they walked through the graveyard. It was a creepy, mysterious place and Marie had already warned them not to speak so as not to scare off the spirits.

Alex pressed herself closer to the Doctor as they passed a large creepy gravestone. She shuddered and pressed her face into his jacket. The Doctor wrapped a comforting arm around her back, keeping her pressed right up against him. Alex smiled a little as she felt his hand tracing circle patterns around her shoulder. She hated this little ghost-hunting expedition they were on, but the Doctor's presence more than made up for it.

Suddenly, Marie abruptly stopped, nearly causing the Doctor and Alex to slam into her back. Marie reached into her pocket of her bomber jacket and pulled out a silver pocket watch. Alex thought she felt the Doctor tense up at the sight of it, but dismissed it as her imagination.

"Eleven forty," Marie murmured, checking the watch. She shut it close and put it back into her pocket. "Twenty till bad magic starts. We have to hurry."

As Marie scurried off, the Doctor murmured in Alex's ear "What is she talking about, time for bad magic?"

"Voodoo superstition believes that the period of eleven thirty to midnight is the time for doing good magic while the period of twelve oh one to twelve thirty is the time for doing bad magic," Alex provided. The Doctor nodded, having now grasped this. Voodoo was not a subject he was familiar with.

"Quiet," Marie scolded.

The trio continued on for another two minutes until Marie held her hand up, telling them to stop. "This is a good spot," she revealed. "The ground and graves here are perfect for voodoo."

The Doctor and Alex looked around. They were currently in a more simplistic part of the cemetery. Modest tombstones had been organized in simple rows and a few trees had been planted in various areas for good measure.

Marie silently led them along the rows of tombstones. Alex rushed along after her. She hated graveyards and the idea that she was walking over bodies buried in the ground made shudders go down her spine. She dreaded the knowledge that one day she would end up buried six feet below ground. The whole idea seemed terribly claustrophobic. _Don't think about that, Alexandria!_ Alex scolded herself. Of course, this was easier said than done when you were walking through a graveyard.

Marie came to a stop and knelt down next to a tombstone belonging to a young woman who had died three years ago. "Alright, let's see…" She checked her watch and smiled a little. "Eleven forty-five. Plenty of time left."

The Doctor and Alex watched, curious, as Marie dug into a little pouch she had brought along. She pulled out some roots, a few twigs, and a shovel. Marie dug a small hole next to the gravestone and put one of the roots into it. She reached into her sack again and pulled out a bottle of Maker's Mark whiskey.

"This here grave belongs to Elena Thompson," Marie told them as she opened the whiskey bottle and poured a few drops into the small hole. "Sweet girl she was, but she had a bit of a drinking problem. One night, she got so drunk, she stumbled out of a River Street bar and stepped out right in the path of one of those darned cars that drive on that road. Instantaneous death. She was very interested in the supernatural and she did a couple odd jobs for me around the shop. She said that if she ever died and I needed help with something spirit-related, to come to her grave and bring her some Maker's Mark.

"Did you know that you can't get drunk by the grave of a person who liked to drink? The dead take the fumes away before you can even get the bottle open." Marie smiled a little. "I've never quite believed that, but I believe in Elena." She held the bottle out to the Doctor and Alex. "Drink?"

The Doctor shook his head and though Alex was tempted, she too said no. She had a feeling she needed a clear head for what was about to happen.

Marie only nodded, as if she expected this response, which she probably had. "Alright, let's get going." She leaned back on her haunches and closed her eyes. "Hello Elena," she said in a faraway voice. "How you been?" She paused for a moment, as if the spirit of Elena Thompson was really answering her.

Marie smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Listen, strange things are happening right now. My friend Alex here is getting possessed. Do you know why?" Another pause and Marie frowned. She opened her eyes and turned to look at the Doctor and Alex, who had remained silent and awed for the past couple of seconds.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "Elena doesn't know." Marie sighed and grabbed the Maker's Mark bottle again. "Thanks for trying, darling," she said to the tombstone before pouring a few more drops into the hole and taking a swig out of the bottle herself.

Alex groaned. "Great, just great!" she cried. "We came all this way for nothing!" Alex paced across the grass, frustrated beyond belief now. When was all of this going to end? Would it ever end?

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was just as frustrated as Alex. He hated that this was happening to her and that he didn't know what this mysterious threat was.

He went over to Marie, who was placing the whiskey bottle back in her sack. "What now?" he asked.

Marie sighed and shrugged. "We can still try to get a ghost to possess her." She checked her watch and groaned. "Past midnight though. Any spirit we'd get now would likely be malevolent."

The Doctor nodded. No way was he risking Alex's safety to get a ghost right now. "Okay, then. We'll try again in the morning. Ally? Let's head back to the hotel." He turned to head back, but then noticed that Alex hadn't replied back. He frowned and turned back around. "Ally?"

No reply. In fact, Alex was facing away from them, her shoulders stiff and her arms down at her sides, hands curled into tight little fists. The Doctor carefully went up to her. "Alex?" he said. He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder but Alex whirled around before he could do so.

"Doctor," she said slowly in that strange possessed tone. Her eyes glowed white and they narrowed slightly, making them look all the more menacing.

"Yes, it's me," the Doctor confirmed to the latest spirit to possess Alex.

Marie stepped up beside him. She looked at Alex with an awed expression. "Incredible," she breathed. "I've never seen anything like it."

Alex's head stiffly turned to face Marie. "You are the psychic," she stated, her voice switching to a pronounced Southern twain that was distinctly male.

"Yes, I'm Marie. Who are you and why are you here?"

"Danger is coming," the spirit informed them. "It will come very soon."

"Yes, we got that, thank you!" the Doctor snapped. "_What _danger though? What _specific _danger?"

Alex opened her mouth to answer when she suddenly jerked to the side, nearly collapsing over a tombstone. "Strong," the spirit inside her mused before throwing Alex's body forward.

"Alex is fighting back," the Doctor told Marie. Marie nodded and stepped forward.

"Talk quickly," she instructed the spirit. "You don't have long."

"Buzzing in the air. Monsters in the water. Water, Doctor. The water is evil. Water hurts all." Alex's body fell to the ground and writhed around for a few seconds before springing up again. "Danger, Doctor! Dan…ger…" Alex crumpled to the ground as the white in her eyes faded, replaced by a soothing light green.

The Doctor was by her side in an instant. He gently eased her up and into his arms, cradling her bridal-style. Alex's head flopped into the crevice between his neck and shoulder. "Doctor," she murmured, her natural voice back.

"Shh," he soothed. "Just rest, Ally." Alex nodded and closed her eyes.

"She'll be fine," Marie assured him.

"I know," the Doctor replied. He adjusted Alex's body before adding "But we at least got more information out of the spirit. There's something in the water."

Marie studied him, noticing he looked slightly surprised. "Why are you surprised?" she asked.

"I thought the water thing was Alex bleeding through," the Doctor explained. "Alex is afraid of water and I thought when she was saying that, it was her gaining control again."

"But it doesn't appear that way now."

"No," the Doctor sighed. "It doesn't. There's some kind of threat in the river. Only question is, what is it?"

A/N: More info in this chapter on what the evil aliens are doing! There's something in the water... Also, did you all like Madame Marie? Just a note: I picture her looking like Whoopi Goldberg. :) Also, sorry for the later update, but I was working on an art project that about killed me. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**jesterlover **- Sounds so much fun! I'm jealous. :) I know! One day of no alien trouble would be great! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Yep, good thing the Doctor got her out of there when he did. He'd throw an absolute Oncoming Storm fit if they locked up his Ally. :) I know, the sexual tension! Lol, glad you like the Rory snoring bit! That was totally inspired by my dad, who snores incredibly loud. I've done the same pillow-trick Alex used when I had to listen to it in hotels on family vacations. :)

**mayfire21 **- Yep, can't beat garbage disposal people! And yes, Eva's gone. Sorry she scared you. :)

**Unk. N. Own - **Hmm, interesting question. I think that if that happened, most everyone would be shocked and capture the Doctor. Alex would throw an absolute hissy fit, probably terrifying Percy, Annabelle, Chiron, and the others. Continuing on the Percy Jackson theme, if something like that did happen, Alex would be the child of a Greek god, most likely Athena because of her intelligence and mind. Her looks could've been a blessing by Aphrodite. :) Cool question!

**rycbar15 **- It's insane. I can't believe I've gotten this many reviews on my FIRST story. It's also puts the pressure on to make every chapter better than the last one. :) Yep, can't stay out of his bed, can she, lol. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yep, I plan on doing NanNoWriMo, hopefully where I'll get a ton of 'Living's' sequel done and also the new OC series I'm launching so you all have something to read while the Alex Locke series is on hiatus. It all depends on how much schoolwork I have though. :) I'm glad you liked the part where she thought about her parents. Her life really would've been different had her parents lived.

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! :)

**Trixie **- Lol, I wondered if that was what you really meant, but I wasn't sure. Alex will have a good relationship with the Doctor's ganger, pretty much identical to the one she has with the real Doctor. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- It's cool. I don't watch 'Sherlock' but I'll keep that story in mind. :) Lol, no, no hope of normalcy on Alex's birthday with the Doctor around. :) Good theory, but we'll have to wait and see on if it's true or not. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Lol, yeah it IS good you had someone there with you! I don't fall asleep in public places, unless you count the car while we're driving along the interstate. :) Glad you loved the fluff!

**Neko 97 **- I know! But it gets better. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yes, she had to get pushed against a wall. It seemed like the right thing to do. :) Yes, the TARDIS got her earrings! I want a TARDIS so bad right now! :) Ooh...good theory, but no, she's not Rose. Alex is a completely original character. But we'll find out about the Ross/Rose connection in 'Death of the Doctor'. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	66. Alex's Birthday Part 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only Alex and original ideas in this story.

The next morning, Alex stepped out of the TARDIS, newly dressed in a blue ruffled tank-top, skinny jeans, a jean jacket, strapped chocolate brown ballet flats, and large gold hoop earrings. She shut the door, making sure it was locked, and headed off down the street to the restaurant the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were at.

She ran a hand through her hair as she thought about the latest events. When they got back to the hotel last night, the Doctor had woken her up long enough to tell her what happened during her possession. Needless to say, Alex wasn't thrilled to hear that there was a threat lurking underneath the Savannah River.

Alex looked over at the river. It was huge and it also connected to the Atlantic Ocean. There was no way they could find something in that big an area. No way in hell.

_Don't be so negative, Alexandria, _a voice in her head scolded. _Stranger things have happened._ Alex sighed, knowing that the voice was right.

A few minutes later, Alex was seated next to the Doctor at an outdoor table at the same restaurant they had breakfasted at yesterday. There was no sign of Joe, but Alex had spotted Candace, who gave her a wink.

"You're not serious," Rory said flatly across from them. "There's something in the Savannah River that is going to cause some crazy danger?"

"Danger, Rory, is not crazy," the Doctor scolded. "Danger is _dangerous_."

Amy sighed. "Okay, well, how are we supposed to find whatever this thing is if we don't know what it is?"

"I'd just like to say that I am not going to be ghost bait anymore," Alex jumped in, eager to get that straightened out.

"You never were nor are going to be ghost bait anymore Ally," the Doctor assured her, reaching out to run a hand through her hair.

Alex unconsciously leaned into his touch. "So what do you suggest?"

The Doctor was about to answer but a weird buzzing noise rang out through the air, interrupting him. "Stupid vibrating cell-phones," Amy muttered while checking to make sure it wasn't her phone that was causing all the racket.

"Tell me about it," Alex nodded. "I heard something exactly like this yesterday."

"Hush," the Doctor unexpectedly ordered. He lifted a finger to his lips, concentrating on the buzzing, which for some reason, was getting louder.

Alex frowned as she listened to the buzzing increase in volume. "What is that?" she murmured.

The Doctor shushed her again, trying to work out what was going on. There were only a few things that could create a buzzing like that. He began mentally listing them and one item attracted his attention. _No, that's impossible. But…wait, it is. No! NO!_

The Doctor whirled around to face Alex, his chair almost toppling over from the force of his suddenness. "We need to get out of here right now."

Alex frowned. "What? Doctor, what is going on?"

"No time!" the Doctor impatiently snapped. He grabbed her hand and moved to pull her out of her chair. "Ponds, Ally, back to the TARDIS n-," But he was cut off as all around them, everyone fell unconscious.

Alex shrieked as Amy and Rory's heads fell to the table with a BANG! "Oh my God!" she cried, rushing around the table to lift Amy's head and check her pulse. "Doctor, what's going on?!"

The Doctor grimly looked around at all the unconscious people. A waitress had dropped her tray when she fell, cold soda now making a trail across the wooden deck. One man was lying face-first in his breakfast pizza. A couple that had been walking past the restaurant were currently lying on the cobblestoned street, the woman's shopping bags strewn across the ground. "The beginning of an invasion," he answered.

Alex finished checking Amy's pulse and moved on to Rory. She was relieved to find that both their pulses were weak, but audible. "What do you mean an alien invasion?" she asked, darting back over to the Doctor.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her into his side, determined not to let her go, not during this kind of danger. "Ally, everyone's body has been taken over."

"But they're unconscious!" Alex argued.

"For now. Their minds have been removed by creatures known as the Soulisases, more commonly known as Soul Suckers for their ability to suck a person's mind out and take over their bodies. They use minds as a food source."

"But shouldn't they be physically present to do such a thing?" Alex questioned.

The Doctor nodded and began to pull her down the road. "Exactly. I'm guessing that they've built some kind of machine to amplify their powers so as to remove everyone's mind. They really don't consume so many minds, so they must be invading."

"What for?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Not sure. But it explains one thing though."

"What's that?"

"Those ghosts that were speaking to you? They aren't really ghosts. They're escaped minds. Their physical forms are gone, probably taken not too long ago, and they latched on to you because of your powerful mind and tried to warn me about the invasion."

"So, the people that were possessing me weren't ghosts, just people whose minds were stolen and whose physical forms died?"

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "The one at the Pirates House? Probably a former waiter who did throw that stone at Cassie as a joke. The one at the Sorrel-Weed house? Possibly a tourist. The one at the graveyard? Someone who just recently got killed by the Soul Suckers and who was buried in the area we were at."

Alex nodded. That made sense. But it didn't explain one thing though… "Why aren't we unconscious?" she wondered.

"Powerful minds, Ally. You and I can't be defeated that easily." The Doctor pulled her down some steps to the river. Stepping over a man who was clutching a cell-phone, he added "But the Soulisases will increase the frequency on their device and you and I will be defenseless." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started waving it around, the device beeping until he pointed it towards the water, where it started beeping like crazy.

"We already know their device is in the water," he explained as he pocketed the sonic, "but thanks to the sonic, I now have the exact location. Amazing what you can figure out with it when you know the species and their technology."

"So what do we do now?" Alex asked.

On this, the Doctor's face fell a little. He knew Alex wasn't going to like what he said next. "Ally, the device is underwater. At the moment, it's only stealing the minds of everyone in Savannah, but if its frequency is increased, it will spread across the entire _state_, then the _country_, then the _world_. Also, you and I are at a risk because when the frequency goes up, our minds will go too. Lucky for us, the Soul Suckers have never quite managed to steal minds underwater."

Alex's face fell as she saw where this was going. "So…you're saying that…we have to go _underwater_?!"

"Yes," the Doctor winced. "Believe me Ally, if there was any other way-,"

Alex sighed, cutting him off. "It's fine." Then, much to the Doctor's shock, Alex took off her denim jacket and tossed it to the ground. She set her earrings down on it, followed by her ring, which she eyed before carefully setting it down.

She turned to the Doctor with a critical expression. "Now Doc, unless you want your precious jacket to get all wet, I suggest you take it off."

The Doctor smirked at her and quickly pulled the jacket off, tossing it to the ground next to hers. He looked at her anxiously. "You ready?"

Alex bit her lip nervously, but nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The Doctor smiled in an effort to reassure her. He wouldn't ever make her do this unless it was extremely important. Wanting to reassure her further, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Alex smiled and squeezed it.

The two turned to the river. The boats and cargo ships were still and the sun shined overhead, making the water glisten. The two backed up a few steps before looking at each-other. Silently agreeing, the two took deep breaths, ran forward, and jumped into the river.

* * *

The water was warm but, seeing as it was a river, it was also quite murky. Alex cautiously opened her eyes, struggling to keep them open. Little water bubbles fluttered all around her and dense brown water stretched off into the distance.

Alex strained to hold her breath. She hated this. A lot. Being underwater reminded her of that night. It felt like she was suffocating, like the water was a physical being wrapping a rope around her neck and pulling. She wanted to get out. She wanted to swim upwards and clamber up onto the dock and take a deep breath of fresh air.

Then, Alex felt someone tugging on her hand. Looking over, she saw the Doctor next to her. His eyes were wide open and Alex noticed that he didn't seem to be having any problems being underwater. He motioned downwards and pulled on her hand. He wanted her to follow him. Alex nodded and, still keeping a tight grip on his hand, followed him.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic, which glowed brightly in the murky water. Alex could faintly hear a beeping coming from the device as they delved further downwards. Alex didn't pay much attention to where they were going, concentrating on holding her breath. It wasn't easy. Her lungs burned, craving oxygen, and her body felt heavy and weak. She clutched the Doctor's hand even tighter, knowing that he would never let anything happen to her if he could help it.

The Doctor led her further down until they appeared to be at the very bottom of the river. Nestled into a bunch of compact sand and dirt was a large contraption that didn't look like it belonged there. It was a medium sized steel box, outfitted with a bunch of knobs and dials. One large antenna was sticking out of the device.

The Doctor and Alex hovered over it and Alex looked over at the Doctor. She raised her eyebrows to silently ask _Is that it?_

The Doctor nodded and turned back to the device. He waved the sonic over it. As he was doing this, Alex looked around, trying to resist the urge to open her mouth to relieve the giant burning in her chest. As she looked around, she noticed a long gray hose traveling across the ground to the control box. The hose stretched out into the distance.

_An underground base, perhaps?_ Alex guessed. It wasn't impossible. The Soul Suckers had to have some way of monitoring and controlling their device. She turned back to see that the Doctor had put the sonic away, and was now studying the control box with a thoughtful expression. Alex reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned to her, Alex pointed down at the hose. The Doctor's eyes followed it and his eyes lit up, almost like they were grinning. He tugged on her hand, pulling her along.

The Doctor glanced back at her as they swam along. He was pleased to see that Alex was remaining calm, but her mouth was twitching, aching for some air. Her face was also turning a little blue. The Doctor's brow furrowed. Being a Time Lord, he could use his respiratory bypass system to keep from breathing, but Alex didn't have that.

They had to get done down here. Soon.

They swam along for a few more minutes before happening on a spectacular sight. In front of them was a large rotunda shaped structure that appeared to be made of glass and steel. The hose from the control box connected to the base, but neither saw a way to pull it out.

The Doctor then spotted what appeared to be an entrance to the elaborate base. Tugging Alex along, he swam over to a solid steel door. There was no knob on it or any visible way of opening it. The Doctor pulled his sonic out and flashed it over the door. A moment later, the door opened, water rushing in. The Doctor pulled Alex in, the pair landing on a hard floor. As Alex coughed for breath, the Doctor hurriedly closed the door and fell back onto the floor.

Alex gasped as air flooded her lungs and she coughed and choked from the force of it all. She rolled over, finding herself lying in a puddle on a marble floor. She was wet. That much was painfully obvious. Her clothes were plastered to her body and water-drops dripped off the ends of her hair.

"Ally, are you okay?" the Doctor asked, crawling over to examine her.

Alex nodded and lifted her head to look at him. He was in an identical state. His clothes were plastered to his body, and Alex couldn't help but admire his chest, completely visible thanks to his tight and wet shirt. His hair had been smoothed back and was stuck to his forehead.

_Wow, he's hot when he's wet, _Alex appreciatively thought. Then, startled by what she just thought, she jumped to her feet and looked around. "Where are we?"

The Doctor didn't answer for a moment, too caught up in noticing how much tighter her jeans were now that they were wet. A second later, his brain caught up with what she had asked. "Yes, right!" he exclaimed, bouncing up. "Some kind of control hub, I'm guessing. The Soulisases have to control and monitor their device from somewhere."

Alex looked around. She didn't see any Soulisases. "But where are they?"

Just as she asked this, a klaxon began screeching around them. The Doctor and Alex clutched their ears in pain. "I guess we're about to meet them!" the Doctor shouted over the roar as a steel door on the other side of the room slid up to reveal a bunch of turquoise-skinned aliens.

The Soulisases were, on average, six feet tall with pale turquoise skin. Other than those things, they looked like humans. These aliens, who Alex figured to be guards, wore gold chest plates, white gladiator skirts, gold calf-length boots, and pointy white hats that were at least two feet tall. Alex also noticed that on each alien's arm, there was a white band with a small screen on it. However, this was all Alex got to see before she was roughly grabbed by one of the guards.

"Who are you?!" he demanded, his breath smelling like seawater and some other, strange scent. It smelled like spicy strawberries mixed with something warm, like mustard or sunshine. Based on what Alex knew about their eating habits, she shuddered to think that exotic smell could be human minds. The guard pulled Alex's arm, pulling her out of these thoughts and nearly causing her shoulder to pop. Alex grimaced and tried to shift away, but the guard's grip only grew tighter.

"Let go of her!" the Doctor shouted as he was restrained by another guard. "Don't you touch her!"

The guard ignored him. "Who are you?" he asked again. "How did you get here?"

"We swam," the Doctor stated, as if the guard were completely clueless.

The guard glowered at him. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the Doctor blinked. "Savannah River Task Force, at your service. Anything strange happens in these waters, we're on it."

Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Yeah, they'll believe that!_

Just as she predicted, the guard laughed. "A joker, huh? Well, you won't be laughing for long. We'll let Arrinade deal with you two." The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the name, as if it were familiar to him, but didn't say anything.

The time-travelers were led through a bunch of twisting hallways that all looked identical. Each hallway contained windows looking out into the water, allowing a look at the fish swimming past. Alex couldn't help but feel claustrophobic.

After a good five minutes of walking, the two were led into a large room. Two walls of the room were partially glass and steel, creating huge windows on each wall. Below each window was a pearl-colored wall that matched the two other walls in the room. The floors were marble and gleamed thanks to the water coming through the windows.

Scattered all around the room were a bunch of cables and controls, many of the controls actually resembling the control unit they'd seen outside. Finally, at the head of the room was a brown and royal blue colored throne. Sitting in it was the most official looking Soulisases Alex had seen so far.

The man had the same pale turquoise skin as the others did, but was dressed much differently. He was encased in a swath of blue and gold floor-length medieval-style robes. The toes of his gold boots just barely peeked out. This alien did not wear a hat, showing that he was completely bald. Around his neck was a necklace version of the white wristlets Alex had seen on the guards.

The man stood up as they entered. The Doctor and Alex were shoved into the middle of the room while the guards stepped back, lining up single file along the back wall.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "Arrinade, I presume."

Arrinade nodded. "Yes. I am the leader of the Soulisases."

"I've heard of you," the Doctor revealed. "Mightiest Soulisases in history. Legends say you can suck a person's mind out with only a simple touch." Alex stiffened at that, hoping that Arrinade didn't try that with them.

Arrinade smiled slightly. "So they say, but they are only legends. Stories whispered in the dark to scare the young."

The Doctor smiled slightly. "And now you're on Earth, underwater. Why?"

"I believe I should be the one asking the questions." Arrinade paced in front of them. He seemed calm, but the Doctor knew he was carefully observing them, trying to see what they were capable of. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"Freelancers," the Doctor shrugged. "On holiday actually, until we saw everyone up top fall asleep at the exact same time. Got curious."

"Interesting," Arrinade mused. "The device was designed to capture everyone's mind, yet you two escaped."

"Well, I am a genius," the Doctor replied. Alex rolled her eyes, attracting his attention. "And Ally over there as well! Takes a lot to mess with us."

"Geniuses," Arrinade repeated. "The Soulisases have been lacking geniuses as of late."

"Why's that?" the Doctor asked, figuring it might have something to do with the Soulisases scheme.

Arrinade turned away from them to pace around the room. "Tell me, because I scarcely believe you're human, are you familiar with the last great Time War?"

Alex stiffened and looked over at the Doctor, whose face was purposefully blank. "I've heard of it," the Doctor said slowly.

Arrinade nodded. "I thought so. The Time War affected so many species, not just the ones who were fighting in it. The lower species suffered greatly, especially the Soulisases. Our bodies were horribly damaged, beyond medicinal repair."

Alex looked him up and down. He seemed fine to her. "You seem fine to me," she said.

Arrinade smiled sadly at her. "If only." He reached down and loosened the belt of his robes, allowing them to fall open a little. Alex almost threw up at the sight. Arrinade's chest was almost eaten away. Welts and bruises covered the entire area along with deep scars and, even more disgusting, hanging flesh. The flesh drooped down in little ribbons, exposing pink areas that Alex guessed was muscle.

"Oh my God," Alex gasped. The Doctor reached out and pulled her closer, allowing her to bury her face into his side. His face remained impassive.

Arrinade nodded at her reaction and tied his robes back up. "And that's only the physical deformities."

"Mental deformities as well?" the Doctor guessed.

"Exactly. The Soulisases are a telepathic race. We feel the rest of our species in our minds all the time, like a little buzzing in our head. When the Time War happened, so many of our species was killed in a day. The feeling in our minds, feeling our race dying, it caused so much pain, damaging us."

"And the Soulisases get all their mental energy from the consuming of other minds," the Doctor picked up. "That's why you're here. Not an invasion, but a rescue mission. You believe consuming so many minds, an entire planet's worth, will restore your race."

"That is the plan," Arrinade confirmed.

Alex gaped at him. "But you can't do that! Human minds aren't yours to take!"

"Our race is dying," Arrinade told her. "Each generation is born weaker than the next. All too soon, we will die. If we have to keep feasting on whole planets, then so be it. Minds taste delicious anyway. So rich and full and vast." Alex shuddered to hear him talking about it like that.

Arrinade turned to the Doctor. "And you sir, with your genius mind, can help us. Our machine is still decent, at best. It lacks the ability to increase to a planet-wide frequency. You can help us. Help us and we will provide you and your wife with the riches of the universe, things you could normally only dream of."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, more at Arrinade's offer than him assuming Alex was his wife (though the Doctor wouldn't deny that his hearts sped up at the thought of Alex being his wife). "As tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I have to decline."

Arrinade stared at him. "Really."

"You see Arrinade, you are right about me not being human. I'm not. In fact, I've not only heard of the Time War, but I was right there fighting it, facing demons and horrors every single day."

"Impossible," Arrinade scoffed. "You scarcely look like a Dalek and the Time Lords were wiped out."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow. "Wanna bet?" he asked, his expression turning cold. "I'm the Doctor, last of the Time Lords."

Arrinade looked shocked. He backed up a few paces in what appeared to be sheer horror. "Impossible," he breathed.

The Doctor eased Alex away from his side so he could pull out the sonic. "In fact Arrinade, there was a reason the Time War affected you lot. The one thing the Time Lords and the Daleks agreed on was that the Soulisases were completely dangerous. They knew you would use the war as a way to capture minds and obliterate any species that stood in your way. So, a plan was hatched; destroy or at the very least damage the Soulisases."

Arrinade glowered at him. "You monster!" he shouted.

The Doctor only shrugged. "Perhaps, but I've been called much worse." He lifted up the sonic. "Now Ally, do you know what's so amazing about the telepathic ability of the Soulisases?"

Alex was a little startled at her sudden inclusion to the conversation, if one could really call it that, but decided to answer his question. "Um…they can do things through their telepathic ability?"

"Exactly. The telepathic ability allows several members of a race to control something. They only have to simultaneously concentrate on one thing and BAM! It happens. Need a little help through machinery, but it happens. But, if the machinery was damaged, the effects would go back to the Soulisases, affecting them."

He raised the sonic threateningly at Arrinade. "I'm going to give you a chance. One chance to pack your bags and leave this planet. If you don't…" He trailed off, not really needing to add on to that threat.

Arrinade looked at him for a long moment. Finally, he turned his head to the guards. "Kill them!" he shouted.

The Doctor smiled at him, the expression looking both sad and evil at the same time. "Like I said, one warning." Then, he pressed a button down on the sonic.

Instant chaos erupted. The Soulisases began screaming in agony and clutched their heads in pain. Arrinade was forced onto the ground from the excruciating pressure. As he shook from the pain, the Doctor called out "There was a self-destruct button on your device, I'm assuming to be used in case the device failed to work properly. A few quick alterations and I managed to key in the sonic to remotely activate the button. Since your minds are tied up with the machine by your necklace and the guards' bracelets, it will literally cause you all so much pain, you concentrate on ending it. And you do…by dying."

Alex stared at him. She knew the Doctor didn't want to destroy an entire race, but there was no alternative. Still, she couldn't help but be a little scared by the casual way he was going about this. He was cold and seemed emotionless, but Alex could tell he was very, _very _angry.

Right at that moment, a pipe on one side of the room sparked. The Doctor glanced at it. "Come on, Ally!" he shouted, grabbing Alex's hand to pull her out of the room.

The two raced down the halls, their grip on each-other never loosening. "That device, it was attached to the base!" Alex shouted. "Does that mean this place will-?"

"Explode?" the Doctor cut her off. "Yes! In less than a minute if we don't hurry!"

The Doctor dragged her down the identical hallways and back to the room they had first entered. The Doctor soniced the steel door and it immediately opened, water rushing in. With barely a second thought, Alex jumped in after the Doctor.

Alex would never be able to discern just how long they were in the water, because the time they were in it to the time they pulled themselves up on the dock seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. The Doctor got out first and turned to help her up. Alex sank down onto the ground, heart racing as she breathed deeply, trying to get some oxygen back in her lungs.

It was as she was doing this that the explosion occurred. There was a muffled BOOM, followed by some of the water a little ways out jumping. The Soulisases base had exploded.

"Was that all of them?" Alex asked, rolling onto her back.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not quite. That was only a small tribe of Soulisases. The rest are back on their planet, waiting for this group to give them a food source."

"One they won't get though," Alex pointed out. "But won't they just send another group out to try again?"

The Doctor shook his head again. "If my history is correct – which it is – on their planet, a pathogen is forming in the Soulisases water supply. The Soulisases have never had much luck with water. Just like how they could never figure out how to take a mind underwater, they could never really maintain theirs. That pathogen will turn into a deadly virus, wiping out the whole population in less than a year."

Alex shook her head. "Wow. But, what about everyone here in town? Will their minds be returned?"

The Doctor smiled. "Yes. The machine was only storing minds. Some escaped, latching on to you, and now that the machine is destroyed…" The Doctor trailed off as around them, several people began groaning and getting up. They all looked confused and kept rubbing their heads, jarred by the fact that their mind had temporarily left them.

"Doctor! Alex!" a Scottish voice called. The Doctor and Alex turned to see Amy and Rory rushing down some stairs over to them.

"Why are you two all wet?!" Amy cried as she neared them. She shrugged out of her cardigan and put it over Alex in an attempt to dry her off.

"What the hell happened?!" Rory demanded. "Amy and I woke up with our heads on the table! Why were we unconscious?"

The Doctor and Alex only looked at each-other and burst out laughing, much to the confusion of the Ponds. Boy, had Amy and Rory missed out on a lot.

* * *

"Salut!"

Three glasses of gin and a glass of water clinked together a few hours later. It was a belated birthday dinner for Alex along with a celebratory we-just-defeated-a-bunch-of-evil-aliens feast.

Alex smiled brightly in the setting sun. After she and the Doctor defeated the Soulisases, the two headed back to the TARDIS to shower and change. Much to Alex's shock, the TARDIS had presented her with the very dress she had declared her favorite back when she and the Doctor had been staying at Craig's flat. The dress hovered a few inches above her knees, the silky fabric feeling like heaven against her skin. Even better, there was a small card lying on top of the dress. It read, _Happy birthday, Ally_.

Alex hadn't been able to stop smiling the whole time she was getting ready. She had paired the dress with her new peridot earrings, a silver charm bracelet Marigold had given her for her thirteenth birthday, and a pair of black slingback heels. It was her birthday dinner and she planned on looking fantastic for it.

Now, Alex took a gulp of her gin and tonic, recalling the strange experience of getting carded for the first time after she had been getting alcohol illegally for years. She was going to miss the adrenaline rush that came with doing such a wrong act, but considering the stuff the Doctor was getting her into, she probably wasn't going to go without that rush for very long.

As the group dined, the Doctor and Alex took turns explaining just what transpired between them and the Soulisases, with some minor editing. Neither mentioned the cold, calm, and calculating way the Doctor had dealt with the aliens. It wasn't something that could or should be recounted at such a celebratory event. Amy and Rory expressed regret that they missed everything, Amy even adding that she still couldn't believe Alex had willingly gone into the water.

"Neither can I," Alex laughed as the waiter cleared their plates away. She leaned back in her chair, relaxing after the ordeal of eating a whole steak, medium rare. "God, I don't think I can eat anything ever again!"

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory exchanged diabolical looks. "Really?" Rory questioned.

Alex arched an eyebrow at them and sat back up. "Okay, spill. What are you three up to?"

"Who says we're up to anything?" Amy asked, taking another sip of her drink.

"Don't pull that innocent act on me, Amelia Pond," Alex scolded. "You're _always _up to something."

Just as Alex got finished saying this, their waiter appeared again. "Happy birthday miss," he said as he lowered a large cake onto the table. Alex's jaw dropped. Vanilla icing covered the rectangular shaped cake. Red icing roses had been drawn on all around the edge of the cake and in various places on top. In the center, the message _Happy Birthday Alex! _was written elegantly.

Alex laughed and ran a hand through her hair, not in frustration, but in amazement, shock, and joy. "Oh my God," she gasped. "You guys are spoiling me!"

"It's your birthday, Ally," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "You deserve to be." Alex blushed and turned her focus back on the cake.

"Hope it's the right one," Rory said. "Marble with vanilla right?"

Alex blinked. She'd never told any of them what her favorite cake was. "How did you…?"

Amy smirked. "Grabbed your phone while you were in the bathroom and used it to call Lacey. She told us exactly what to do, followed by the instruction not to sing 'Happy Birthday' because you apparently hate that."

Alex nodded. "She's right." Alex couldn't stand anyone singing 'Happy Birthday' to her. She didn't know why. For some reason, that singing just made her feel embarrassed, and Alex Locke wasn't one who was easily embarrassed.

Amy rolled her eyes. "No offense, but that's so weird."

Alex stuck her tongue out at her. "Shut up and help me cut this."

A/N: SO MCUHE happening in this chapter! And guess what? Only one more to go! In the next chapter, the Doctor will give Alex the birthday present he was making for her at the beginning of this story. Any guesses as to what it might be? :) And who loved Alex's birthday party? Like her, I don't like having 'Happy Birthday' sung to me either. I'm not sure why, just don't.

Some notes on reviews...

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Lol, yes, anything could happen, but sadly, nothing did. Nope, not the Gelth, though that was a good guess. :) Glad you liked Madame Marie! That was the only chapter she appeared in, but I'm pretty sure she'll appear in a future story. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I sympathize with your internet troubles. We get them all the time here. Lol, glad you liked Rory's snoring! :) And I'm glad you liked Marie. That was the only chapter we saw her in for this adventure, but I think she'll make a reappearance in a future story. :)

**rycbar15 **- Thank you! I really hope so! I've got a whole paranormal/romance series outlined, so we'll see! :)

**mayfire21 **- Lol! It'd be pretty cool if Alex had a sixth sense like Haley Joel Osment. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- We found out what happened here in a doozy of a chapter. Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Glad I was able to surprise you with the psychic. :) Yes, what _was _the Doctor doing in the shower so long? :}

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you liked Madame Marie! And yes, a SEQUEL! Still has to be written, but it is outlined and I hope to have it finished by Christmas, if not sooner. :) Yeah, I really don't like graveyards. The idea that I'm walking over dead people is just...*shudders*. I did like Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah though. It is SO beautiful! Lol, I like that part too. If I ever found a man like the Doctor, I'd be one happy girl. :)

**Gwilwillith **- I'm so glad you like them! :)

**jesterlover **- Yep, she got possessed again. But they fixed it here with a little party at the end! So, viva la prinos e Soulisases aka Soul Suckers! :D

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Glad you liked the shower scene and the breakfast scene. Super cute moments. :) Oh yeah, she kinda is like her! I never realized that! I was basing Marie more on Whoopi Goldberg's portrayal of the psychic in 'Ghost'. :) And poor Alex, having to go into the water. :( Yeah, she won't be happy in 'The Curse of the Black Spot' with all that water lying around.

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	67. Alex's Birthday Part 6

"I'm exhausted," Amy proclaimed as the group stepped back into the TARDIS.

"Yes, being unconscious for most of the day is very tiring," Alex dryly retorted.

Amy stuck her tongue out at her. "Shut up," she smirked. "I'm off to bed." She sashayed towards the staircase while the Doctor, Alex, and Rory lounged by the console. Halfway up, she called over her shoulder "Mr. Pond!"

Rory jumped. "Coming!" he called. He hugged Alex real quickly, murmuring in her ear "Happy birthday," before rushing up after his wife.

Alex laughed at the two. "Well, I think I'm going to follow their lead. I'm pretty tired too."

"Hold on just a second, Ally," the Doctor requested.

Alex nodded and stepped closer to him. "What's up, Doc?"

"Close your eyes," he instructed.

Alex frowned, thinking that a little strange, but obliged. "Okay." She closed her eyes and giggled nervously. What was he doing?

The Doctor sensed her nerves and chuckled. "Relax," he soothed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box. "It's just your birthday present."

Alex's eyebrows shot up. "A present?" she repeated. "Doctor, you didn't have to get me anything! The trip to Savannah was more than enough!"

"Ally, that trip didn't exactly go as planned."

"Since when does anything with you?" Alex laughed. She bounced on her heels a little. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"You've very impatient," the Doctor observed and he laughed heartily when Alex stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, okay, you can open them."

Alex's eyes fluttered open and flew down to the jewelry box in his hand. For a split second, her heart stopped beating. Was it…an engagement ring? No, that couldn't be it! They weren't even dating! Far from it, actually. "What is it?" she breathed, hoping her voice didn't give away the nervousness and excitement that she felt.

Without a word, the Doctor flicked open the clasp. There wasn't a ring inside, but that didn't matter. The contents more than made up for it. Inside, nestled on a tiny pillow of white satin, was the most gorgeous necklace she'd ever seen. A thin silver chain attached to a charm nearly the size of a baby's fist. The charm was the police-box exterior of the TARDIS. Brilliant blue sapphires made up the wood, tiny white diamonds and black onyx made up the signs, and at the very top, a topaz acted as the light-bulb.

The Doctor breathed nervously. If Alex didn't like this necklace, he wasn't sure what he would do. "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Alex squealed. "It's beautiful!" She reached out to carefully run a finger over the gemstones. "Where in the world did you get it?"

"Actually…I made it. I got the jewels from a planet whose inhabitants owed me a favor."

Alex looked up at him. "You made this just for me?"

He smiled at her. "Don't be so surprised, Ally. I'd do anything for you." And it was the truth. He would do anything for Alex. He'd never felt this way towards a companion before. _Whipped_, Jack would call it, and maybe that was true. But whipped or not, he knew he didn't ever want this feeling to go away. "Would you like me to put it on you?"

Alex nodded eagerly. "Yes!" She turned around and lifted her hair. The Doctor pulled the necklace out, setting the box between some levers on the console. He unclipped the clasp and put his arms over Alex's head to pull the necklace around her neck. Alex reached up to touch the charm as he did the clasp, his fingers tingling as he touched her bare neck.

Alex smiled widely. The charm rested just an inch below her collarbone, the perfect length. She could take the necklace off without undoing the clasp. Not that she was going to be taking it off anytime soon. In fact, Alex had the suspicion that she would never remove the necklace at all. She'd have to be buried in it.

She turned around to face the Doctor. "Thank you," she beamed. "I love it. It's so beautiful."

He smiled, pleased that she liked his gift. "I'm glad to hear that, Ally. It's really special."

Alex ran her fingertips over the gemstones as she looked at him. God, this man was amazing. He was so thoughtful, caring, determined, headstrong, brilliant, a little bit – okay, a _lot_ – mad, and he was so handsome. She was continually awed by the things he did and how much he cared for her. No other guy she knew, not even Ross, cared for her the way the Doctor did. And Alex cared for him in the same way. She wouldn't hesitate to jump in and try to save him if something happened to him. She was always by his side, helping and figuring things out and making him smile in the toughest moments. God, she loved this man and-

Wait. Did she just think…she _loved _this man?

Alex swallowed. Oh God. It was true. She loved the Doctor, loved as in rom-com movies, Valentine's Day cards, passion, trust, security, and just generally being with _him_. She had never felt so strongly before. This wasn't some high-school crush or infatuation that was over in a few weeks. This was real, honest love, the kind of love that she never imagined herself being in. Not until the Doctor came along and made her world topsy-turvy.

But…he could never love her back. Maybe he did love her, but he'd never admit it. He was a centuries old human and she was a simple human. She would never live as long as he did. She was practically a baby compared to him. She could spend the rest of her life with him, but how would that be, her growing older with each passing day as he stayed eternally young?

The Doctor and Alex. Star-crossed lovers. People could write weepy songs about them and figure out verses that rhymed with 'the next Romeo and Juliet'.

She couldn't say anything. She just couldn't. It would hurt too much if he rebuffed her or told her he loved her as well, but they could never be together. She didn't know which one was more painful.

Swallowing again in an effort to calm down, Alex spoke. "Thanks again for Savannah, the necklace, everything. Best birthday ever." And it was. It was the best birthday. None of her Bristol celebrations or her elaborate NYC parties or any birthday after this could top her 21st.

Alex stood up on tip-toe to kiss him on the cheek, the action seeming sad somehow. Alex pulled back, not even seeing that his eyes were blissfully closed. "I'm off to bed," she murmured before turning on her heel and rushing up the stairs.

As soon as she was out of sight, the Doctor leaned back against the console. Alex's kiss had left him craving more. He wanted to plant his hands on her hips and draw her in closer as he kissed her till they were both reduced to gasping need-breath-now states. But he couldn't. It wouldn't be right to either to them.

At least he had given her the necklace. As he was trying to think of a good present for her aside from a trip to Savannah, River's Library words came flooding back to him "_...God knows Alex never would've given me that necklace of hers._" It all came together rather easily after that.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and pressed a button, making it light up and give off its familiar buzzing. Yes, Alex had no idea how truly special her necklace was.

* * *

The next morning, Rory and Amy were having breakfast in the kitchen. They were chatting and laughing as young couples do, when Alex walked in. Their eyes traveled over to her, mouths open to include her in the conversation, but they fell silent.

Alex didn't notice, instead reaching up on tiptoe to grab a pan from one of the cabinets. She was determined to make eggs sunny-side up today. She loved them and she was sure that she could conquer them if she tried hard enough. She had conquered Algebra II and the volleyball unit in ninth grade gym the same way.

"Morning Ponds!" she said cheerfully, trying to hide the upset she felt in her heart at realizing she loved the Doctor but could never have him. "Hope you're feeling really hungry because I'm determined to make eggs sunny-side up the _right _way…"

Her voice trailed off when she noticed neither Pond was talking. She turned to see their stunned expressions. Alex frowned at them and looked down to examine her outfit. She was wearing a sleeveless Union Jack shirt, jean shorts, red Converse, and her regular hoop earrings.

She looked back up and shook her head. "Jesus, what is wrong with you two?"

"Alex," Amy said slowly. "What is that around your neck?"

Alex looked down again to see her TARDIS necklace around her neck. Oh yeah. She hadn't removed it from her neck ever since it had been put on, not even when she took a one minute shower this morning, carefully avoiding the sharp spray to keep it from getting wet. "Oh, yeah. This is my birthday present from the Doctor."

Amy jumped up and practically threw herself over the table. She reached out and carefully fingered the charm as if it were made of glass. "He gave you this?" she said, staring at the gemstones in amazement.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Gorgeous," Amy corrected. She squinted at the gems. "Are they real?"

Alex again nodded. "Yep. Sapphires, diamonds, onyx, and one topaz."

Rory got up as well to examine the new hunk of jewelry wrapped around Alex's throat. "Alex, this has to be worth thousands, maybe millions."

Alex shrugged. She wasn't too concerned about that. "I guess. You're not suggesting I sell it are you?"

"No!" Rory protested. "It's just…it's pretty big that he gave you something like this."

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "No offense husband of mine, but no guy does that for just any girl." She smiled wistfully. "The Doctor must really love you."

Alex was reminded of her realization last night and how it was both wonderful and depressing. "No," she said, shaking her head and turning around to face the stove. "He doesn't love me. It's just a birthday present. Don't read so much into it. Now, how would you like your eggs?"

* * *

"Trust me Ally, you're going to _love _Arcateen V!" the Doctor exclaimed as he and Alex walked through the corridors to the console room. "They have Butterfly People, you know."

That stopped Alex in her tracks. "Wait, actual butterfly people, like humans with wings on their backs?"

The Doctor grinned. "Have I impressed you yet, Ally Locke?"

Alex matched his grin with equal ferocity. "You keep on doing it every single day, Doc," she revealed as the two headed down another corridor and moved down the stairs into the console room. However, upon reaching the final step, they came to a sudden halt as they saw the sight before them.

Amy and Rory were in there and were making out rather passionately against the console. Amy was pressed up against it, practically bending backwards, not even seeming to notice that a lever was pressing into her back. Rory's arms were wrapped around her waist and his knee was comfortingly resting in between her legs. Frankly, it was a bit uncomfortable to watch. And that was before Rory's hand started making its way up Amy's shirt.

The Doctor acted fast. "No snogging against the console!" he shouted, causing the Ponds to spring apart and whirl around.

"Doctor!" Amy cried as she hastened to smooth down her top. She ran a hand through her hair, though whether it was to adjust it or because she was nervous, Alex didn't know. Both Ponds had identical guilty and mortified looks on their faces and could barely look the Doctor and Alex in the eye.

The Doctor sighed. After that little incident with Rory looking up Amy's skirt and dropping a thermal coupling, he should've seen this coming. "Right!" he cried, darting to the console, briefly pausing to make sure the couple hadn't damaged anything in their making out. "Forget Arcateen V! In fact, I think it's time for a little break."

"What?!" Amy shrieked. Just because he caught her making out with her husband against his precious console, he was sending her home?

"Not like that," Alex hastened to assure her. "I think what he means is that you and Rory here need a honeymoon. You haven't had one yet."

"Exactly!" the Doctor confirmed.

Rory nodded, running their words through his head. "A honeymoon would be nice," he mused.

Alex smirked at him. "Rory, behave!" she mock-scolded, giggling a little when Rory rolled his eyes at her. She turned to the Doctor, not seeing him tense slightly at her giggling because of something Rory had done and not him. "What about me, Doc? You and me and the open road?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "Actually Ally, when we called Lacey, she mentioned she and Marigold wanted to see you. Extra birthday stuff, I imagine."

Alex nodded. Though she really wanted to travel with the Doctor, she was always game for seeing Lacey and Marigold. "Sounds like a plan, Doc," she agreed.

The Doctor nodded and pulled on a lever. "Okay everyone, hold on tight!" With that, the TARDIS was hurdling through the time-vortex as everyone inside held on to something, ready for a little reprieve from running and fighting aliens.

A/N: AHH! He gave her a sonic necklace! She realized she loves him! Aren't you all excited? :) Okay, I'm going to keep this pretty short, because I have to type this for the second time after accidentally hitting the backspace button and I'm really not feeling well right now.

Notes on reviews...

**Neko 97 **- I love those parts too. They're so sweet and fluffy! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Glad you liked the chapter and the species. :) Lol, Marie's hat was pretty cool, wasn't it? :) Ugh, I know! I hate when people sing 'Happy Birthday' to me. People at my school have recently started singing it to their friends in the cafeteria at lunch over the sound system. It's torture, for the people getting sung to and those of us who have to listen to the person literally screaming into the microphone.

**TheUltimateGuest - **Yeah, those scenes are pretty similar. I love writing Dark Doctor. It's an interesting dynamic to play with, especially with Alex there. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Yeah, aliens who can eat your mind are really, really creepy. :) And you were right! She got a sonic necklace! Don't you love when that happens? :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thanks! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you liked the aliens! And we found out her present here! Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**rycbar15 **- I am, aren't i? :} I haven't thought about putting this on wattpad, but I'll definitely consider it. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Yes, that part was pretty cute...and steamy, lol. :)

**jesterlover **- I love cake too. Happy almost-birthday! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yeah, you would've expected her to have a full-on freak-out right? :) Yes, I made up the Soulisases. :) Oh, I've seen those! I'm not really into action-figures, but I do have a mini TARDIS that makes the materialization noise, so that's something. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Yeah, the name is weird. It was the first one that popped into my head and I couldn't think of anything else. :) And we found out what he got her in this chapter! Glad you liked the chapter! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	68. Death of the Doctor Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who, the Sarah-Jane Adventures, or Torchwood. I only own Alex.

"Thanks Alex!" Lacey beamed as she held her new bottle-cap earrings out in front of her. "They're gorgeous!"

Alex smiled and absently fingered her necklace. She had been meaning to find a time to give Lacey the earrings she had gotten her in Rio and her visit was the perfect opportunity.

Marigold smiled from her place in a well-worn chair. She, Alex, and Lacey were currently in one of the sitting rooms of her house. This room was a cozy affair, completely contrasting with the elegance of the rest of the house. The majority of the house had even vacuum marks on the carpet and matching furniture. This room contained Marigold's sewing basket and the fireplace Lacey had once gotten her head stuck in when she looked up it one Christmas Eve, trying to see Santa coming down. Now, Marigold lifted a tea-cup to her lips. "How long are you staying dear?" she inquired.

Alex shrugged. "A few days, according to the Doctor. Amy and Rory are on their honeymoon."

"Where are they?" Lacey asked as she admired her new earrings in the mirror above the organ that Alex couldn't remember anyone ever playing.

"A honeymoon planet, or that's what the Doctor said. I'm not really sure how it works."

Marigold wrinkled her nose in confusion, but decided to let it go. "I still can't believe you're twenty-one," she sighed. "Seems like just yesterday you were that little girl I took home with me from school."

Alex laughed. "Oh, elementary school. How I miss it."

"Yeah," Lacey snorted. "No gossiping girls, unless you count the talk of who got what new Barbie."

"No evil algebra teachers," Alex added.

"No freaking volleyball units in P.E."

"Though we did play prison dodgeball," Alex recalled.

Lacey shuddered. "Oh God, don't remind me. I still have nightmares of Trevor Hargis hitting me in the head with one of those things. The only bright spot in that class was when I sat out for two weeks when I got stiches in the back of the head from being hit with that ball."

Alex snickered, remembering the seven and a half stitches Lacey had worn around in fourth grade. "It took forever for your beautiful blonde hair to grow back."

Lacey stuck her tongue out at her and turned back to the mirror. Alex leaned back against the couch and just as she was debating whether or not to eat another slice of the leftover birthday cake she'd brought along, Marigold's voice rang out. "Damn!" she muttered, examining her Blackberry with the same confounded expression one usually gave a calculus textbook.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"It's this phone," Marigold explained. "I can't get my email on it."

Alex sighed and pushed herself up. Marigold, as great as she was, had zero technological ability. "Here, let me see it," she said, grabbing the phone before Marigold had a chance to say no.

Marigold looked up at her as Alex fiddled with the phone. "Well? What's wrong?"

"Christ, this is harder than it looks," Alex muttered, one hand absently reaching up to fiddle with the TARDIS charm on her necklace. She thought about the various ways to fix the phone. Too bad she couldn't just run the Doctor's sonic over it and fix it…

Right as she thought that, the topaz in her necklace lit up, emitting a very familiar buzzing. All of a sudden, Marigold's email was fixed.

Alex jumped at the sound and probably would've dropped the cell-phone had Marigold not immediately grabbed it. There was silence in the room as each person tried to process what had just happened. Finally, Lacey spoke. "Alex, did your necklace just…?"

"Yeah," Alex breathed. She ran her thumb over the jewels. No, it couldn't be. The Doctor would never give her such a thing.

Alex slowly walked over to stand in the middle of the room. She looked up at the ceiling fan, the lights and blades currently off. "I'm going to try something," she announced. Without another word, she lifted the charm up off her neck, holding it steady with one hand. She aimed it towards the ceiling fan, concentrating on turning it on. A second later, the necklace buzzed and lit up and a second after that, the lights came up and the blades started turning.

Marigold and Lacey's jaws dropped. "Oh my Lord," Marigold murmured.

Lacey grinned at Alex. "Wow, you really lucked out this year!"

Alex smiled slightly before lifting the charm up so she could study it. "It's a sonic necklace," she breathed, her face lighting up into a grin at the thought that the Doctor had given her a sonic device.

But before she could get really excited about her amazing new birthday present, a bunch of sirens started ringing out and the topaz on her necklace began glowing brightly, as if in warning. "It's not storm sirens," Marigold said, getting up from her chair. Alex didn't hear her, instead choosing to rush out of the room, down the hallway, and out the front door.

Alex rushed down the porch steps, closely followed by Marigold and Lacey. She stared at the scene before her. A bunch of black cars were zooming up the driveway, sirens blazing. The second they stopped, a bunch of soldiers in black tactical outfits and red berets leaped out, all carrying loaded guns.

"What the hell?" Marigold cried, stepping forward next to Alex. She held up her hand in a warning gesture as the soldiers got closer. "Stop right there! What is the meaning of this? This is private property!"

As Marigold was ordering the soldiers to cease and desist, Alex watched as another car rolled up and a young Indian woman stepped out. She was rather pretty with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and blazing, almost calculating, eyes. She was dressed just like the soldiers, only with a black military coat instead of a tactical suit. She approached the group, hands behind her back, her heels clicking against the concrete driveway.

"Is this the residence of Marigold Aurora Abernathy?" she asked, her voice revealing she was British.

"Yes," Marigold confirmed, crossing her arms. "Now what in the world is going on here? Who are you?"

"My name is Colonel Tia Karim, representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. I'm sorry, Ms. Abernathy, but we've actually come looking for Alexandria Locke. This is the address we were given on where to find her."

_UNIT, _Alex thought, remembering what the Doctor had told her about the alien organization. "That's me," she said crisply, stepping forward. She crossed her arms, hoping her sonic necklace was hidden under the collar of her white t-shirt. She had the feeling she shouldn't let it be seen unless she really needed to use it. "What's this about?"

Colonel Karim looked over at Lacey and Marigold. "I'm sorry, but if we could speak in private…" She moved a step closer but Alex held her hand up to stop her.

"No, you tell me right here, right now why you're here," she ordered.

Colonel Karim sighed and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but it's my solemn duty to inform you that your friend, the Doctor, is dead."

"Oh my God," Marigold gasped. Lacey was silent, instead watching Alex for some sort of outburst.

Alex blinked, sure she had heard that last word wrong. No, that was impossible. It was the DOCTOR, for crying out loud! "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, he can't be. That's impossible."

Colonel Karim sighed again, as if she had expected this sort of reaction. "Last Sunday, at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth and scientists have checked the DNA results and it's definitely him." Alex stayed silent, trying to keep the sudden flurry of emotions in her under control. Sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, nerves, there was too much too soon.

She was barely aware of the Colonel still talking. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Locke. Sorry for the whole wide world because…he's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's dead."

_Stop saying that! _Alex mentally screamed. She wanted to scream it out loud at the Colonel, who seemed way too calm about this. She wanted to break down sobbing because the man she loved was dead and she had never told him. She wanted to scream and cry and curse whatever had crossed that man because he was dead.

The horrible truth sunk into Alex's mind. The Doctor was dead.

* * *

"How did this happen?" Alex demanded as she paced around the sitting room a few minutes later. She ran a hand through her hair, trying not to think about all the times the Doctor would twirl a lock around his fingers or how he would lightly whack the back of her head whenever she did something that annoyed or angered him.

Lacey sat on the arm of an easy chair next to Marigold, watching her best friend worriedly. In the span of a few minutes, Alex had gone from light and carefree to distraught and anxious. She looked on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Her simple white shirt, ripped jeans, rope bracelets, and bottle-cap earrings looked too light and innocent for the dark mood that had permeated the room upon UNIT's arrival.

Colonel Karim stood in the center of the room, her eyes following Alex's every movement. "The Doctor was found 10,000 light years away by a race called the Shansheeth. They sent us this." She reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a triangular shaped stone with funny markings on it. Alex ceased her pacing and cautiously reached out to take it.

"It's called an epitah stone," the Colonel explained. "It's a recording device equivalent to a death notice. The Shansheeth are what you might call…intergalactic undertakers."

Alex frowned at her. "Never heard of them," she coldly retorted. Granted, she knew there were alien life-forms out there she'd never heard of, but intergalactic undertakers was stretching it.

Colonel Karim smiled sadly at her. "I can assure you, Miss Locke, they're quite real."

Alex ignored her, instead concentrating on the stone in her hands. "How exactly are we supposed to play this?" she demanded. "Not exactly going to fit in a VCR, now will it?"

"Alex, use your necklace," Lacey suggested. She flinched slightly when Alex looked over at her, eyes narrowed and cold, clearly trying to hide the turmoil of emotions she felt. For a moment, she thought Alex wasn't going to do it, but then she placed the epitah stone down on the coffee table, lifted up her necklace charm, and aimed it at the stone.

The necklace buzzed and a second later, a hologram of one of the Shansheeth appeared. Alex raised her eyebrows upon seeing it. The Shansheeth looked like giant ostriches with big wings on their backs, covered in purple cloth.

"_I bring condolences from the claw Shansheeth of the 15__th__ Funeral Fleet on this terrible day_," it said. "_The Shansheeth had journeyed to the wastelands of the Crimson Heart whereupon we found the body of the last Time Lord. Witnesses say that he perished saving the lives of 500 children from the Scarlet Monstrosity._" Alex sniffled a little bit. That certainly sounded like the Doctor.

"_The Doctor's home world is long since lost, but legends talk of his love for the Earth. Therefore, the Shansheeth will return the Doctor to the Earth and the human race. Oh, weep for him, peoples of the Earth. Mourn his loss, for the universe feels darker tonight._" And with that, the hologram ended and went off.

Alex lowered her necklace, her eyes fixed on the ground. She stood still as the Colonel began talking again. "UNIT will take charge of the funeral in conjunction with the Shansheeth. We'll be using UNIT Base 5, situated inside Mount Snowdon. We can arrange transport and accommodation for you."

"Thank you," Alex said, her voice back to the one Lacey recognized from high-school; distant, cold, unemotional. Hiding behind several thick walls so no one would see how fragile and human she really was.

"Then you'll come?"

Alex raised her head, exposing her brilliant hazel eyes. In an instant, they switched from innocent light green to the Doctor's dark green ones. "Oh absolutely," she promised, a newfound determination in her voice. "_Nothing _will make me miss this."

* * *

Several hours later, Lacey climbed the steps to the second floor of her house. After UNIT left, Alex had disappeared. She had simply gone up the steps and no one had seen her since. She hadn't come down for dinner and her food had been sent back mostly untouched. Lacey and Marigold were getting really worried. They both knew the Doctor had been the center of Alex's universe for the last several months. Now that he was gone…there was no telling how she would react.

Lacey shook her head to keep the dark thoughts from settling in. For God's sake, Alex wasn't suicidal. Far from it, actually. Not even those horrible years with Carla could damage her.

Lacey approached Alex's door and knocked lightly. No answer. She grabbed the knob and turned it. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the glow of the full moon through the open window. Alex's suitcase lay near the bed, the top partially unzipped. A bunch of makeup was sitting on the desk next to Alex's old books. It appeared to Lacey like some of the makeup had been thrown around in frustration, as a glob of mascara was decorating part of the wall while a small pile of blush was on the floor next to the window. Finally, on the bed, was a curled up Alex. Her back was to the door and she was crying softly into a pillow.

Lacey felt her heart rip at the sight of her friend's pain. "Alex," she breathed, cringing as her friend's sobs grew louder. Without a second thought, she crawled up onto the bed next to her friend, placing a hand on her back.

Alex's sobs grew louder. "Why, Lace?" she mumbled into the pillow. "Why did this have to happen? _Why?_"

Lacey didn't know what to say so she started rubbing Alex's back the same way Marigold used to do to her at night to get her to fall asleep after she had a nightmare. After a few moments, Alex's sobbing had declined into quiet sniffles.

Suddenly, Alex sat up, startling Lacey. "Oh God," Alex breathed, furiously wiping the wetness from her cheeks until her skin was red. "Amy and Rory."

Lacey's brow furrowed. "What about them?"

Alex turned to give her a condescending look. "They're on a honeymoon _planet_. Now that the Doctor's…" She trailed off, unable to say the word. "…well, there's no way of getting to them."

"Not necessarily," Lacey argued. "What was that thing you told me River Song had? Um…a vortex module?"

"Vortex _manipulator_," Alex corrected. "And yes, I could do that, but I have no idea where River is when she isn't fawning all over the Doctor." That was a lie since Alex knew River was in prison, but she had no idea where her prison was or how to get to it. Also, she didn't want Lacey to panic. She would, especially if Alex told her that River was in prison for killing a man, quite possibly the Doctor, and for attempting to kill someone else.

Alex bit her lip to keep from crying more. Amy and Rory were stuck on a planet somewhere, blissfully unaware of the Doctor's death, and would probably live their lives thinking he had forgotten them or that the TARDIS had landed wrong. Then, another thought occurred to her. "I wonder if anyone else knows," she mused.

"What?" Lacey frowned.

"The Doctor's other friends. He told me about some of them. Ben, Polly, Ace, Tegan, Martha, Mickey, Sarah-Jane, and someone named Jack Harkness." Alex had had to pry information about this last person out of the Doctor. As it turned out, Jack was the friend that ran Torchwood Three in Cardiff. The Doctor had also revealed that he was immortal, accidentally made that way when Rose Tyler took in the heart of the TARDIS to save him from the Daleks. Jack had been killed by the Daleks and Rose had brought him back to life…a little too well, as it turned out.

"I wonder if they know," Alex murmured.

"Well, they're the Doctor's friends," Lacey surmised. "UNIT had to have told them, right?"

Alex didn't answer, her brain starting to digest some things that the active part of her mind hadn't noticed during her grieving. Colonel Karim seemed too calm about the Doctor's death. Granted, she probably didn't know him personally, but it was still a little weird. There was also no mention of contacting the Doctor's former companions and no mention of Amy and Rory. If Alex was known to UNIT, Amy and Rory should also be on their radar but…no mention.

Also, Alex wasn't sure if the Doctor was dead or not. She knew that the psychologists would call that the first step in a five-stage grieving process, but she just had the feeling that that wasn't it. Ever since she met the Doctor, Alex had reacted crazily around him. Her heart would speed up when she got closer to him, her back would tingle whenever he reached for her, etc. If that was how she reacted when the Doctor was alive, how would she react when the Doctor died? Alex envisioned a tremor of pain running through her body, spontaneously bursting into tears, something that would let her know even without being beside him that he was dead.

But she hadn't felt any of those things. What if he wasn't dead? What if he was still alive?

Reenergized by these thoughts, Alex immediately voiced them to Lacey. She could tell that Lacey was rather reluctant to agree with her, but Alex didn't care. The _slim _possibility that the Doctor was alive was enough to restore her to the state she had been in this morning.

"He has to be alive, Lacey," she said. "He just _has _to be. Because…I love him."

Lacey's eyes widened. Alex had said she loved a lot of guys, but Lacey had never really believed it. Not until the Doctor came along. Looking into her friend's eyes now, Lacey could see just how much Alex meant it. "Oh, Alex," she breathed.

Alex nodded, some tears pooling up in her eyes. "I realized it just after he gave me this necklace. I love him so much Lacey. I love him so much it feels like my heart is going to break out of my chest. I love him so much that it hurts, it _physically hurts_ whenever I hear about one of his old liaisons. The thought of him being with someone else just makes my skin crawl." A few tears escaped Alex's eyes and ran down her cheek. Alex was too caught up in her emotions to wipe them away. "I've never felt this way before and I won't deny that it scares me. I'm scared that if I tell him he'll push me away because I'm human and he's not. I'm also scared that he doesn't have feelings for me, even though he acts like he does all the time. He's always paying attention to me, catering to my every whim, and when I get really upset, he tries his hardest to make me smile and laugh again."

Alex took a deep breath, shuddering slightly. "Even if he doesn't love me…I'll still want to stay with him. I love all the traveling that we do, making a difference somewhere, seeing things I've never thought possible. And the thing is…I don't think I can live without him. I don't _want _to live without him." Alex titled her head back and looked up at the ceiling. "God, that alien has got me absolutely devoted to him. Who would've thought?"

Lacey smiled. "That's good, Alex. I've never seen you so happy until the Doctor came into your life. Up until that point, you've been so guarded, so distant. You don't want anyone getting close to you because if they do, they can hurt you, just like Carla. But the Doctor isn't like that. I know he's not. And if he is alive…you should go after him with all your heart."

Alex smiled. She knew her situation with the Doctor wasn't as easy as Lacey thought. Still, she knew she had to find the Doctor. But where to start? She was going to the funeral, that much was a given. But she couldn't wait the couple days it would take UNIT to arrive. Therefore, she had to get started. Now.

Alex thought for a moment when an idea occurred to her. She jumped off the bed and dove down to the floor to dig through her suitcase. She pulled out her laptop and scrambled back up on the bed. She opened it up and turned it on. Alex hastily typed in her password (she had changed it from _basketball _to _TARDIS_) and once it was on, opened an internet browser and typed a word in Google search.

Lacey peered over her shoulder and frowned. "Torchwood?" she said, staring at the word.

"Friends of the Doctor," Alex explained. "I want to see if they know about his death." Right then, the search results popped up. Much to the girls' shock, there was not one reference to Torchwood.

Alex frowned. "That cannot be right."

"Try it again," Lacey suggested. Alex did this, but still nothing. It was like Torchwood didn't even exist.

"I don't understand it," Alex said, shaking her head. "The Doctor told me that Torchwood One was behind the Battle of Canary Wharf."

Lacey's eyes widened. "Alex! That battle killed so many people, including Ross's step-cousin! What was her name? It was some flower name. Daisy? Violet? Lily? No, wait! It was R-o-,"

"Anyway," Alex interrupted, ignoring Lacey. Had she been paying attention, she might've been surprised to learn that the Doctor's one-time love was Ross's step-cousin.

Lacey blushed. "Sorry. But why would you want to deal with the people responsible for such destruction?"

"That was Torchwood _One_, Lace," Alex explained. "It was shut down after the battle. Torchwood Three is completely different. It was built in the Doctor's name."

Lacey nodded, understanding this. "Okay, but how are we going to find them? It doesn't look like they like to be advertised."

"We can't jump on a plane to Cardiff," Alex said, thinking it over. She reached up to fiddle with her necklace. Then, an idea came to her. She looked down at her necklace, then at the computer, then back to her necklace. She grinned, jumped up, and carried her computer over to the desk. "Lacey, I think I'm a genius!" she declared, brushing cosmic paraphernalia to the outer edges of the desk.

"'Think' isn't the word I'd use," Lacey chuckled, crawling off the bed to join her friend. "What are you up to?"

"This necklace is sonic. I've seen the Doctor work on computers with the sonic screwdriver. A sonic necklace should be no different."

Lacey frowned. "Sorry. Not following."

Alex sighed. "My guess is that Torchwood somehow erased any mention of themselves from the internet. But, an alien organization like Torchwood has to have sophisticated equipment. All I have to do is access it."

"You're going to do that through the internet?"

Alex smiled and lifted her TARDIS charm up to the computer screen. "It's like web-cam Lacey," she said as she buzzed the device over the screen. Hundreds of symbols ran down the screen, windows opening and closing at rapid-fire speed. A moment later, a string of symbols appeared across the screen, followed by ACCESS GRANTED. "All you have to do is get the address."

A moment later, the screen shifted to show an image inside some kind of base. Sophisticated, futuristic equipment was spread out around a room made up of gray stone and metal. Desks were cluttered with papers and old coffee mugs. However, no people could be seen anywhere.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home," Lacey commented.

But then a bunch of alarms inside Torchwood started blaring, red lights shining as an electronic voice blared "_INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! COMPUTERS HACKED!_" Then, a male voice joined the chaos. "Tosh! Turn these alarms off and figure out what's going on! I want to know who hacked our systems and why!"

Alex turned to give Lacey a mischievous smirk. "Wanna bet?"

* * *

Was a nice, easy, peaceful day really too much to ask? It certainly appeared to be, in Jack Harkness's opinion.

He and the team had just gotten another Weevil after two days of running down alleys after it and, in some cases, being chased down alleys _by _the Weevil. But they had finally subdued the Weevil and put it in one of their cells. He and his team had just sat down for a celebratory Chinese take-out dinner. Jack had been looking forward to hanging out and relaxing with his team and later trying out something new with Ianto in bed – thank you _Cosmo_ – but now, they just _had _to have a computer hacker.

Jack was in the midst of recounting some experience in the 20th century that involved a flamingo, a Sontaran, a partially constructed vortex manipulator, and him being naked for some reason, when the alarms started going off. "_INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! COMPUTERS HACKED!_"

"Oh, come on," Owen groaned.

Jack jumped to his feet, his chair toppling to the floor. As he marched out the door, he called over his shoulder "Tosh! Turn these alarms off and figure out what's going on! I want to know who hacked our systems and why!"

Tosh, their computer expert, hastened to get on it. She rushed out the door after Jack and hurried to one of the workstations where a bank of computers sat. A few quick keystrokes and the alarms were off, the red lights disappearing as well.

"Oh, good," Gwen sighed as she came in, removing her hands from her ears. "I can hear again."

"We really need to rethink our security system," Ianto muttered just behind her.

"Think I've gone deaf!" Owen shouted, coming in with a hand clutched to his ear. "I'm falling apart in my old age."

Jack attempted to crack a smile, but it didn't work. Owen had been left in a living undead state for several months now and so far, there didn't seem to be any way of getting him out of it. The poor guy was unable to eat, drink, enjoy sex, or hear his heartbeat. Worst and most frightening of all, he couldn't heal from wounds. Lucky for them, other than a few paper-cuts and a bruise on his knee from chasing an alien, Owen was uninjured. Thank God or whatever deity was out there that Gray hadn't managed to harm him on his revenge tirade two months back.

"What's up, Tosh?" Jack asked, turning his focus back on the matter at hand.

"Something's hacked our systems," Tosh explained, typing away at the computer. "Some weird kind of technology. It basically used the internet to get our IP address and then undid the firewalls surrounding the mainframe."

Gwen frowned. "Well, have they taken anything? Have they hacked our files?"

Tosh continued to type for a moment before shaking her head, looking a little surprised. "Actually…no, they haven't. They just wanted to-,"

"Get into your computer!" a new voice called out. "Sorry about that, but it's not like you lot have a phone number."

The team whirled around, Gwen automatically grabbing her gun and aiming it out in front of her. Across the room on a computer screen was the live image of a young woman who looked to be in her late teens to early twenties. She had long light brown hair with blonde highlights, making the hair look almost blonde. Her eyes were a sparkling hazel. She was in a dark room somewhere, the light of her computer showing that she had on a white shirt and what looked like a necklace, though only the metal chain was visible.

Jack approached the screen, the others following behind him. "Who are you?" Jack demanded, crossing his arms. "And how did you hack into our computers?"

"I didn't damage anything, did I?" the girl asked. To Jack's surprise, she actually looked worried. "I just got this thing and I'm still figuring out how to use it." She fingered the charm on the end of her necklace, which was still out of camera range.

The whole Torchwood team raised their eyebrows. A hacker actually worrying if she damaged any of their files or systems? That was a first. "No," Tosh assured her. For some reason, she didn't feel like this girl was a threat. She actually seemed…nice. "Just broke past our firewall."

The girl let out a relieved sigh. "Oh good! I know Torchwood needs those systems."

Jack studied the girl. She seemed alright and certainly didn't act like she was dangerous. But that still didn't explain how she was able to hack into their systems or why she did it. "Now that your mind's settled of that, who are you?"

"Sorry Jack," the girl smiled, making Jack nearly jump. She _knew _him? Because he certainly didn't. He would've remembered a pretty girl like her. "I'm Alexandria Locke, but everyone calls me Alex."

Jack's jaw almost dropped. _This _was Alexandria Locke?! The girl who made the Daleks so frightened because of her fixed point status? The girl that was apparently on close relations with the Doctor because of the nickname Ally? Beside him, Gwen and Ianto looked shocked as well. Jack had told them about the Daleks's freak-out over this Alexandria and then told Owen and Tosh when they came back from an undercover mission in Amsterdam.

He was so shocked that he almost missed Alexandria…er, _Alex _talking again. "Again, sorry about hacking in and all, but there was no other way to reach you guys. You aren't exactly well-known according to Google. Let me guess. Government circumstances?"

Owen shrugged. "You could say that," he admitted. He had to admit, he kinda liked this Alex. Any girl who could make the Daleks go crazy was good in his book.

Jack leaned back and studied Alex. Now that they knew who she was, he knew she wasn't a threat. She was involved in the Doctor's future, quite intimately based on her nickname, so he knew she couldn't possibly be out to do any harm. "So Alex," he smiled, "to what do we owe the pleasure? You know you didn't have to hack into our systems. I'd have been more than happy to fly you out to Cardiff, maybe grab a drink?"

Tosh, Gwen, and Owen all groaned and rolled their eyes while Ianto sighed a little. They were all used to Jack's constant flirting and Ianto knew Jack would never actually cheat on him, but it was still kind of annoying.

But instead of acting like other girls in the past and flirting back, Alex only laughed. "Oh God, the Doctor wasn't kidding when he said you were a perpetual flirt!"

"That's him down to a tee!" Gwen snickered.

Jack merely rolled his eyes in good humor. "Ah, the Doctor. I take it you're traveling with him then. So how is it? Seen any Daleks? Ran for your life? Any fun trips where you don't, because those are good too."

Suddenly, Alex's face faltered. She looked a little hesitant to answer him. "Um…that's actually why I hacked in. I need to talk to you…about the Doctor."

Jack's smile faded as he saw how upset Alex looked. Peering closely, he could see that her eyes were bloodshot and the skin underneath was red and a little puffy from tears. Something was wrong. "What's wrong?" he demanded. "Did something happen to the Doc? What? Tell me!"

Alex bit down on her lip, an action Jack would normally comment on, saying it was distracting him, but he didn't this time. She looked scared, confused, sad, and worried. "Um…has UNIT contacted you?"

Jack's face furrowed. Torchwood and UNIT weren't exactly on cordial terms. They only worked together out of duress, spending the rest of the time pretending the other didn't exist. "Why would UNIT contact us?" he questioned.

Alex bit down on her lip even more, making Owen worry that she might break the skin. "I guess I have to tell you then. I really didn't want to be the breaker of bad news, but UNIT came to my friend's house earlier today to see me. They told me that the Doctor is…" She trailed off, tears brimming up in her eyes which she pushed down. "….he's dead. The Doctor's dead."

Silence. Her words played over and over again in Jack's mind. _The Doctor's dead, the Doctor's dead, the Doctor's dead, the Doctor's dead._ It was a never-ending loop.

How could this be possible? Jack knew he could regenerate and suspected he probably had regenerated since the last time he saw him at a bar on some star while on vacation. But _dead_? He shook his head. "No, that's impossible," he argued.

"That's exactly what I said," Alex revealed.

Jack ran a hand through his hair and began to pace. None of this made sense. The Doctor couldn't be dead. He was the Doctor – nothing could get in his way for very long. What if this girl was lying? He whirled back around, glaring a little at Alex. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he wondered.

Alex narrowed her eyes at him, making the other Torchwood members shiver a little. Her gaze like that was really frightening. "Why would I make something like that up?"

"How did you get into our systems?" Jack countered. "Only the Doctor would be capable of doing that."

Alex sighed and lifted up her necklace, revealing a TARDIS charm on the end of it. "Sonic necklace," she retorted, dangling it close to the camera. "The Doctor gave it to me as a birthday present. And aside from using it to hack in, I also used it to play the epitah stone UNIT gave me from the Shansheeth. The Shansheeth, a race of intergalactic undertakers, found the Doctor's body and they're bringing him back to UNIT as we speak. Pardon me if I thought one of the Doctor's friends ought to know that he's dead."

Jack winced. Okay, he had been a bit mean. He couldn't really argue with a sonic necklace, though that did bring up questions of why the Doctor would give her such a thing. If Jack expected a companion to get a sonic device, his money would've been on Rose. "Okay, sorry."

"Are the Shansheeth real?" Gwen wondered. "I've never heard of them."

"Tosh, check our database," Jack ordered.

"On it," Tosh confirmed, tapping away at the keys.

As Tosh searched the database, Alex related everything UNIT had told her about the Doctor's death. "The Shansheeth said he perished while saving five hundred children from the Scarlet Monstrosity."

Tosh smiled sadly. "Sounds like him," she murmured, remembering when she briefly met the Doctor when the Slitheen crashed a spaceship into Big Ben. The Doctor had been very concerned about the pig the aliens had wired up to look like an alien. It was no surprise that he would sacrifice his life to save five hundred children.

"Anyway," Alex went on, "I got a bit suspicious. The Colonel who came didn't seem all that concerned about the Doctor's death. She seemed too calm. She also didn't mention the two other people traveling with me and the Doctor. If UNIT knows of me, they should know of Amy and Rory."

Jack nodded along with her. He knew that UNIT would have more files on Alex than any other companion because of her fixed-point status and future with the Doctor, but there had to be _some _files on other companions. Alex was right. It was suspicious.

"Here we are," Tosh called out. She adjusted her glasses, squinted, and peered at the screen. "The Shansheeth are real alright. They're intergalactic undertakers, roaming battlefields throughout the universe to bring deceased heroes home."

Alex sighed. "That's what the Shansheeth on the epitah stone said."

"Worth a try," Gwen shrugged.

"I still don't understand why they haven't contacted us," Ianto remarked. He looked over at Jack. "Mainly you, Jack. They know you and the Doctor are friends."

Jack nodded, his mind trying to process all this new information. Alex was right. There _was _something strange going on here. As far as they knew, only Alex had been informed of the Doctor's death. Why? Was UNIT hiding something? Did they not want Torchwood members sniffing around their top-secret base?

One thing was for sure; Jack wanted to find out what was going on.

Sensing his thoughts, Alex said "Colonel Karim said they were holding the funeral in their base at Mount Snowdon. I think you should come."

Jack nodded, his mind made up. "Got it. If the Doc's in trouble, I want to be there to help him out. Nothing's making me miss this-," But he was cut off as another bunch of alarms began blaring.

Owen groaned and clapped his hands over his ears. "Did you do something?" he asked Alex, eyeing her necklace suspiciously.

Alex was about to object, but Tosh cut her off. "No, it's not her," she revealed. "There's a big spike in Rift activity." Her eyes widened as she examined the screen. "Jack, there's Weevils by the dozen! Maybe hundreds! The readings are too big!"

Jack swore violently. Really? This had to happen _now_? When the Doctor's funeral was taking place in the next few days?

Alex bit her lip. "Go," she called to Jack.

Jack looked up to stare at her questioningly. "What?"

"You heard me. Go. It's obvious that you need to fight those Weevils, whatever they are. I'm going to the funeral and I can investigate. Who knows? Maybe it's better this way. UNIT might not be willing to talk to Torchwood members."

Jack had to admit that her logic made sense. There was a reason UNIT hadn't contacted Torchwood and if he just went in there demanding answers, he probably wouldn't get any. "Okay," he said, resigned. "But you better call and tell me what happens."

Alex nodded and made the sign of a cross over her heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die," she promised.

A/N: *squeals excitedly* We got Torchwood in this chapter! Yay! I told you Jack would be in here! Just to recap, in case you got confused about the AU Torchwood here, Gray did go on his rampage, but they saved Owen from the nuclear meltdown and they also got to Tosh in time to treat her for her gunshot wound. Gray is still in cryogenic storage, and may or may not remain in there permanently. I may decide to bring him back out for a little fun. :} Also, for Torchwood, 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' episodes took place after Gray's rampage and during that time, Tosh and Owen were in Amsterdam on an undercover assignment. And, the 456 haven't happened yet, so Ianto is still alive! I'll also say I am doing the 456 adventure with Alex. :)

Also, we found out that Ross IS related to Rose! They're step-cousins. Ross's step-father is related to the Tyler family, so Ross got the Tyler name. Ross is definitely a lot like Rose, isn't he? He's so sweet and caring and, like Rose, I love him to death! :)

Some notes on reviews...

**evilpinklollipop **- I know! I want them to be together too! It will happen, but I won't say when. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- She loves him! Yeah, I was smiling away when I wrote that. :) No, the necklace is sonic, though I have considered putting a tracking device in it. It seems like something the Doctor would do, just to keep an eye on her in case she wanders off and ends up in danger. :) Lol, yeah, I know that. My cat is spoiled rotten and constantly demands to be petted. He's my baby though. :) Lol, again. Yes, what were the Ponds thinking? Just imagine what the Doctor might've done had he caught them doing _more _on the console... :)

**rycbar15 **- Yeah, that's true, but like I said, I'll consider it. :) Yes, he is an idiot. And I'm glad you love the story! It means a lot. :)

**mayfire21 **- Yes, she finally admitted it, and we saw more of those feelings here. When will the Doctor admit his? :)

**jesterlover **- I know, but I still wanted to say it. And, you're welcome! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yes! Only took 67 chapters. :) I know, I am SO jealous of Alex's necklace. I want one so bad. It doesn't even have to be sonic, though that would be nice. :) Yep, we got more of the Bristol crew here, but only Marigold and Lacey. I think we'll see the rest of the Bristol crew in the next story, but I'm not 100% sure. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**Mad mind flip **- Yep, he is good at presents. Wish I had a boyfriend like him. :) Thank you! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! And yes, they are! :)

**ShadowTeir **- Yes, they are dense. *sigh* But, glad you liked the chapter! :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yep, the Ponds got caught! I had to write that in because, one, it was funny beyond belief, and two, it was a good way to ease into 'Death of the Doctor' and later into 'A Christmas Carol'. Yes, he must be head-over-heels in love with her. Too bad we haven't seen him realize what Alex realized. :( We were back in Bristol for this chapter! I love Bristol and I really want to put it in again in the sequel. :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Yes, she finally admitted it! *jumps up and down with reader* Glad you liked the sonic necklace! Anyone can have a sonic screwdriver or a sonic lipstick. :) Lol, I love presents too, even though I mostly end up asking for gift-cards. I'm not much of a hugger, I'm a bit more reserved, but I always make sure that my gratitude and thanks is known, primarily through smiling. :)

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you like Alex's gift! No, Alex didn't know it was sonic, not until this chapter anyways. And, as you can see, the next episode is the Sarah-Jane Adventures episode 'Death of the Doctor'. 'A Christmas Carol' will be after this. :)

**Neko 97 - **Sorry, since the Time Lord Victorious episode took place during the 10th Doctor's reign and this is 11, it won't be in here. :( However, LizzeXX has some OC stories that cover that episode. You could try them. I have an OC planned who travels with 10 and would be in 'The Waters of Mars' but she's way down the road. :) Glad you liked the fluff at the end of 'Cold Blood'. Not a bad way to end that episode, considering Rory's 'death' and all. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	69. Death of the Doctor Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Alex stepped out of the sleek black car that had been sent to pick her up at the airport. She was currently in a large warehouse-style room, people bustling around everywhere. They were carrying boxes that were probably full of alien technology, oblivious to the drama that was surrounding her right now. As a speaker blared overhead, Alex turned and caught sight of Colonel Karim.

Alex crossed over to her as the driver wrestled her luggage from the car. Colonel Karim's hair was down today and she was in a black UNIT trench-coat. Alex's combat boots stomped heavily on the floor as she approached.

"Hello, Miss Locke," Colonel Karim greeted, her head tilting in a slight nod. "I trust your flight was good?"

First class courtesy of UNIT with free champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and English TV. Not that Alex was able to enjoy any of it. "Fine," she nodded, leaving it at that as she turned to grab her simple black rolling suitcase from the driver.

Colonel Karim led her from the garage to a steel door on one side of the room. "Now, we've allocated a bedroom for you," she explained as they walked down a hall. "The funeral is to take place at 900 hours tomorrow, so that gives you time to acclimatize. The doors to the funeral wing will be sealed at 2100 hours. This is still a working military base, so you'll only have access to the specified areas."

"Lovely," Alex muttered. It certainly seemed like they didn't want her here.

They turned down another hallway and upon seeing what was in it, Alex stopped dead in her tracks. "Who are _they_?" she demanded, pointing ahead of the Colonel to several small aliens with funny-shaped blue heads, all dressed in black UNIT jumpsuits. Alex watched in shock and amazement as they busied themselves with working on some wires dangling down from the ceiling.

Colonel Karim turned to look at the aliens, then back at Alex. "Oh, don't worry," she assured her. "They're Groske, cousins to the _Graske _race."

"Groske very different," one of the Groske said as it approached them. "Groske are blue. Hate Graske. Graske make me stamp my feet." The Groske stamped its feet for emphasis, making Alex smile a little.

"The Graske were stranded on Earth in 2006," Colonel Karim explained. "We took them in and they've been earning their keep as workmen."

"Graske build rocket for funeral," the Graske added. "Come and see! Come and see!" Alex's smile fell and she cautiously stepped forward as the Graske waved her to a door on the opposite end of the hallway. Trying to keep her emotions under control, Alex stepped through the doorway.

She was led through another hallway by the Graske and Colonel Karim to a large chamber. "Rocket 815 will take the Doctor's body into space, sealed inside a lead-lined coffin," Colonel Karim explained. "And he'll be set free in death as in life."

Alex gaped up at the enormous rocket. It was long and thin, unlike the Apollo 23 one the Doctor had described to her. This one looked much more futuristic. Alex bit her lip, trying not to imagine the Doctor's body lying in that lead-lined coffin in this thing.

Colonel Karim noticed Alex's staring and smiled. "Impressive, isn't it?"

Alex snorted. "No, it's tacky and completely the opposite of anything the Doctor would want." She knew that the Doctor would never want such a fuss made over him. He'd be disgusted with the rocket. Knowing him, he'd rather be dropped into the Thames when he died. "He'd never want such a fuss being made over him. He's like that."

"_Was _like that," the Colonel corrected her. Alex ignored her, concentrating on figuring out what kind of sick game UNIT was playing with her.

"Where's the TARDIS?" she wondered. What was UNIT planning to do to the box? She knew that the Doctor would never want anyone, least of all UNIT, to get control of the box. If he was dead, God forbid, Alex was fully ready and willing to take the TARDIS back to Bristol and keep it hidden.

"There was no sign of it," Colonel Karim revealed, causing Alex to raise her eyebrows and stare at her in shock. After all, how hard could it be to find the TARDIS? It was a big blue box! "The body was found all alone."

Alex pressed her lips together and pushed down the tears that were threatening to come up. The Doctor couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be. She concentrated on repeating that mantra in her head instead of imagining the Doctor dying on some planet somewhere all alone.

"Anyway," the Colonel said, interrupting her thoughts, "this area's about to be sealed off as part of the curfew. I can take you to your bedroom and then the Shansheeth are holding a gathering of remembrance."

Alex only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Alex had dropped her luggage off in her bedroom. She hadn't bothered to change, instead wearing the clothes she had arrived in, funeral clothes consisting of a short-sleeved black velvet dress, combat boots, black leggings, and hoop earrings. Her sonic necklace was still fastened around her neck. Alex reached up to rub it as she stepped through the doors into the funeral wing.

It was obvious that she had arrived a little late, for several people were sitting on pews, staring straight ahead. Two Shansheeth were stationed at the doors, making Alex tense a little. She was never really scared around aliens, but these just gave her really bad vibes.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," one of them said as Alex stepped though.

Alex nodded, still not speaking, even as the second one repeated the same apology. Ahead of her, another Shansheeth spoke. "The Claw Shansheeth invite you to spend tonight reflecting in the memories of a loved one who's lost." Alex bit her lip and looked around the room. She was alarmed to see that the several people were, in fact, very few, and mostly limited to soldiers.

"Who are all these people?" she murmured to the Colonel.

"Mostly soldiers," Colonel Karim said quietly. "It's not easy to find friends of the Doctor. He would come and go without a trace."

Alex turned away from the Colonel. As she did though, her eyes settled on the large lead coffin at the front of the room.

* * *

Sarah-Jane Smith and Jo Grant, er…Jo _Jones_, since she was now married, were talking excitedly about how they both thought that the Doctor was still alive when the doors at the back of the room opened. Curious, since they hadn't expected anyone else to show up based on how few companions were present, they turned around to study the new arrival.

It was a girl, roughly in her late teens to early twenties. She was beautiful with long light brown hair and blonde highlights. She was dressed in a black velvet dress that reached down to just above her knees, black leggings, combat boots, and large hoop earrings. The girl didn't speak as the Shansheeth apologized to her for her loss. Instead, her hazel eyes flicked around at the people seated on the benches.

She turned to Colonel Karim. "Who are all these people?" she murmured, her voice just barely audible. Listening closely, Sarah-Jane was able to determine that she was American.

"Mostly soldiers," the Colonel replied, causing Sarah-Jane and Jo to bristle. "It's not easy to find friends of the Doctor. He would come and go without a trace."

The girl didn't respond, instead turning away from the Colonel. Sarah-Jane watched as the girl's eyes became fixated on the coffin. The girl took a deep breath, shuddering slightly. Then, just as quickly, she shoved all of her emotions down. This was a familiar thing to Sarah-Jane, as she had seen it done by one other person many, many times.

The girl turned back to the Colonel. "Is this really all that's here?" she asked a bit louder. "I mean, I know the Doctor had several companions."

"Like I said," Colonel Karim replied, "friends of the Doctor are hard to find."

The girl snorted, showing that she didn't believe any of this rubbish. "Really. Tegan Jovanka, Australia. Barbara and Ian Chesterton, Cambridge, England. Martha and Mickey Smith, London, England. Jack Harkness and Torchwood Three, Cardiff."

Colonel Karim noticeably stiffened at the mention of Torchwood. "Really?" she said, her voice almost squeaking. "Well, I'm afraid Torchwood and UNIT don't have the best relationship. In fact, we tried to call Torchwood several times, but they didn't answer."

"That's funny." The girl crossed her arms and glared the Colonel. By this point, Clyde, Rani, and Santiago had turned around to watch the scene. "Because I talked to Jack and he said that UNIT never contacted them." The Colonel didn't say anything, which seemed to be the reply the girl expected, for she laughed and said "Damn international lines, huh?"

The girl turned back to the coffin and bit her lip. Anyone could tell that she was upset and nervous about what may or may not be in that box. "Can I see him?" she asked.

The Colonel seemed to regain any bravado the girl had stripped away from her for she shook her head and quietly said "I don't think you want to."

Wrong answer. Quick as a wink, the girl's eyes narrowed and she whirled back around to face the Colonel. "Excuse me?" she cried. "I was his companion! I've got more rights to see him than anybody else in this room!"

Sarah-Jane and Jo raised eyebrows at this, but said nothing. The girl probably didn't know who they were after all.

"Miss Locke, he…" Colonel Karim paused, trying to figure out how best to tell the obviously upset girl what Sarah-Jane already knew. "…he was hurt."

* * *

_He was hurt._

Alex tried not to think about what those words implied. No, no, it wasn't true, any of it! The Doctor was _not _dead. He was still alive and kicking and rambling somewhere. He was surely being smug about the fact that he had managed to give her a sonic necklace without her knowing. He was probably thinking about how long to wait until he picked her, Amy, and Rory up and they went off traveling again. Maybe he was thinking about where to take her so he could impress her some more, when to tell her that her necklace was sonic and how to use it. Maybe he was visiting River….but he was. Not. DEAD!

But the Colonel's words sank into Alex's brain, unwillingly creating horrible images of the Doctor's final moments. Being burned alive, shot at, stabbed at, falling into a vat of acid…any or all of that could've happened to the Doctor. Try as she might to repeat her beliefs about him being alive, Alex knew that she was starting to lose hope and control on her emotions.

* * *

Sarah-Jane could see that the girl was starting to unravel and she quickly got up and walked over to her. "Hey," she murmured, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Hi. Why don't we go and sit over here, shall we?" The girl didn't protest, instead allowing Sarah-Jane to lead her over to the bench where she and Jo were sitting.

The girl sat down on the bench seat next to Jo, Sarah-Jane sitting on Jo's other side. Once the Shansheeth started playing what looked like a futuristic harp again, Sarah-Jane introduced herself. "Sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Sarah-Jane Smith."

Alex perked up upon hearing the familiar name. "Oh my gosh, the Doctor told me about you!" she cried. She paused, reconsidering her words. "Well, by told, I mean finally answered when I started pestering him."

Sarah-Jane and Jo chuckled. Certainly sounded like the Doctor. "And this is Jo Grant," Sarah-Jane nodded at Jo. "Well, Jo Jones now."

"The Doctor told me about you too!" Alex squealed. "Auton invasion of London, right?"

"Exactly!" Jo beamed, remembering the adventure.

Alex smiled, glad that she could rely on some people here. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm Alex, Alex Locke."

Sarah-Jane stiffened and her smile froze. _This _was the fixed-point Alex Locke she had heard about back during the reality bomb fiasco? Sarah-Jane studied her. She certainly seemed human, so why was she a fixed-point?

"So you travel with the Doctor now?" Jo asked, unaware of Sarah-Jane's wondering.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I have been for a while now. Daleks, Silurians, end of the world, a lot of crazy stuff."

Alex turned to gaze at the coffin. She bit on her lip and absently reached up to play with the charm on her necklace. "I still can't believe he's dead. I don't want to believe it."

As she played with her necklace, Sarah-Jane and Jo were drawn to the charm. It was a glittering, jewel-encrusted TARDIS. The police box exterior shined in the dim lighting. "What's that?" Sarah-Jane asked, nodding to the necklace charm.

Alex glanced over and saw that they were looking at her necklace. "Oh!" She fingered the charm and looked around a little before leaning closer and whispering "It's a sonic necklace. The Doctor gave it to me for my birthday a few days ago."

"May I?" Sarah-Jane asked. Alex nodded and leaned closer so that Sarah-Jane could finger the charm. She ran her finger over the stones, easily able to see that they were real.

"He just gave you a sonic necklace?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

Alex shifted slightly under the women's questioning looks. "He didn't tell me it was sonic. I guess he hoped to surprise me."

It was Jo's turn to examine the charm. "My goodness, these are real!" she exclaimed.

Alex blushed. "The Doctor said the inhabitants of some planet owed him a favor."

Jo and Sarah-Jane looked at each-other. They both knew that no companion just got a sonic device. Sarah-Jane, as far as she knew, was the only one who had one, the sonic lipstick. The Doctor barely allowed a companion to use his sonic screwdriver! So that brought up an interesting question. Why did the Doctor give a sonic necklace to Alex?

But before either one of them could pose their question, Alex was talking again. "You know what's funny?" she asked, gently pulling the necklace away and tucking the charm under the collar of her dress. "I don't think he's dead. I think the Doctor's still alive. I know some people would say that's just the grief talking, but I really believe it. I feel like I should've felt something, you know? Just…something that would let me know he's gone."

Sarah-Jane and Jo exchanged startled looks. They'd been talking about the same thing not ten minutes ago! "Really?" Sarah-Jane asked, looking at Alex critically.

Alex turned and noticed their slightly eager faces. "Yes."

"We were talking about the same thing, right before you came in!" Jo revealed.

"So you think…"

"The Doctor's still alive!" all three of them cried.

Alex gasped and laughed. She was quickly pulled into a hug by the two women, which she eagerly reciprocated. She felt so happy now that people were on her side. She just knew that if anyone could prove the Doctor was alive, it was some of his companions.

* * *

"Right!" Sarah-Jane exclaimed as she dug a notepad and pen out of her purse. "We need to make a list, because we need to work out who'd fake the Doctor's death and why."

She, Jo, Alex, Clyde, Rani, and Santiago were all back in hers and the kids' room. While Clyde, Rani, and Santiago stood off to the side, Alex sat on the bottom bed of one of the bunk-beds, Jo opposite her, the latter digging through her luggage. Out of the corner of Sarah-Jane's eye, she could see Clyde and Rani eyeing Alex curiously. She had told the kids about Alex and what the Daleks had said about her. It was no wonder they were so curious.

Alex crinkled her nose as she tried to think. "Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Daleks. But why would they fake his death? They'd kill him on the spot and brag about it."

Sarah-Jane nodded, knowing that she was right. As she mentally crossed off Daleks from their suspect list, Jo said "And these can help us to think." She stood up and walked across the room, carrying what looked like eggs in little gold stands. "They're scented with jatamansi oil. It's a herb from the base of the Ganges. It helps to focus the mind." Alex noted with mild amusement that Sarah-Jane didn't seem to know what to think of this.

Neither did the kids, it seemed, for Rani grabbed her jacket and stood up. "We'll just…go and get some tea," she chattered, straightening the hoodie she had on underneath her jacket.

"Oh, no, no, no, just hot water for me sweetheart," Jo called. "I've got some powdered lapatcho." She smiled, her mind traveling back to an old adventure. "You know, the Doctor took me to this planet once called Peladon." Sarah-Jane looked up at this. "And the smell of lapatcho, it reminds me of the…of the royal palace."

"I went to Peladon," Sarah-Jane revealed.

Jo looked up, an expression of excitement on her face. "You never did," she breathed.

"With the great beast Aggedor?" Sarah-Jane asked, holding her hands up in what Alex guessed was an effort to mimic this beast.

"Same planet!" Jo confirmed, beaming brightly. Sarah-Jane matched her grin, jumped up, and rushed across the room to hug her. The two women stayed in this position for a moment before turning to Alex, expecting her to chime in.

Alex smiled slightly. "I haven't gone there," she admitted, playing with a loose thread on the comforter. "My friend Amy found the name in an encyclopedia once and asked the Doctor to take us there, but he said no. Something about 'beasts' and how he may or may not have been banned from there."

"Sounds like something he'd do," Sarah-Jane said, rolling her eyes at her friend's antics.

"Okay!" Clyde cried out, sensing that the women might want to be left alone. "Laters!"

Just as the children started going out the door, Alex jumped up. "Wait! I'll come along with you." She turned to smile at Sarah-Jane and Jo. "Best someone keep an eye on them."

"Good luck," Sarah-Jane told her, knowing how Clyde and Rani could find trouble almost effortlessly.

Alex nodded and rushed out the door after the children. Overhead, the speaker blared "_Funeral wing now closing. Repeat, funeral wing now closing._" Alex looked up and glared at the ceiling. She could just imagine the Doctor's response to that.

"It's tragic!" Rani bemoaned as Alex closed the door to the suite and started following them. "He's dead and they just can't face it."

Alex picked up her speed so that she could stand beside Rani and frown at her. "You can't blame us for having a little hope, Rani," she said coldly.

Rani winced under Alex's glare. Therefore, she was grateful when Santiago, who Alex had learned was Jo's grandson, spoke up. "I've never met the Doctor," he revealed. "I've always wanted to, but too late."

"I wish he was here right now," Clyde said from behind them. Alex frowned at his tone of voice. It sounded worried.

"Yeah," Rani agreed, smiling wistfully. "Me too."

"No," Clyde said, stopping in the middle of the hallway. The three turned around to see that he was staring down worriedly at his hand. "I _really _wish he was here right now 'cause then he could explain this." Clyde lifted his hand to show a bunch of blue electricity surrounding and crackling around it.

"Clyde!" Rani gasped as Santiago and Alex gaped at the sight. "It's happening again!"

"I know! But I couldn't say anything, not inside UNIT. They'd lock me up and dissect me!"

"Here, let me look," Alex said, pulling out her necklace charm. Clyde allowed her to hold his hand as she scanned it with her sonic necklace. The buzzing sounded out around them as Santiago said "Hold on. What do you mean 'it's happening again'?" Alex looked up at Clyde at this question, waiting for an answer.

Clyde hesitated for a moment until Rani nodded her head, silently telling him it was okay. "Last time we met the Doctor, it was at Sarah-Jane's wedding, and we got stuck in this time loop thing and the TARDIS, the Doctor's time machine, kept phasing in and out of reality. But I touched it and got zapped with this."

Alex stepped back and examined the results on her necklace. "Artron energy," she revealed, saying this at the same time as Clyde.

"That's what he said!" Clyde cried.

"It's part of the TARDIS," Alex said, still eyeing her necklace. "It's a form of temporal energy, generated by Time Lord minds, and helps to pilot the TARDIS."

"Whoa!" Santiago chuckled. "And you thought my life was good!" He, Rani, and Alex smiled a bit.

"Don't worry, Clyde," Alex assured him. "It doesn't seem to be harmful, according to this anyway." Clyde let out a sigh of relief at that, glad that he didn't need to keep worrying about it.

"Smelly getting closer!" a voice called out. The group looked ahead to see the same Groske that had showed them the rocket standing at the end of the corridor.

Clyde frowned at it. "What do you know about this stuff?" he demanded, holding up his hand.

"Closer and closer!" was the Groske's only response. He then turned and started running down the hallway.

"Hey, come back here blue boy!" Clyde shouted before rushing off after it. Rani followed him as well, Santiago and Alex bringing up the rear. As they ran, Alex thanked God that she had had the sense to wear combat boots today.

Turning a corner, they saw the Groske crawling into an open vent. "You coming?" Clyde asked Rani as he ducked in.

"Yeah," Rani nodded as Alex ducked in after Clyde. Once Alex crawled in, Rani turned to Santiago. "Oh, honestly, we'll be fine," she assured him, not knowing if Santiago was familiar with this kind of running or not. "We do this kind of thing all the time!"

"Hey, my grandma's handcuffed herself to Robert McGarby," Santiago replied as Rani crawled in. "I'm loving it!"

Alex crawled behind Clyde as they made their way through the vents. Alex smiled to herself. She figured she would be crawling through vents at some point with the Doctor, but she never imagined it would be like this.

"Oi!" Clyde called out loudly as he led the way through the vents. "Groskey! Where are you?!"

"Shh!" Alex hissed, pausing a moment to listen and make sure no one outside had heard them.

"She's right! Keep it down!" Rani hissed. "This is a top-secret military base! They might shoot us dead! Oh, and I kind of promised my dad I'd be in bed by half ten."

Clyde's only response was to roll his eyes and continue crawling.

The four continued down the vents, by this point not really sure where they were going as the Groske was no longer in sight. Then, all of a sudden, Clyde stopped. Alex peeked over his shoulder to see that he was looking out a small ventilation shaft. Coming out from it was the Shansheeth's harp playing from the Remembrance Ceremony.

"…such excellent, sorrowful memories," one of the Shansheeth's voices rang out. Alex gently pushed past Clyde so that she could get a better look.

Out in the room, the Shansheeth were gathered around the futuristic harp. Alex squinted, trying to see what they were up to. Behind her, Santiago asked "What have we stopped for?"

"Hush," Alex and Clyde ordered.

"Clyde, I'm staring at your bum!" Rani whined.

"Better his than mine," Alex smirked, unable to resist making a joke even in this situation. "Santiago, eyes on my hair." Rani giggled a little at the wide-eyed look on Santiago's face. The poor guy then became very fascinated with the back of Clyde's head.

"No seriously," Clyde hissed, turning around to look at Rani so she'd stop giggling, "shh!"

"The women are named Smith, Sarah-Jane and Jones, Josephine," one of the Shansheeth continued. "We must _drain _their minds." Alex and Clyde's eyes widened, both of them exchanging worried and terrified looks. What were the Shansheeth planning to do to Sarah-Jane and Jo?

They were pulled back into eavesdropping when another Shansheeth asked "What of their bodies?"

"They will die," the first Shansheeth calmly answered. "Fortunately, there are excellent undertakers at hand." The Shansheeth chuckled darkly at this.

"Guys," Clyde murmured, "back up." He rested a hand against the slats of the ventilation shaft. "We have to get out of here…" But he trailed off when his hand began sparking again. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" The Shansheeth whirled around, easily seeing the blue light through the gaps in the vent.

Alex's eyes widened. "Back up!" she shouted, not caring if the Shansheeth heard her. "Back up! Back up!"

"We are witnessed!" one of the Shansheeth cried.

"There's nowhere to turn around!" Santiago argued.

Rani wracked her head for a solution, coming up with one a split second later. "Then go backwards!" she cried. "Shuffle!"

The four immediately began doing this, Alex behind Clyde as she desperately crawled backwards. It was harder than it looked because she had to be quick for Clyde but not too fast for Rani. Ahead of them, she saw one of the Shansheeth open the ventilation grate.

"Faster!" Clyde shouted when the Shansheeth appeared. "Shuffle for your life!"

Somehow, they managed to make their way out of the vents and back to where they first came in. Alex scrambled out, jumping onto her feet before reaching down to assist Rani in helping Clyde out. "We've got to get out of here," Clyde stated as he hopped to his feet. "Okay?"

"Okay!" Rani whispered as they started to run along down the hall. However, they soon skidded to a stop when Sarah-Jane and Jo came rushing up to them from a side corridor.

"There you are!" Sarah-Jane sighed in relief.

"Sarah-Jane!" Clyde cried, happy to see that she and Jo were alright. "It's the Shansheeth. They're lying through their beaks. They want you and Jo! This whole thing's a trap!"

"I _knew _it!" Sarah-Jane cheered.

Alex beamed. "Me too. I love it when I'm right."

"Hold on," Jo said. "If they're lying, that means the Doctor's still alive!" She, Sarah-Jane, and Alex did a three-way high-five, all of them cheering "Yes!"

"Course I'm still alive Jo," a new voice retorted. The group whirled around to see the strange voice coming out of Clyde's mouth. "I'd have thought that was obvious. Catch up!"

Alex's eyes widened. She recognized that voice. She heard it practically every day now!

"I beg your pardon?" Jo gasped.

"Clyde, is that you?" Sarah-Jane demanded, not familiar with the 11th Doctor's voice.

Alex was about to reply, but the voice coming out of Clyde beat her to it. "Course it's not, it's _me_! I'm using Clyde as a receiver. I've keyed into his residual Artron energy so I can organize a very complicated biological swap across 10,000 light-years. Hold on." Suddenly, Clyde arched his back, his whole body snapping and cracking with blue light. A second later, he slumped forward.

"That wasn't me," Clyde gasped, looking around in confusion. "That wasn't me speaking. I'm getting…" But he trailed off when he looked down. Alex followed his gaze, not at all surprised to see a white hand replacing his black one.

Clyde lifted it to stare at it in shock. "That's not my hand," he stuttered, "cause my hand's not white!" Right then, the Artron energy crackled through his body again. Clyde groaned in pain, his back arching.

Then, Clyde's form changed. A man appeared in his place, wearing a tweed jacket, blue bowtie, and a white shirt with blue buttons, a man very familiar to Alex. "Sorry Clyde!" the man gasped a second before Clyde took his place again.

A second later, the man again. "But…"

Clyde.

The man. "This…

Clyde.

"Space…" the man.

Clyde.

The man. "Is…"

Clyde.

"Taken!" the man cried, appearing before them. "Good! So, gosh, that was different. Hello everyone!"

"Who are you?" Rani blurted. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Where's Clyde?"

"Come on, Rani, use your brain," the man replied. "Clyde and I swapped places, yes, I'm where he was so he's where I was which means right now, ooh…" The man winced. "He's in a lot of trouble."

Rani frowned, not happy with this at all. "You bring him back, whoever you are!" she shouted, stepping threateningly towards him.

"No, no, no, Rani," Sarah-Jane interjected, holding her arms out to keep the girl from lunging at the man. "Don't you see?"

During all this, Alex had been frozen in shock. It was…he was…he wasn't….it was all so much, so much to take in, but the minute Sarah-Jane uttered those words, Alex unfroze and her face lit up into a grin.

"Doctor!" she cried out, running forward and jumping into the Time Lord's arms. The Doctor, slightly taken aback, fell back a step before recovering and throwing his arms around Alex.

"Alexandria Nicole!" he cheered, lifting her up in the air and twirling her around. God, he had missed her! He had no idea how he'd managed to go 900 something years without her. He'd about driven himself mad talking to himself. Sometimes, he would find himself rambling on and on about something and then turn, expecting her to reply, only to see that she wasn't there. It was pretty disconcerting.

Meanwhile, Alex let out a whoop as he twirled her around, a little surprised that he was acting like this. Had he really missed her so much? Alex's smile grew wider just thinking about it.

As this was going on, Sarah-Jane and Jo were staring at the Doctor in shock. Sarah-Jane wasn't too surprised, remembering how the Doctor's last incarnation had been around Rose, but it was still a little shocking to see the Doctor so…delighted and eager to see his companion again. Jo, on the other hand, had never seen this type of behavior from the Doctor before. He looked so happy and eager and….loving, not a trait Jo would've assigned to the Doctor she knew at all.

Finally, after almost a minute of hugging and twirling, the Doctor pulled back to look Alex in the eye. "Miss me, Ally?"

"More than you could imagine, Doc," Alex replied, her voice flirty. God, she had missed flirting and bantering with him.

The Doctor was reluctant to set Alex down, but he knew time was of the essence. As he placed her down on the floor, right next to him, Sarah-Jane stepped forward. "It is you, isn't it?" she breathed, her eyes taking in his new appearance. "Oh, you've done it again."

The Doctor smiled at her, pulling Alex into his side. "Hello, Sarah-Jane."

Sarah-Jane arched an eyebrow. "Doctor?" The Doctor smirked in reply.

"That's the Doctor?" Rani cried, her eyes widening as she took in the new man before her.

"What Doctor? The Doctor? My Doctor?" Jo babbled.

"Oh, well, didn't you know he can change his face?" Sarah-Jane asked.

"Well, I know, but into a baby's?"

"Oi, imagine it from my point of view!" the Doctor cried. "Last time I saw you, Jo Grant, you were what, twenty-one, twenty-two? It's like someone baked you."

Jo gawked at him while Alex frowned. Within an instant, Alex had whacked the back of his head. "Don't be rude!" she scolded while the Doctor yelped and placed a hand on the spot she had hit. The Doctor glared at her while the others tried to control their snickering.

All of them except Santiago. "Everyone!" he cried, tapping his gran's arm to get her attention. "Meanwhile!" He nodded to the other end of the hallway where the Shansheeth were now standing.

The Doctor frowned and marched forward, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder as he walked to let her know to stay with the group. "Ah, yes, the Claw Shansheeth from the 15th Funeral Fleet, I've been looking for you! Have you been telling people I'm dead?"

"I apologize," one of the Shansheeth replied. "The death notice was released a little too soon. Though I can rectify this, immediately." Suddenly, he held out his hand and a burst of orange light shot out from it, striking the Doctor in the chest. The Doctor gasped and staggered back in pain.

Alex, of course, would not have any of this. "Doctor!" she shouted, getting ready to race forward.

"Santiago, keep her back!" the Doctor weakly shouted, knowing that the Shansheeth had only brought Alex here because she was important to him. He knew they wouldn't hesitate to use her to get to him.

Santiago, already having figured out that Alex was important to the Doctor, hastily complied. Before Alex knew it, her arms were crossed behind her back as Santiago held her in place. "Let me go!" she shouted, kicking a little. "Unless you want a certain part of your anatomy to be an inch shorter!"

Santiago didn't listen though and neither of the others did anything, only watching in shock and horror as the Doctor fell to the floor in pain. "Sorry for your loss, Doctor," the Shansheeth snarled. "Rest. In. PEACE!"

Alex was just about to kick Santiago in a place where it would really hurt, when a large blue light began casting outwards from the Doctor, completely shielding him from the Shansheeth's orange light. A second later, the Doctor disappeared, replaced by a standing Clyde, who was no doubt confused over what had transpired moments before.

The Shansheeth's orange light cut off and as the creatures stared bafflingly at him, Clyde hesitantly opened his eyes. Traveling through space like he just did was not an easy thing to do. He stumbled around to look at the shocked faces of Sarah-Jane, Rani, Jo, Santiago, and a newly still Alex.

"I was on a planet…" Clyde murmured confusedly.

"No, no, never mind that!" Sarah-Jane interrupted. She waved her hand over. "RUN!"

Clyde turned around to see the Shansheeth, then immediately started running as the giant feathered aliens began to advance. Santiago released Alex, who immediately dashed forwards. She whirled her head around, making sure there were no UNIT soldiers coming, before leading the group over to a large steel door. She wrenched it open and darted inside, waving for everyone to follow her. Sarah-Jane came up, holding the door open for everyone as they rushed in. Just as Clyde came running up though, he changed into the Doctor.

The Doctor rushed in and turned to look at Sarah-Jane. "Come along, Smith!" he urged before running off. Sarah-Jane gaped at him, unused to his sudden disappearances and reappearances, before doing as he said and following him.

The group ran down a hallway, Rani rushing over to the first door she spotted. "In, in, in, in!" the Doctor shouted, pushing Alex inside after Santiago. He flattened himself against the wall as the others passed….and as Colonel Karim came walking up.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" she asked, marching forwards.

The Doctor stared at her as he shuffled backwards into the room before abruptly slamming the door in her face. A second later though, it opened again. "Sorry," he said, still staring at her like she was a four-headed toad or something. "I was…slamming it." He then slammed the door again.

He leaned back against it next to Sarah-Jane. "Right, now we need to lock it!" he declared as Alex darted up to him. "Come on! Use the sonic lipstick!"

"Haven't you got the screwdriver?" Sarah-Jane asked.

Alex, however, already knew the answer. "They took it, didn't they?" she deadpanned.

The Doctor winced. "Yeah."

Sarah-Jane groaned and shook her head before pulling the sonic lipstick out. As she buzzed it over the door, Jo exclaimed "They do sonic lipsticks now!"

"Speaking of sonic things," Alex mused, remembering her newly gifted sonic necklace. She smirked up at the Doctor. "Sonic necklace?" she said, holding up the charm. "When were you going to tell me?"

The Doctor matched her smirk right back. "Well, that depends. Do you like it? Cause if not, I can always take it back…"

"Absolutely not!" Alex cried, putting the palm of her hand over the charm. "I love it!"

"Oi!" Rani called. As cute as it was to see the Doctor and Alex flirting with each-other, there were much better times to be doing it. "Could you two stop flirting for a minute? We've got Shansheeth breathing down our necks!"

The Doctor and Alex cringed and immediately jumped back into business. "Right, we're running out of time," the Doctor said, pacing the room for a moment before going back over to Sarah-Jane, Jo, and Alex. "I need you, Sarah, you, Jo, and you, Ally."

"Need us for what?" Jo inquired as the Doctor took her hand. His other hand grabbed Alex's, who in turn grabbed Sarah-Jane's.

"Remember the old days when we would go zooming off to faraway worlds?" Then, before any of them could try and respond, a blue crackling light engulfed them, taking them away and leaving Clyde in their place.

Clyde looked around in confusion, noticing he was no longer in a hallway, but in a room. Then, he leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees. No, travel like that was not fun at all. His insides felt like they had been jumping up and down, making him feel nauseous. He straightened back up. "Oh, I'm getting space-sick," he said, teeth slightly gritted.

Rani laughed and rushed over to hug him. Clyde didn't even object, still concentrating on not throwing up all over his new Air Jordan's. Besides, it felt good to be back.

* * *

Alex stumbled slightly upon landing. That traveling hadn't been as bad as traveling by vortex manipulator was. She still felt like she was being torn apart and put back together again, but she didn't feel nauseous.

She looked around at her new surroundings. They were on some kind of planet with pink skies and red cliffs that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. They seemed to be in some kind of junkyard, based on the large piles of dirt and junk surrounding them.

As she, Sarah-Jane, and Jo gaped at their surroundings, the Doctor rushed over to the make-shift transporter he'd set up. "No, no, no, no!" he objected, running around the device. "Let's get you working properly! Stop, stop, stop!"

As he began fussing with some wires, Sarah-Jane looked around in amazement. It had been a very long time since she'd been on an alien planet. "Where are we?" she asked.

"The wasteland of the Crimson Heart," the Doctor replied, jumping up to pull Alex over to him.

"Certainly looks like a wasteland," Alex agreed, glancing down disdainfully at the rubbish-covered ground. She kicked what looked like a leather rod away from her.

The Doctor ignored her. "Planet Earth's that way." He pointed in the opposite direction that Sarah-Jane and Jo were looking. "Bit of a long walk." He turned back to the device, pulling Alex down along with him. "Sonic please?" he requested. Alex lifted up her necklace charm and guided it into his hands, scooting closer so he could better use the necklace.

Jo turned around, staring out at the horizon. "Wow," she breathed, capturing the attention of Sarah-Jane. She turned around to see a large expanse of pink sky, the outline of some planets just barely visible.

Jo's wide eyes took in the sight. "Oh, so many years since I was on another planet," she said.

"Me too," Sarah-Jane agreed.

A/N: Yay, we got the Doctor back for this chapter! Not too long a wait. :)

Notes on reviews...

**ShadowTeir **- Yes, she admitted it to Lacey! That's definitely an important step admitting it to someone else. :) Hope you liked Sarah-Jane and the gang's reactions to her. :) Yep, I had the sonic necklace thing planned out since the Angel episodes. And it does make sense, what River said. Alex would NEVER give up her sonic necklace to River of all people! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- We found out why UNIT was so weird here, but more will be revealed in the next chapter. :) Yes, we finally got Jack! I love him. We'll be seeing more of him and Torchwood in the sequel. :) Yep, she hacked into them with her sonic necklace. She is pretty badass. :) Dalex was reunited here, so no worries! And I know, Alex hardly ever cries, so it's really sad when she does it.

**TheGirlWhoWaited **- Glad you like this so far. I love this episode. I haven't seen very man Sarah-Jane Adventures episodes, but I love this one. :) Glad you like the part where Alex finds out her necklace is sonic! It needed to be a surprise moment for her, because she'd never expect something like that. And yes, Alex suspected something was off about the Doctor's 'death'. She's a sharp cookie. :)

**Neko 97 **- Glad to hear it! :)

**TheUltimateGuest **- UNIT faked his death...more specifically, someone inside it, though I'm pretty sure you know who. :) And yes, Torchwood! I haven't seen many episodes of it, but I do like what I've seen. We can expect more of them in the sequel. :)

**Gwilwillith **- Yes, Torchwood and I'll be doing 'Children of the Earth'. Alex will be badass in it. :)

**dream lighting **- Glad you liked the crossover with Torchwood! I hope you liked this chapter, where Alex met Sarah-Jane and everyone. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yes, not a bad way to round off a chapter, lol. :) Yep, I kept Owen and Tosh alive. They're a good couple and I just couldn't kill them off. I'll also say that something will be done about Owen's undead state in the sequel so that the couple can get together and be happy. :)

**rycbar15 **- Can't say! You'll have to wait and see! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- YES, she admitted it! And we found out that Rose is Ross's step-cousin! And we got a sonic necklace and Torchwood! Lol, glad you like the chapter! Yes, Jack and Alex are funny. They'll be together much more in the sequel. Hmm, I haven't thought about River and Jack meeting. I read an article once about how John Barrowman and Alex Kingston were hoping for a Jack and River spinoff, which would definitely be interesting. I think Jack will have definitely heard of River, but we'll have to see if they meet or not. :)

**00 SEXY **- Lol, it's alright. I just wanted to emphasize the American way of pronouncing it and how Alex thought the British pronunciation was 'wrong'. :)

**setsuna1415 **- Yep, they all met here! :)

**jesterlover **- Two words. Me. Too. Why can't the BBC make something like that?! Lol, glad you liked the Jack inclusion! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- No, he's not dead. UNIT, or more specifically, a member inside UNIT, faked his death. Yep, we got a sonic necklace, which will definitely be useful in the future. :) And we got Torchwood! Whoo! :) The Shansheeth are really in the Doctor Who world, yes. And yes, 'Death of the Doctor' is a Sarah-Jane Adventures episode. And yes, poor Amy and Rory, stuck on a honeymoon planet, none the wiser to what's happening! :)

Thank you to those that reviewed and those who followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	70. Death of the Doctor Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who, the Sarah-Jane Adventures, or Torchwood.

"There. And there," the Doctor guided Sarah-Jane as she used the sonic lipstick to attach some wires together. Alex was still crouched beside the Doctor, one of his hand's holding her necklace charm.

Alex looked over to study him. She had missed him so much when she thought he was dead. Now, she just wanted to take in every detail. His hair was perfectly long and styled and his dark emerald eyes gleamed. She could see that he was wearing a new bowtie and shirt, something that she had to smile at.

Little did she know that as he was guiding Sarah-Jane, the Doctor was studying her as well. Alex's hair had recently been touched up, the blonde in it shining brighter than ever. Her black velvet dress clung to her in the right places and her legs in those black leggings…

The Doctor shook his head slightly. No! He had to concentrate! There were Shansheeth back on Earth and the kids had been left all alone. There was no telling what could happen with those two things in tandem. He had to stay focused on the task at hand. He could _not _keep checking Alex out.

Of course, considering his track-record with her, this was easier said than done.

Sarah-Jane happened to look up as his eyes were wandering back over to Alex, something she had to smile at. This Doctor was so…love-struck and captivated by Alex. His last incarnation had been like that with Rose, though nowhere near the intensity of 11 and Alex. Which reminded her… "Did it hurt?" she murmured.

The Doctor, jerked out of his thoughts about Alex's dress, looked over at Sarah-Jane. He knew exactly what she was asking about, and frankly, he didn't really want to go into it. Regeneration was always a difficult subject with him. There was a reason he hadn't told Alex about the full implications of regeneration; the personality changes, the changes in wardrobe, mood, not the hard concrete stuff. As far as Alex knew, he changed his physical features and nothing else.

"No," he lied, before quickly turning back to the machinery.

"I mean the regeneration," Sarah-Jane said, knowing that he knew what she was talking about and was trying to avoid it. "That last body of yours. Was he okay in the end?"

_No, _the Doctor thought. His tenth incarnation hadn't died happily. He had just seen Rose for the last time and he was incredibly despondent that he would never see her again. He had also still been depressed over erasing Donna's memories of him. That incarnation didn't know that he would soon be encountering Alex, the one person who could make him forget those troubles. But, knowing that Sarah-Jane was expecting an answer, he mumbled "It always hurts." Louder, he said "And there."

Sarah-Jane buzzed the sonic lipstick over the designated area. As she did this, Alex sat quietly, deep in thought. The Doctor's words revealed a lot more about regeneration than he had told her. It was a painful process. She hated to think of her Doctor in pain.

Desperate to think of anything other than these dark thoughts, Alex looked around, taking in the red and pink landscape. "So, Doc. How'd you end up in this place?"

The Doctor looked over at her and smiled. Hopping up, he reached down and pulled her up. He was so excited about having her back with him. So excited in fact, that he pulled a little too hard, causing Alex to fall against his chest. The Doctor stumbled back half a step before regaining his balance. He kept her against him as he said "The Shansheeth lured me to a mighty old battlefield just begging to be explored."

Alex rolled her eyes. "They could lure you to a shopping mall, you're probably so bored now with the three of us on holiday."

"Three?" Sarah-Jane questioned, reminding the two that they weren't alone.

The Doctor nodded. "I'm traveling with Alex, Amy, and Rory now," he explained as he reluctantly released Alex to go and fuss with some of the machinery.

"Amy and Rory got married," Alex picked up, "and while I was visiting some friends, the Doctor dropped them off on a honeymoon planet."

"Which isn't what you'd think," the Doctor jumped in, fiddling with a few wires at the top of the machinery. "It's not a planet _for _a honeymoon, it's a planet _on _a honeymoon. It married an asteroid. And they nicked the TARDIS."

"The Shansheeth," Alex clarified a second later, automatically figuring this out. "Not Amy and Rory."

"Fortunately," the Doctor said less than a breath later, "I had all this wreckage, enough to build a…" He trailed off and waved his arm over the cylinder-shaped device. "…space wopping do-da thinga-ma-whatsit." Alex shook her head at him while Sarah-Jane laughed.

"So you've got a married couple in the TARDIS?" Jo called out. She was sitting on some debris and rubbish a little ways away from them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pond," the Doctor beamed.

But while Sarah-Jane and Alex chuckled, Jo smiled sadly. "I only left you because I got married," she recalled.

The Doctor looked up and eyed Jo. "And there," he told Sarah-Jane, briefly taking his eyes off the blonde-haired woman.

"Did you think I was stupid?" Jo asked, sounding worried and nervous as to what the answer might be.

"Why do you say that?" the Doctor questioned.

"Well…I was a bit dumb," Jo shrugged. "Still am I suppose."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before walking over to her. How could she think that? Jo's bright personality helped keep him sane during those first couple months at UNIT. Never mind that she couldn't keep up with him like her predecessor Liz Shaw could; Jo made him happy and eager to discover the truth behind things. "Now what in the world would make you think that?" he demanded, sitting down next to her. "Ever, ever, ever?"

"We'd been traveling down the Amazon for months and we'd reached a village in Cristalina, and it was the only place for thousands of miles that had a telephone," Jo explained. "So I called you. I just wanted to say hello. And they told me that you'd left, left UNIT, never came back. So I waited. I waited because you said you'd see me again. You did. I asked you and you said yes. You _promised_. So I thought, one day I'd hear that sound deep in the jungle, I'd hear that funny wheezing noise and a blue box right in the middle of the rainforest. 'Cause, see, he wouldn't just leave, not forever. Not me. I waited my whole silly life…"

"He makes a habit of making people wait," Alex murmured quietly as she unashamedly eavesdropped.

Sarah-Jane looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" she whispered as the Doctor and Jo continued their conversation.

Alex glanced over at the Doctor and Jo before moving closer to Sarah-Jane. "The Doctor met my friend Amy when she was only seven years old. The TARDIS was malfunctioning, I guess from his regeneration, and he told Amy he'd be back in five minutes."

"He wasn't?" Sarah-Jane guessed.

Alex nodded. "He was twelve years late. After we defeated a bunch of aliens, he went off in the TARDIS, intending to be gone a few minutes or hours, but he showed up two years later."

Sarah-Jane had to smile at that. It sounded like something the Doctor would do. "He really isn't the best driver," she agreed. "Whenever I traveled with him and we landed in the complete opposite of where we wanted to go, he always claimed that where we were was really where he intended to go."

"He still does that!" Alex revealed. "One time, we intended to go to Rio, but we ended up in a village in Wales ten years in the future."

"You think that's bad? He tried to drop me off in Croydon, but ended up in Aberdeen instead."

"He told me about that! But I think the worst is when he got Rose Tyler home a year late. He said her mom had put up missing person posters everywhere and, when she saw him again, she slapped him."

Sarah-Jane laughed heartily at that, causing the Doctor to briefly turn his attention away from Jo to see what was so humorous. He cocked his head a little in confusion when he saw Sarah-Jane and Alex giggling crazily, both of them casting brief glances his way.

_Oh, Rassilon, its Sarah-Jane and Rose all over again, _he thought, remembering when he found the two laughing hysterically at the school all three of them happened to be investigating. They had been laughing while looking at him too. He never had figured out why. What could be so amusing about him?

While the Doctor refocused on Jo, Sarah-Jane ceased her laughing. She was very much curious about the Doctor and Alex's relationship. They were so close and from what she had seen, the Doctor was constantly paying attention to her, like he was drawn to her by some invisible magnet. He also found ways to keep her by her side, like just a few moments ago when he kept her pressed to his chest after she tumbled into him.

And Alex was very different around him too. The girl from earlier was strong, but fragile, and prone to emotional outbursts whenever someone said the Doctor was dead. That girl had tried to lock down her emotions so she wouldn't be in pain. But this girl, the one standing before her right now…she was stronger and her emotions weren't so guarded. She was flirty and happy and oh-so eager to save her Doctor.

That didn't just happen because of a new friendship.

"So tell me," Sarah-Jane began in what she hoped was a casual voice. "What about you and the Doctor?"

Alex stiffened slightly, but turned her focus to the machinery so Sarah-Jane wouldn't see. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice guarded.

Sarah-Jane didn't fail to notice the guarding and careful tone that crept into Alex's voice, but she continued to press on. "I mean, you and the Doctor are really close."

Alex shrugged. "Well, yeah. After traveling and living together for quite some time, that tends to happen. It's either that or murder each-other."

"It's more than that," Sarah-Jane protested quietly. She was silent for a moment before suddenly asking "Did the Doctor tell you anything else about Rose Tyler?"

"You mean about their relationship?"

"Yes."

Alex was silent for a moment, wondering how much she should reveal. She didn't want to upset the Doctor by blabbing something that he meant for only her. But this was Sarah-Jane, one of his favorite companions. "He said they were in love with each-other, but they were too scared to admit it."

Sarah-Jane nodded, expecting this. "I always figured that was the case. I met her. Rose."

"What was she like?" Alex asked. She had only heard the Doctor's opinion of Rose and, considering how he felt about her, his view was probably biased. She wanted another, unbiased opinion, someone who could give her a more accurate description on what Rose was really like.

"She was nice," Sarah-Jane smiled. "Headstrong. Stubborn. A lot like you actually. She was really possessive of the Doctor. When we first met, we spent most of the time being jealous of the other. I guess she felt like I was intruding. But after a while, she came around."

Alex nodded. She liked this Rose. She wished she could meet her, even though she knew the woman would probably be really jealous of her. "I wish I could've met her. She sounds great. But she'd probably want to strangle me."

Sarah-Jane chuckled. "No. She would like you, I'm sure of it. She might have been a little jealous at first, but she had the Doctor's best interests at heart. She'd want him to be happy."

Alex hummed a little in reply. "So, why did you ask me if I'd heard of Rose?"

"I just wondered if you knew the Doctor had been that…close with someone before."

"He told me," Alex nodded. "And I know he's had several companions before me. He's probably been close with everyone he's traveled with."

"You're right," Sarah-Jane agreed, "but that's not exactly what I was getting at. I meant, I wondered if you knew that the Doctor had loved somebody that much before."

Alex blinked. Then she blinked again. Wait. Was Sarah-Jane suggesting what she thought she was suggesting?

"Oh, no!" Alex objected, shaking her head. "No, no, no, no, no, not in a million years. The Doctor is not in love with me."

Sarah-Jane looked at her doubtfully. "Really?"

Alex nodded furiously. "Really. H-he's not into me that way, not at all."

Sarah-Jane couldn't help but notice how Alex was saying only _the Doctor _wasn't in love with her. "But what about you?"

Alex stared at her. She had only told Lacey about her sudden realization of love for the Time Lord, and that was Lacey. Lacey had been her best friend for years, long before Amy and Rory. They knew everything about each-other. Sarah-Jane on the other hand, as nice and as great as she was, was a stranger. As far as Alex could tell, they only had a few things in common; the Doctor and falling in love with him.

She couldn't tell her. Could she? "No, of course not," Alex lied, but she knew her voice gave it away.

Sarah-Jane eyed the girl empathetically. She knew what it was like to love a man you could never have. The Doctor walked in eternity (he had said so himself) and Alex seemed to realize that. Based on her actions, it seemed that Alex had realized her feelings and that the Doctor couldn't be with her because of his Time Lord status.

But Sarah-Jane knew, she just _knew_, that the Doctor felt the same way towards her. He hadn't said anything, but he didn't need to. His actions said more than enough. The flirting, calling Alex _Ally_, giving her a sonic necklace, that was all the proof Sarah-Jane needed. She had known since she first heard Alex's name on the Dalek Crucible that the girl was going to be important to the Doctor. She just hadn't counted on how much.

But when would the two admit their feelings for each-other? How long would that take? Sarah-Jane only hoped that they wouldn't try to admit them when Alex was dying or stuck in a parallel universe or something.

As the two women talked about the Doctor and Alex's love-lives – or lack of them – the Doctor and Jo continued their conversation. "Oh, but, you're an idiot," the Doctor said in reply to Jo saying she was silly waiting for him. He shook his head fondly.

Jo chuckled, her laughs caked with tears. "Well there we have it!"

"No, no, no," the Doctor protested, "but don't you see? How could I ever find you? You spent the past forty years living in huts, climbing up trees, tearing down barricades. You've done everything from flying kites on Kilimanjaro to sailing down the Yangzi in a tea-chest. Not even the TARDIS could pin you down." And it was true. He had tried, but Jo always seemed to be on a completely separate continent whenever he tried to find her.

By this point, Jo's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Hold on. I _did _sail down the Yangzi in a tea-chest. How did you know?"

"And that family," the Doctor went on, ignoring her question, "all seven kids, twelve grandchildren, thirteenth on his way, he's dyslexic, but that'll be fine. Great swimmer."

Jo looked at him in astonishment. "So you've been watching me, all this time?

"No," the Doctor admitted quietly, his happy expression turning downcast. "Because you're right. I don't look back, I can't. But the last time I was dying, I looked back on all of you, every single one….and I was so proud."

Jo stared at him in silence for a few seconds before beaming. "It really _is _you, isn't it?" she laughed.

The Doctor smiled and nodded. "Hello."

Meanwhile, Alex had just realized something. "What about the kids back home?" she asked Sarah-Jane. "Colonel Karim was coming up behind us and I just _know _she hasn't left that door. Something's going on."

Sarah-Jane nodded in agreement. "We have to get back down there." She looked over at the Doctor and Jo, who seemed like they were wrapping up their conversation. Digging into her jacket, she pulled out a whistle. Seeing Alex's curious expression, she shrugged and said "Never can be too careful, right?"

Alex nodded. "Right."

Sarah-Jane looked back over at the Doctor and Jo. Though she hated to break up such an important bonding moment for them, they really did have to get back to Earth. She lifted the whistle to her lips and blew. A sharp _tweet_ pierced the air, causing the two to look over at her.

"Sorry!" Sarah-Jane apologized. "But we've got that lot back at home with the Shansheeth!"

The Doctor jumped up. In the process of comforting Jo, he had momentarily forgotten the situation back on Earth. "Yes, yes," he agreed as he walked back over to the machinery. "And I still need you, Jo. That bag of yours. I could smell black currant. Is it buchu oil?"

Jo dug around in her bag. "Handpicked in Mozambique," she said proudly as she handed a small bottle over to the Doctor.

"Perfect," the Doctor praised. He opened the top of the bottle and then lifted off part of the top from the machinery. "These circuits need connectivity. Wonderful! Little tiddly drop…that's it…" He clamped the lid of the device down, looked up, and grinned. "What a team."

A few minutes later, the Doctor jumped up off the ground, where he had been thoroughly examining the device. He may or may not have also been taking a look at Alex's legs. "There," he exclaimed, tapping the top of the device. "That should work."

Alex eyed him, not liking the 'should' part of the sentence. "Really?"

The Doctor nodded. "Intergalactic molecular streaming with just a hint of black currant. Nothing better, Ally."

"Oh, but what'll happen to Clyde?" Sarah-Jane asked worriedly, thinking of the Doctor and Clyde's repeated body-swapping.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he assured her. "All I needed was you three. Oil and sonic's." He went over to the three and stepped in between Jo and Alex. He grasped their hands while Sarah-Jane took Alex's. "Now, we can go back and Clyde can stay where he is." He looked at all three women and grinned. "Hold tight." Jo giggled a little before they all disappeared in a flash of blue light.

A moment later, they appeared in one of UNIT's hallways. A small distance away was a vent, shouting coming from it. "Doctor! Sarah-Jane! Anyone?!"

"Whoops!" the Doctor cried as they raced over to the vent. "Then again, maybe leaving Clyde in the same place wasn't such a good idea."

"Look out! Stand back!" Sarah-Jane directed, forcing the Doctor, Alex, and Jo to step away from the vent. They watched as Sarah-Jane waved her sonic lipstick in front of the vent. Once she was done, the Doctor lunged forward and helped her lower it down from the wall.

"Ah! Ventilation shaft!" the Doctor cheered as the group looked down the small metal space. He nudged Sarah-Jane, remembering the time she got stuck in a ventilation shaft. "That takes me back! Or even forwards."

He crawled in just as Santiago shouted "Hurry up! They're going to boil us alive!"

"Don't worry!" Alex called back as she crawled in after the Doctor. "We're coming!"

As the Doctor and Alex crawled off, Jo shouted "Don't worry, Santiago! I'm here!" Keeping her eyes on the interior of the vent, she removed her purse and said to Sarah-Jane "You go first. You've got the sonic lipstick." While she knew that Alex had the sonic necklace, the girl had said she had just gotten it and it would take too much time for the Doctor to fiddle with the necklace while it was still around Alex's neck. Someone who had more experience with sonic devices was required.

She turned to look at Sarah-Jane when the woman didn't respond…only to see a Shansheeth standing behind the investigative reporter, an arm wrapped around her neck to keep from shouting. Then, another arm wrapped around Jo's neck. She let out a shout.

From their position inside the vents, the Doctor and Alex caught Jo's shriek. They turned their heads, looking back the way they came. There was no Jo or Sarah-Jane behind them.

"Doctor!" Rani shouted ahead of them. "Alex!"

The Doctor glanced ahead for a moment before turning back and shouting "Jo? Sarah?"

"Sarah-Jane?" Alex called, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach at what might've happened to the two women. "Jo?!"

"They're roasting us!" Clyde shouted.

"I can go back and get them," Alex offered. She moved to shuffle backwards, but the Doctor reached out and placed a hand on her back, stopping her.

"No," he argued, shaking his head. He had a pretty good idea on what had happened to Sarah-Jane and Jo. The Shansheeth had likely taken them for whatever they planned on doing. He didn't want Alex getting snatched by them too.

Alex looked at him curiously. While she was very aware that they were wasting time that could be better used saving the children and/or Sarah-Jane and Jo, she was curious about why the Doctor wouldn't let her go. "Why not?" she demanded.

"I'm not losing you too," the Doctor revealed, his voice low and serious, the voice that sent chills down Alex's spine. "I can't. Not you."

Alex stared at him, her eyes wide. Was he….did he….did he love her too? "Really?"

The Doctor nodded furiously. "Yes. Ally, I-,"

"STOP FLIRTING AND GET US OUT!" This came from Santiago, Rani, and Clyde all at once, causing the time-travelers to jolt slightly. Unbeknownst to the Doctor and Alex, their conversation could be heard from the children's current position and, as cute as the two were, there were much, _much _better times to be flirting or confessing hidden desires than now. "Let us out!" Rani cried.

The Doctor and Alex looked at each-other, the romantic moment having long since left, and then back behind them. They both wanted to rescue Sarah-Jane and Jo, but they just couldn't let the children get roasted. A split second later, the two began crawling forwards.

* * *

As this was going on, Sarah-Jane and Jo were forcibly led along the strangely absent corridors to a room a nicely-sized distance away from the vent that had started out at.

The two stared around the room in nervous shock. They were back in the funeral room, the lead-lined coffin having been pushed aside to make room for two boards with clamps on either side of the room. In the back of the room was some kind of control center with numerous buttons and dials. Standing beside this was none other than Colonel Tia Karim.

Sarah-Jane's eyes narrowed upon seeing the woman. Alex had been right. "Oh Colonel!" she shouted. "I didn't trust you from the _moment _I met you!"

"Like I care," Colonel Karim snapped. "Frankly, I've never met anyone so staggeringly pious in all my life." But Sarah-Jane and Jo barely heard her. Their attention was drawn to the very back of the room where the TARDIS was sitting, big, proud, and blue.

Colonel Karim pressed a button on a touchable screen, causing the doors to lock and a little light over the top of them to glow red. "Now then," she smirked, "the chamber's sealed off. The Doctor and his precious Ally would need half a ton of dynamite to get through that."

"The TARDIS," Jo murmured, still caught up in the magnificent blue sight before her. "I never thought I'd see it again."

"That's what this is all about," Colonel Karim smirked as one of the Shansheeth stepped up beside her. "The TARDIS…and _you_." Sarah-Jane and Jo exchanged uneasy looks. Whatever that meant, it wasn't anything good.

"Place them in the memory weave," Colonel Karim ordered.

Against their will, Sarah-Jane and Jo were placed into either one of the two boards.

* * *

It didn't take the Doctor and Alex long to get to the section of ventilation shaft the children were trapped in. A piece of steel had slammed down in the section the grate went, the children's shouting and screaming coming out from beyond it. On the wall next to this was a device that was glowing red, the thing responsible for keeping the children trapped.

Without having to be asked, Alex shifted closer to the Doctor and lifted her sonic necklace charm up, guiding it into his hands. If she hadn't been so focused on getting the children out, she probably would've noticed that her side was pressed right up against him and that her mouth was only inches away from his. But romance wasn't on her mind. Saving the children, Sarah-Jane, and Jo were.

The Doctor ran the sonic over the device, the topaz in the necklace glowing as the device's light switched from red to green. "And release!" he cheered as the door lifted to reveal Clyde, Rani, Santiago, and the Groske that Alex had seen earlier.

"Blimey! You really _have _changed faces, haven't you?" Clyde exclaimed, who was standing face-to-face with the Doctor. "I couldn't see you before because I was too busy swapping."

"Oi!" Rani called, fanning her reddened face. "We're still cooking back here!"

"And where's my gran?" Santiago asked worriedly.

"Right. Yes. Sorry, uh…" The Doctor trailed off as he looked around, trying to figure out how best to move aside so he could let the children climb in. "She's in danger…" He trailed off once again as he tried to turn around, but failed when he bumped into Alex, causing her hands and knees to fall out from under her, sending her slamming down onto the metal.

She glared at him. "OW!" she snapped, shifting onto her hands and knees again. "That hurt!"

The Doctor winced. "Sorry Ally. Can't turn around."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I could've told you that! I was in here not half an hour ago!"

"You'll have to shuffle backwards," Clyde revealed.

"Oh, yes, okay," the Doctor nodded. "Thank you, Clyde." He quickly began doing this, Alex shuffling alongside him. In front of them, one-by-one, the children and the Groske began climbing in.

Clyde was the first one in and thus was face-to-face with the Doctor again. "Even your _eyes _are different!" he exclaimed, studying the Doctor's dark green eyes, very different from the whiskey-colored ones of his tenth incarnation. "It's weird, 'cause I thought the eyes would stay the same." He glanced down at the Doctor's white hand. "Can you change color or are you always white?"

"No, I can be anything," the Doctor revealed, causing Alex to look over at him. She really hoped that 'anything' didn't include potentially turning into a girl. She'd die from shock if that happened.

"And is there a limit?" Clyde continued. "I mean, how many times can you change?"

The Doctor, getting rather exasperated with these questions by this point, threw out a random number. "507."

"Oh…" Clyde nodded while Alex tried not to smile. She knew the Doctor was being sarcastic. She could always tell.

* * *

"Come on then, tell us," Sarah-Jane prodded. She and Jo were now attached to the boards, cuffs around their wrists and a strange headband around their heads. "What exactly does that Memory Weave do?"

"'Cause I warn you, darling, the memory's going at my age," Jo chimed in.

"You need remember only one thing," the head Shansheeth told them.

"And what's that?" Sarah-Jane asked, eyeing him warily.

"The TARDIS key."

Colonel Karim walked up. "The Weave takes the memory out of your head and makes it real," she explained as she checked Sarah-Jane's headband restraint. "This device can build a physical key out of your thoughts."

"And then," the head Shansheeth jumped in, "we will have access to the TARDIS. The most miraculous machine in creation will be ours."

"No…" Sarah-Jane breathed, the ramifications of such an act ringing around in her mind, none of which were good.

* * *

As the children helped the Groske out of the vent, the Doctor and Alex were standing in the middle of the hall, staring around. Alex had a hand wrapped around her necklace charm, running it over the walls and in the general area around them. Right when the sonic detected something, the Doctor shouted "It's started!"

He took off down the hall, Alex, the children, and the Groske following close behind.

* * *

"No! You can't!" Jo protested upon hearing the Shansheeth's plans. "Ow!" This exclamation came as Colonel Karim tightened the restraint around Jo's head.

"We have seen so much of death," the head Shansheeth bemoaned. "The Shansheeth have presided over _infinite_ funerals. We see the pain and the suffering again and again and again, but, with the TARDIS, we can stop this. We can intervene to prevent the loss of life on the universal scale."

Sarah-Jane's eyes widened and she gaped at him. "You want to _stop death_?!"

"It is a noble quest," the head Shansheeth retorted. "To halt the endless, _endless _weeping."

"And change the whole of history!" Sarah-Jane argued. "That's why creatures like you _can't have _time machines! 'Cause you'll wreck the entire universe!"

"What did I say?" Colonel Karim said from her place by the controls where she was checking a monitor. "Pious."

"Oh yeah?" Sarah-Jane turned her head to look at the young Colonel. "Well I'd rather be pious than vile." She was silent for a moment as the Colonel walked over to her. Then, something occurred to her. "What do you get out of this plan?" Sarah-Jane wondered.

Colonel Karim stared at her for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to say. "A bigger horizon, Ms. Smith," she finally replied. "The Shansheeth can take me to the stars because there is _nothing _left for me here on Earth." The Colonel's face grew wistful, like she was remembering something good that had been tragically taken away from her. "Not anymore," she murmured before she snapped out of whatever she had been thinking about. "Accelerate the Weave!"

The head Shansheeth flicked a few knobs, causing an enormous amount of pain to run through Sarah-Jane and Jo. It felt like something was literally trying to pull their memories out, the memories hidden so deep within their brains that it took serious digging to try and unearth them. The two moaned in pain, trying to concentrate on anything else, but failing horribly.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside in the corridor, the Doctor and Alex raced up to the doors. They skidded over to them and the Doctor pulled on the handles. "Oh, they've sealed it off!" he groaned when the doors didn't move an inch.

He and Alex began pounding on the door. "Jo! Sarah-Jane!" Alex shouted. "Can you hear us?"

"They want the key!" they heard Sarah-Jane call out. "They've got the TARDIS and a Memory Weave!"

"Too late!" Colonel Karim snapped. "Full activation!"

"Concentrate," they heard one of the Shansheeth order. "Think of the key."

The Doctor listened to this at the door, panic settling in. He knew what a Memory Weave was capable of doing and it wasn't anything good. The device was banned on nearly every civilized planet due to the fact that its victims died from the memory draining. "Ally, sonic necklace, now!" he ordered.

Alex lifted her necklace up and ran it over the doors, concentrating on getting them to open. She was actually getting the hang of this. But then, something in the back of her mind twitched. She didn't know how she knew this, but it was the sonic telling her that it wouldn't work on the doors.

She peered down at the necklace. "Deadlock seal!" she announced. "It won't open!"

"Damn," the Doctor swore, silently vowing to try and figure out a way to use the sonic's on deadlock seals once they took care of this situation. "Try and find a way in," he ordered the kids, who immediately scrambled into action.

While the Doctor and Alex crouched down to examine some machinery beside the door, Rani and Santiago felt around the door and walls for some kind of secret entrance. Clyde raced off down the hall to find another entrance while the Groske hopped up and fruitlessly tugged on the door handles.

"There's nothing!" Santiago bemoaned. "We're gonna need a bulldozer!"

"I've got the original here!" the Doctor called out, jumping up and removing the TARDIS key from his jacket pocket. "You can have it if you let them go!"

* * *

"You let the Doctor inside this room and he will destroy us," Colonel Karim proclaimed to the Shansheeth. "Keep going!"

"Think of the TARDIS," the head Shansheeth ordered.

Sarah-Jane and Jo did their best to fight it, but the machine was too strong. Images of different TARDIS console rooms flashed before their eyes, along with multiple Doctor's, and even one peculiar instance where the TARDIS had to be towed out of a shallow hole of dirt.

"The key…remember…"

"Fight it Sarah-Jane!" Jo called. "Try to think of something else!"

"I can't!"

"Neither can I!"

* * *

Back outside, Clyde banged a fire extinguisher he had somehow procured against the door. Even though the Doctor and Alex had told him that a fire extinguisher was no match against a deadlock seal, he was desperate and willing to try anything. But of course, nothing was happening. "It's not shifting!" he shouted in frustration.

* * *

"The memories coalesce!" the head Shansheeth proclaimed. Orange lights shot out of Sarah-Jane and Jo's head restraints, the lights colliding in the air in the middle of the room to form a sphere. Just barely visible inside the sphere was the outline of a key. "The key! It takes shape!"

"Don't! Don't!" Jo cried in vain.

"I can't stop," Sarah-Jane weakly gasped.

* * *

"What do we do, Doctor?" Clyde wondered, hearing the women's cries. "What do we do?"

"Yes," the Doctor breathed. At some point, he had crouched down beside the machinery again. "Because….the Shansheeth are making them remember."

"Well I know!" Clyde cried.

"But don't you see?"

"I don't see anything!"

But Alex did. She immediately saw where the Doctor was going with this. "Oh," she breathed. Then she grinned. "Oh! That could work! That's brilliant!"

"What? What's brilliant?" Santiago questioned, staring at the Doctor and Alex in bafflement. "What are you talking about?"

"The Shansheeth are making them remember," the Doctor began.

"So we do the same," Alex finished.

The Doctor beamed at her, pleased that she could keep up with him. He jumped up and fiddled with some controls on the machinery. "Opening comms…yes! Sarah, Jo, can you hear me?"

* * *

"The key!" Sarah-Jane cried as the Doctor's voice echoed through the room. "It's almost ready!" Sure enough, it was. The key was much more fully formed in the orange sphere now.

"_Listen to me, both of you,_" the Doctor ordered. "_I __**want **__you to remember._"

"We _are _doing it," Jo retorted. "That's the trouble!"

"_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I want you to remember __**everything**__. Every single day with me. Every single __**second**__._"

Colonel Karim listened to his words with a growing sense of anger and worry. "What's he doing?" she wondered.

"_'Cause your memories are more powerful than anything else in the world,_" Alex jumped in.

"_So think of them, Sarah,_" the Doctor continued. "_Remember them, Jo. But properly, __**properly**__. Give the Memory Weave e__**verything**__. Every planet, every face, every madman, every loss, every sunset, every scent, every terror, every joy, every Doctor. Every me._"

"I remember!" Sarah-Jane cried. Flashes of many memories went by her eyes; the Tenth Doctor, Daleks, the Third Doctor, her Doctor, the Brigadier, the Osiran god Set, Slitheen, and so many more.

"No!" Colonel Karim shouted.

"_Memory Weave overloading_," the computer announced.

"I remember," Jo breathed as memories of Daleks, the Third Doctor, her Doctor, and more flashed by her eyes.

"We need that key!" Colonel Karim screeched. "What is happening?" She watched as the orange orb and the key disappeared, the room starting to shake a little. "What is happening?!"

"_Initial target lost_," the computer announced just in case they hadn't known.

"The device is overloading!" the head Shansheeth exclaimed in alarm. "Too many memories. Too many!"

"Reverse it!" Colonel Karim desperately ordered. "Bring that key back!"

* * *

The Doctor and Alex grinned at each-other. Their plan was working. Sarah-Jane and Jo's memories were overloading the Memory Weave. But it still wasn't enough. They needed more.

"Come on you all!" Alex called to the kids, moving back from the door to allow them to stand there.

"Tell them! Tell them!" the Doctor added.

"Remember us Sarah-Jane!" Clyde called. "Remember Maria and her dad, and all the stuff we did! Like the Gorgon!"

"And the clones!" Rani jumped in. "And the zodiac! And the _Mona Lisa_!" This last one caused the Doctor and Alex to frown in confusion, but there wasn't any time to ask any questions.

* * *

"All of it! All of it!" Sarah-Jane laughed as she remembered the Bane, the Slitheen, Maria, Luke, the Sontarans, the Trickster, and more.

"_And just think, Gran!_" Santiago called. "_All the countries you've been to!_"

"Every country in the world…" Jo beamed as flashes of rainforests, deserts, ancient Greek ruins, flying birds, and whales flashed before her eyes.

Right then, the Weave sparked, sending electrical bolts flying and smoke rising upwards. Colonel Karim yelped when a spark shocked her as she tried to touch the controls. "_Weave starting self-destruct,_" the computer warned.

Sparks continued flashing all around the room. Sarah-Jane gasped as one flashed from behind the board she was propped up on, but to her surprise and relief, the spark had caused her clamps to loosen. "We've broken a circuit!" she cried as scrambled out of the restraints.

"I can't get out!" Jo cried.

"I've got you!" Sarah-Jane assured her, rushing over to her friend.

* * *

"Now we're in trouble," the Doctor revealed, starting to pace in front of the doors. "The Weave's about to blow up…"

"And we can't get them out," Alex grimly finished.

"What?" Rani cried, eyes wide.

"You can't escape!" they heard one of the Shansheeth snap to Sarah-Jane and Jo. "We need that key!"

"_Weave now entering detonation phase,_" the computer proclaimed.

"I can't unseal the door!" Colonel Karim cried. "The power's gone!"

Inside, Sarah-Jane and Jo raced over to the door. Sarah-Jane, not knowing about the deadlock seal on the doors, pulled out her sonic lipstick. However, when she buzzed it over the door, it simply made a _bzzzing _sound and the light at the top died. "We've drained it," she breathed, staring at the useless device in her hand. A slightly snippy part of her mind commented that it was pretty disappointing that a sonic lipstick had to be charged like the common cell-phone. "Doctor! Doctor! We can't get out!"

The Doctor pressed his forehead to the door. "I can't open it," he said sadly.

"Your sonic screwdriver…" Sarah-Jane lamented.

"It's inside the TARDIS."

"And we can't get in 'cause guess what? We stopped ourselves getting the key." Sarah-Jane shook her head. "Oh, that was clever…"

"It wouldn't work anyway," Alex said, her voice full of despair. "The door's deadlocked sealed."

Jo stepped closer to the door. "I just want to say, I'm so glad I saw you again. I mean, all this time, and it was worth it, _every second_." Jo paused for a moment, something occurring to her. "Funny thing is though, your funeral turns out to be ours instead."

"My funeral?" the Doctor repeated, his eyes widening as a plan formed in his head.

"Doctor, all of you, you'll look after Luke for me, please?" Sarah-Jane begged.

"No, no, no, no, no, but listen, my funeral!" the Doctor shouted.

Alex's eyes widened as the dots in her brain connected. "Oh my God, don't you get it? It's _his _funeral!"

Sarah-Jane and Jo whirled around to look at each-other. "The lead-lined coffin!" they gasped, turning to look at the aforementioned coffin lying at the side of the room. They sprinted over to it, heaving the lid open as the room shock and sparks and smoke flew by.

On the other side of the doors, the Doctor asked "How much time have they got?"

"Big bang?" The Groske shrugged. "Ten seconds?"

The Doctor immediately began herding the kids over to a corner a nice-sized distance away. Alex raced after him and planted herself down against the wall while the little blue Groske remained behind in front of the doors, counting down the seconds.

"Ten….nine….eight….seven….six…."

"Hurry up, Gran!" Santiago shouted, poking his head out from around the corner before Rani pulled him back down.

"Five….four…..three…."

The Doctor pulled Alex into his side, shielding her with his arms as he wrapped them around her. Alex pressed her face into his jacket lapels and breathed deeply, inhaling his musky cologne and just _him_.

"Two…" The Groske ran off down the other side of the hall. On 'one' the door was blown off its hinges in a loud KABOOM, smoke and sparks flying out into the hallway. Alex jumped at the blast and the Doctor tightened his grip around her, burying his face in her hair.

A few seconds later, everyone got up. The Doctor and Alex reluctantly pulled apart and got to their feet, coughing at the sudden influx of smoke. The Doctor led the way over to the unblocked doorway, waving smoke away as he walked.

Then, something occurred to him. "What do you mean, the _Mona Lisa_?" he and Alex simultaneously asked Rani. Then, as if the question wasn't really that important, the two continued on into the room.

There was a noticeable lack of Shansheeth and UNIT Colonels inside. Fire was currently destroying the control console while blown up bits of the boards Sarah-Jane and Jo had been in decorated various parts of the room. In the back of the room, the TARDIS stood by, not a scratch or ember on her. The only other thing to escape destruction was the lead-lined coffin at the side of the room.

"Smells like roast chicken," the Groske commented, making Alex grimace a little.

The Doctor, noticing this, hastened to find something else for her to focus on. "Now then!" he cried, attracting her attention. "Smith and Jones!" The group went over to the coffin, Santiago, Rani, and the Doctor lifting up the heavy lid. Upon opening it, the huddled bodies of Sarah-Jane and Jo were revealed, both still alive.

"The coffin was a trap," the Doctor mused as the two women laughed and hugged, relishing in the relief that comes from not dying. "The coffin was the solution. That's so neat, I could write a thesis. Well, come on you two, on you get!" But Sarah-Jane and Jo ignored him, still caught up in their relieved laughter. Their laughs spread across the group and as Alex laughed, the Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side, relieved that she was still there.

* * *

"_Attention,_" Mr. Smith, Sarah-Jane's super-computer called out as the TARDIS materialization noise echoed throughout the attic. "_Temporal flux escalating in this vicinity_." Mr. Smith opened outwards as the materialization noises grew louder and the TARDIS fully materialized. "_The TARDIS has landed._"

The TARDIS door opened and Clyde stepped out. He looked around in shock. He had only been in the TARDIS once before and was still amazed at what it could do. "Whoa! It's, it's Bannerman Road! It's like everything moved! I'll never get used to that."

Rani stepped out behind him. As she maneuvered her duffle bag out the narrow doors, she looked up and eyed Mr. Smith. "Mr. Smith, you're in big trouble!" she declared as she fully stepped out. "Those Shansheeth were bad!"

"_It transpires, Rani, that you encountered a rouge element,_" Mr. Smith explained as Santiago came out and gawked at the computer. "_And the Wide Wind of the High Shansheeth Nest sends apologies._"

"No way," Santiago grinned. "On top of everything else, you've got a talking computer?! That is it, I'm giving up."

Meanwhile, the Doctor, Alex, Sarah-Jane, and Jo were still inside the TARDIS. The control room had noticeably changed since Jo's day and since the last time Sarah-Jane had seen it during the reality bomb fiasco. Jo paced around the console, looking around the room in amazement.

"Still the same old TARDIS," she smiled. "It doesn't matter what's changed, it still smells the same." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, a second later, her eyes popped back open. "No! Gotta say good-bye, or else I'd stay with you forever. Besides, I probably couldn't keep up any more. Get you into trouble with the Time Lords."

There was a noticeable silence at this, at least to the Doctor, Alex, and Sarah-Jane. The three exchanged uneasy glances, knowing the truth about what happened to the Time Lords. But no one said anything. Let Jo believe the Time Lords still existed. They didn't need to ruin her memories of them.

The Doctor coughed, breaking the moment. "Um, yeah, we'd probably better go," he said, nodding to himself and Alex. "You know me, stuff to do."

"People to meet, chaos to cause," Alex quipped, causing the Doctor to shoot her a playful glare.

Sarah-Jane and Jo snorted a little at that, but soon sobered as a thought occurred to them. "It's daft though," Sarah-Jane began, "because, well, well we were all saying that we had this theory that if you ever died…we'd feel it somehow, we…we'd just know." The Doctor didn't say anything so, taking this as something he thought ridiculous, Sarah-Jane added "But that's just silly, isn't it?"

The Doctor looked up from a knob he had been fiddling with. "I don't know. Maybe not." He looked over at Alex, remembering their chemical connection with each-other. He was 100% positive Alex would feel it if he ever did die and he vice-versa. As for the others…anything was possible. "'Cause between you and me, if that day ever comes….I think the whole universe might just shiver." He stared at them a few seconds, then shuddered.

Sarah-Jane, Jo, and Alex jumped, Alex even yelping a little. Sarah-Jane and Jo began laughing while Alex just whacked the Doctor on the arm.

"You can't go five minutes without being melodramatic, can you?" Alex quipped.

"Oi!" the Doctor cried, staring at her, affronted.

"Oh, I like her, Doctor," Sarah-Jane chuckled. "Keeps you in line."

"Why do I have to be kept in line?" the Doctor muttered to himself. "What does that even mean?"

The others ignored him, Sarah-Jane choosing to pull Alex into a hug. "You ever need anything," she murmured into her Alex's ear, "you come by. Whether you've left or just want to chat. I mean it."

"I'll probably take you up on that," Alex replied. And she knew she definitely would. It was nice knowing other companions of the Doctor. When she had to inevitably leave the TARDIS, it would help knowing that there was someone on Earth she could relate and talk to, someone who knew what the thought of leaving such a fun life was like.

Alex pulled back out of Sarah-Jane's grasp, only to be tugged into Jo's arms. "Oh, you are so beautiful!" Jo gushed, pulling back far enough to study Alex's features. "And so clever. You're more than a perfect match for him." She released Alex and watched as the young girl wandered back over to the Doctor, the latter pulling her into his side like it was second-nature. She beamed at them. "Oh, you two make such a lovely couple."

The 'lovely couple' stared at her in shock. "Oh, um…uh, w-we're, we aren't…." the Doctor stuttered.

"Uh, no, no, no, not at…no," Alex weakly protested, remembering her realization about her love for the Doctor. Her cheeks flamed at that thought, growing redder than they had been five seconds ago.

Sarah-Jane and Jo exchanged a _yeah right _look.

"Well, we'll be off then," Sarah-Jane said. She hugged Alex and the Doctor once again, even kissing the latter on the cheek. Jo did the same and, with a wave of their hands, they stepped out and shut the door.

The Doctor sprang into action the second the door closed. He ran around the console, flipping switches and pulling levers as the engines started up. Alex gripped onto the railing just as the materialization noise kicked in. A minute later, they were floating around in the vortex.

"Hey Doc?" Alex said as she carefully released her grip on the railing. "Can I ask you something?"

"Since when has that ever stopped you?" the Doctor playfully retorted, looking up from a knob he was fiddling with.

Alex lifted up her necklace, exposing the brilliant TARDIS charm. "Why did you give me a sonic necklace?"

The Doctor leaned sideways against the console, his arms loosely crossed as he looked at her. Part of the reason he had given Alex the necklace was because in the Library, River implied that Alex had one. But he didn't want to tell her that. She'd just think he was keeping the timelines in check, which he sort of was, but there was more to it than that. He trusted her. Alex was always there for him. She was so smart, so funny, so beautiful, so _perfect_, and…he trusted her. He had never trusted someone so much before she came along.

The fact was, he knew he could trust her with a sonic device because she was deserving of one. He knew she'd use it responsibly and that her having one would come in handy in lots of situations.

But the simple fact of the matter was…Alex was deserving of one.

He smiled at her, watching as she played with the charm. She kept running her fingers over the gems, feeling their different cuts and sizes on the pad of her thumb. He could tell she was truly enchanted by the necklace and loved it just as he hoped she would.

"Because, Ally," he said finally, "you're deserving of one."

Alex blinked. She hadn't expected that. "Really?" she breathed.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. I know you, Ally. I trust you. I know you are deserving of a sonic device. Sarah-Jane was the same way. That's why I gave her the sonic lipstick all those years ago. And now, I want to do the same to you."

Alex smiled, but then a thought occurred to her. "So, am I just one of a few lucky girls who get sonic's?"

The Doctor shook his head so quickly and adamantly, Alex thought his head would fly off if it wasn't attached. "Of course not, Ally. Actually, I probably won't give a sonic device to anyone else. It can go to people's heads. You, however, don't have a problem with that."

Alex grinned. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really."

Within an instant, Alex had flown across the room into his arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she chirped into his jacket. "You won't regret it, I promise!"

The Doctor chuckled and ran a hand through her hair. "I know I won't." He pulled back from the hug to give her a mischievous look. "Now, how about learning how to use your sonic? It does more than go _bzzzz _and make dogs bark."

Alex chuckled, remembering what she had accidentally caused the sonic screwdriver to do back when they were staying in Craig's flat. "Sounds great, Doc, but first…I promised some people I'd get in touch with them about the funeral."

"Lacey and Marigold?" the Doctor guessed.

"No, but them too." Alex walked over to the monitor and pulled it down so that it was directly facing her. The screen was displaying its usual background of Gallifreyan symbols on a deep blue background. Alex turned a dial and then lifted the sonic necklace up to the monitor. She buzzed it over the screen, causing a bunch of computer symbols to run down the screen. A moment later, the words ACCESS GRANTED appeared.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Wait a moment," Alex smiled. A second later, an image of the Torchwood Hub appeared onscreen, causing the Doctor to gasp a little.

The Torchwood Hub looked slightly different from a few days ago. Futuristic weapons were lying on tables and desks, a strange gray goop was on the floor near the stairs, and a chair had toppled over. One thing that hadn't changed from last time though, was a bunch of yelling coming from somewhere off camera.

"Ianto! Keep hold of it!" Jack's voice ordered. A loud roar sounded out, followed by what sounded like struggling and a bunch of cursing. "Gwen, stun it! STUN IT, GWEN!"

"I'M TRYING!" an irate Welsh-accented voice snapped. A second later, there was a loud BZZZ followed by a thump, and then a triumphant "Yes!"

"Get him into the cell," Jack's voice wheezed. Right then, alarms began sounding along with the electronic voice proclaiming "_INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! COMPUTERS HACKED!_"

"Aw man," Owen groaned.

"No, wait," Jack ordered, presumably to Tosh, who was probably gearing up to go and investigate their hacker. "Ten quid says it's her."

There was a short silence and then a "You're on" from Ianto.

A moment later, a bunch of skidding rang out and the Torchwood team appeared on camera. While Tosh hurried over to her workstation to shut the alarms off, Jack, Ianto, Owen, and Gwen raced over to the computer screen Alex had managed to hack into.

"Alex!" Ianto beamed. Then, he remembered his bet with Jack. "Aw man." He turned to Jack. "I don't suppose you'd accept personal favors over money, would you?" A pause, and then Ianto shook his head. "Wait, sorry. Stupid question."

Jack just smiled and crossed his arms, leaning back against a table. "Alex Locke," he smirked, the consonants in her name enunciated in his smooth American accent. "Looking lovely as ever."

Alex was about to giggle until a low growl sounded out from behind her. "Jack," the Doctor growled. Alex turned to see the Doctor leaning against the railing, arms crossed and shoulders hunched. His eyes were dark and narrowed and he was glowering – literally _glowering _– at the screen.

Jack frowned. "I was just saying hello!" he objected, causing some of the Torchwood team members to snort.

"With you, that's enough," the Doctor argued. He pushed himself off the railing and went over to stand beside Alex, letting the Torchwood team see him better. He consciously wrapped an arm around Alex's waist, pulling her to his side. He wanted Jack to see that Alex was his and only his. The charming, smooth-talking immortal couldn't have her. The last Time Lord had already claimed her.

Jack peered at the screen. "I see you regenerated, Doc. And nice! You get younger every time I see you! Only…" Jack stepped closer and squinted. "Is that a bowtie?"

"Oi!" the Doctor cried, his glare intensifying. "Bowties are _cool_, thank you very much."

"No they're not," Own muttered under his breath. Gwen elbowed him.

Jack shrugged and resumed his position against the table. "Well regardless, you make it work Doc. So, judging by the fact that I'm talking to you, I take it UNIT's reports about your death were greatly exaggerated."

"Faked," Alex jumped in. "By the Shansheeth and a Colonel at UNIT who wanted the TARDIS to change and get rid of death."

"Fortunately, I managed to stop them," the Doctor beamed.

Alex lightly him on the arm. "You mean _we_, oh mighty one. Not to mention Sarah-Jane, Jo, Rani, Clyde, and Santiago."

"Yes, they helped too," the Doctor admitted.

Jack chuckled a little, amused at their interaction with each-other. "Glad to hear it. A universe without the Doctor is _not _something I want to imagine."

"Neither do I," Alex said, shuddering at the very thought. A universe without the Doctor would be utter chaos.

A few minutes later, after chatting with the Torchwood team a little more, the Doctor disconnected and pushed the monitor away. He rested against the console for a moment, just thinking things over. Alex was still pressed into his side. It seemed as they talked with Jack longer, the Doctor's grip on her grew tighter and more possessive. She liked it.

She watched as the Doctor stared off, deep in thought. "Doc? You okay?"

"I'm always okay, Ally," the Doctor said, reaching up to run a hand through her hair.

"Really?"

"Yes, Ally. It's just…I haven't seen Jack in a while. Not since I was regenerating."

"That was a while ago, wasn't it?"

"A couple of months," the Doctor nodded. "That last body…he didn't die happy. I was quite fond of being him."

"I'm sorry," Alex said.

The Doctor sighed. "Typical humans," he muttered. "Always apologizing for things they have no control over."

"It shows we care," Alex corrected. "And I meant that I'm sorry you regenerated in such a bad state of mind."

The Doctor shrugged. "Wasn't all bad though."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Because of that regeneration, I damaged the TARDIS so much, I crash-landed into the backyard of a little Scottish girl. And because of all that damage, I arrived twelve years later than I meant to, meeting not only that now grown-up little Scottish girl, but her perfect American friend as well."

Alex blushed. "Really?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "Yes. I wouldn't change a single second of that day, Ally."

Alex giggled. "I'm glad to hear that, Doc."

The Doctor tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, straightened up, and pushed off the console. "Now!" he declared, spinning around a little. "How about some sonic lessons?"

Alex grinned. "Bring it on, Doc. Bring it on."

"Great! Now, for your first lesson, let's try checking a person's health. This is incredibly important as humans, and occasionally Time Lords, get incredibly sick. Aim your sonic out and start buzzing it at me…"

A/N: Nice long chapter for you all. Hope you liked this episode! It was one of my favorites to write! Up next, we've got 'A Christmas Carol' and then this story will be over. *sobs* But I've got another OC coming in the next couple of weeks to entertain you while I work on the sequel. :)

Notes on reviews...

**The Raggedy Time Traveler **- Alex won't be happy about being around so much water, but I will say some stuff happens beforehand that reassures her a little. Swimming lessons maybe? :) Glad you liked the chapter!

**SopherGopherroxursox **- Lol, I don't want anyone suffering from fluff withdrawal! Hope this chapter made up for it. :) I love that bit too. :) No, Alex didn't get kidnapped, but in my General Hospital crossover fanfic, the character I have chosen will get taken with them. I know, I'm jealous of Alex too! She's a glamorized version of me, so that makes me jealous of myself... If I could trade places with her, I would! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Sorry for the confusion! The Groske race hate the Graske race. The Graske were in a Sarah-Jane episode, though I haven't seen it. Hope that clears it up! Rani and Clyde are characters in the Sarah-Jane Adventure series that help Sarah-Jane defeat aliens. Santiago is Jo's grandson and was only featured in this episode. The other one you're thinking of is probably Luke, Sarah-Jane's adopted son, who was off at college at this point. :)

**mayfire21 **- I can't think of any more old characters that might be popping up, but you never know! :)

**rycbar15 **- Lol, thanks. Yes, this story will end before Season 6 and the sequel will pick up with 'The Impossible Astronaut'. :)

**We're All M-M-Mad Here **- Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad you like this! :)

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! And yes, she will. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Lol, I'm not sure if they'd be fighting over it or not, but we know Alex would definitely win. :) Yeah, they definitely would feel the other dying. Lol, glad you like those parts! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Thank you! :)

**JackSpicer2311 **- No, 10 would still be regenerating. I think it makes for a good reaction from the OC. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	71. A Christmas Carol Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or _Hourglass _by Myra McEntire.

Alex slumped down in one of the console room chairs, eyes focused on her book as the Doctor sat under the console in his little swing, working on parts of the TARDIS that probably didn't need to be fixed.

"'…._and almost sucked a corn kernel down my throat. After Dune whacked me on the back and stopped my coughing, I pointed to a shimmering square of light hanging in the atmosphere. It was as tall as the ceiling and at least ten feet wide…_'"

"Wrong!" the Doctor objected, looking up at her through the glass floor.

"Hush!" Alex scolded. "Now, continuing on."

"'_Holy… It's like a blanket made of water or something. And I can see it really, really clearly.'_

"'_That's one of the benefits of duronium. The way it interacts with your body chemistry helps you locate veils-,_'"

"Wrong!" the Doctor protested again.

"Will you stop interrupting?" Alex asked, though she was more amused than anything. She turned the book over to look the cover; _Hourglass_, by Myra McEntire. She had started reading the book aloud at the Doctor's request about an hour ago and ever since then, he'd been loudly interrupting and protesting at the book's description of time-travel.

"I can't help it! That book is completely and totally wrong! No human, even if they possessed time-traveling abilities and duronium – which doesn't even exist, by the way – could travel through a _veil_. They would disintegrate!"

"That's why this is science-_fiction_, Doctor," Alex laughed. "And no one else knows about this stuff, so how would they know the stuff in the book wasn't real?"

There was what sounded like some mutterings from the Doctor before a final "Oh, shut it you! Keep reading."

Alex giggled, but obliged. It had been like this for the past two weeks, ever since they left Sarah-Jane's attic and began traveling the universe again, just the two of them, no one else. This thought was both exciting and nerve-wracking for so many reasons.

They had grown closer during their trips, though that was a given. Surprisingly, each of their trips so far had been nice, peaceful ones. The Doctor had taken her to a fantastic party that was being thrown by the royal family on some planet in the 59th century. They had danced all night long, their arms and eyes never leaving each-other for more than a few seconds. Their next stop had been a visit to the building of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. As it turned out, those people claiming the Egyptians had had help from aliens weren't all that far off. The Doctor had concocted some kind of gizmo that made dragging the stones up the pyramid a heck of a lot easier. From there on out, they had been to a whirlwind of places, so many that Alex had asked if they could take a free day so they could relax and recharge from all these adventures. The Doctor was so wrapped around her finger, he had said yes without any hesitation.

Of course, being alone and so close together, even in a space as big as the TARDIS, was pretty crazy. Alex was constantly aware of his presence, even when she was in her room fast asleep while he was off doing God-knows-what. Her heart thudded constantly and a continuous stream of adrenaline ran through her veins. Her dreams of him were becoming more vivid and intense. Her diary entries were reaching the point where the scribbling's _Mr. and Mrs. _started to appear. The time she spent without him, whether she was showering or drying her hair or just reading a book in the library, was becoming unbearable.

Naturally, none of this was making the realization about her being in love with him any easier.

Alex sighed. She loved spending alone-time with the Doctor, but with the way things were progressing, it was becoming too much for her. It was so much easier when Amy and Rory were here. The Ponds were everywhere, flittering from their room to the library to the console room to the kitchen and elsewhere. It was hard to concentrate on romance and the nerves that comes along with it when they were around.

Which reminded her… "Hey Doc?" Alex called, interrupting her reading. "When are we going to pick Amy and Rory up? It's been two weeks."

The Doctor looked up at her through the glass floor. Truthfully, he had kinda forgotten about Amy and Rory. Alex was there and it was kind of hard to think about anything else when she was with him, especially when she was the only companion with him. He liked Amy and Rory, don't get him wrong, but he liked having only Alex with him just a teensy bit more. Okay, a lot more. And because of that, picking up the Ponds was the furthest thing from his mind.

He was about to answer with something like 'Oh don't worry Ally, we'll see them soon' and then launch into a long story that would guarantee to distract her, when a sudden bonging began ranging out. It was the TARDIS Cloister Bell.

Quick as a wink, the Doctor jumped out of his harness and ran up the stairs to the console. As Alex looked around bewilderedly, the Doctor dragged the monitor hanging over the console over to him. A message was displayed on it, in big important all caps. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED.

"What is it?" Alex demanded over the incessant bonging.

"Distress signal!" the Doctor told her as he ran over to the typewriter on the console and typed a bunch of instructions into it. He pulled the monitor over and his face paled. "It's Amy and Rory!"

"What?!" Alex screeched, running up to him to see the signal.

The Doctor leaned closer to the screen in an effort to listen to the signal. However, the bonging of the Cloister Bell was a little distracting. Without moving his eyes away from the screen, he reached out and flicked a nearby switch. The bells went silent, the beeping of the distress signal filling in the empty space.

"What's it say?" Alex murmured.

The Doctor shushed her and pressed his ear to the screen. "Ship crashing….please help us…come along raggedy Doctor."

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Alex exclaimed. "We have to help them!"

The Doctor immediately jumped into action, rushing around the console like crazy while Alex hastened to grab onto the railing. "Right! First things first, we have to get to the ship!" He typed in some coordinates, along with a message for Amy, before throwing a lever and zooming them off.

The TARDIS thrashed around violently when they arrived outside the ship. Lightning bolts rang down upon the time-machine and they were tossed around by the storm. The Doctor and Alex clung to the console and railing respectively, as the Doctor tried to get the TARDIS to land on the ship, but he was unable to get a good lock on the structure, what with it crashing and all.

"We can't land there!" he shouted to Alex as he ran around the console. "The ship's crashing and the TARDIS can't get a good lock on it. But, we can do something else."

"And what would that be?" Alex questioned, nearly getting knocked off her feet as the TARDIS took a sudden and sharp left turn.

"That storm outside isn't natural! We're in a cloud belt and someone's controlling it!" The Doctor typed a bunch of commands into the typewriter and a moment later, something popped up on the monitor. He pulled it over and beamed. "Oh, thank you dear!" he called to the time-ship. "You're marvelous!"

The TARDIS hummed delightedly while Alex tried not to feel jealous of a sentient time-machine. Honestly, this jealousy trait of hers was getting out of hand.

A moment later, they had landed. The Doctor bounded down the stairs, Alex hot on his heels. Opening the door, they found themselves on the roof of a large Victorian manor, the gray storming sky above them. Also on the roof was a large spire that towered over them. An energy beam was shooting out of it and disappearing into the clouds.

Alex stared at it. "What is it?" she breathed.

"A way to control the cloud layer," the Doctor answered. "Someone's controlling it, and that same person is putting the Ponds and everyone on that ship in danger." He looked around for a way to get down into the house, finally spotting a chimney on one side of the roof. His face lit up into a grin. There was a chimney….and it was Christmas….

Alex noticed his maniac grinning and followed his gaze over to the chimney. She frowned. "Oh, no!" she declared, shaking her head. "I know _exactly _what you're thinking and if you think I'm doing it, you're out of your bleeding mind!"

"Oh, come on, Ally," the Doctor smirked. "Live a little. Besides, it'll be fun!"

Alex shook her head. _Fun_, indeed.

* * *

"Look, petal, we already have a surplus population!" an old man snapped into the phone. He, a few of his servants, and a family dressed in rags were currently in his dark and dreary study/command center, the command center everyone was trying to get him to shut down. The frown already on the man's face intensified as the person on the other line started to object. "No more people allowed on this planet!" the man barked. "I don't make the rules."

Right at that moment, some soot fell down the chimney, unnoticed by all except for the little boy in the family.

"Oh no, hang on, I do!" With that, the man hung up the phone.

He turned to the family. "Right, you lot," he sneered. "Poor, begging people. Off home and pray for a miracle."

But right then, a large amount of soot fell into the fireplace. It extinguished the fire and caused a bunch of embers and ash to tumble out onto the floor. Following this was none other than the Doctor, completely drenched in soot. As the Doctor coughed and got to his feet, another round of soot fell down as Alex landed in the fireplace on her butt, covered head to toe in soot.

She glared at the Doctor as she got up. "Follow me down the chimney, he said!" she cried, marching over to the Doctor, a fierce glare on her face and fire in her eyes. "It'll be fun, he said! Well, I'll tell you something right now, mister! It was NOT fun! In fact, it was a big, disgusting, bloody shi-,"

"Kid in the room!" the Doctor hissed, nodding to the young boy in the family before Alex could say the rather vulgar 'shitfest'.

Alex looked over at the young boy and the vulgar word died on her lips. "Right… Well, better explain what we're doing here then."

The Doctor nodded. "Ah. Yes. Blimey." He turned to address the group. "Sorry! Christmas Eve on a rooftop. Saw a chimney, my whole brain just went 'What the hell'!"

_What the hell indeed_, Alex thought, brushing more soot off her jacket and jeans.

She watched as the Doctor went over to the family. The family, all dressed in tattered and faded clothing, consisted of the young boy, a young girl around his age, an older man that was probably the children's father, and an elderly woman who was most likely the children's grandmother. "Don't worry, fat fellow will be doing the rounds later," the Doctor said to the children. "We're just scoping out the general chimney-ness." He moved back over to the chimney and leaned against it. "Yes. Nice size, good traction…" He trailed off as the chimney burned his hand and he jumped back. "Big tick!"

"There was a fire roaring in there genius," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Fat fellow?" the dad in the family repeated before the Doctor could try to retort.

"Father Christmas," the Doctor said, "Santa Claus or, as I've always known him, Jeff."

The young boy shook his head in protest. "There's no such person as Father Christmas!"

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor challenged, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a black and white photograph. He held it out to the boy while Alex hurried over to get a look at it. The picture showed the Doctor, someone who appeared to be Frank Sinatra, Santa Claus….er, _Jeff_, and another guy with crazy white hair. "Me and Father Christmas, Frank Sinatra's hunting lodge, 1952. See him at the back with the blonde? Albert Einstein. The three of us together…brrm. Watch out. Okay? Keep the faith. Stay off the naughty list."

Alex gaped up at him. "You mean he really exists? You really know Santa?!"

The Doctor grinned at her. "Impressed, Ally?"

"Immensely," Alex beamed. Then, her smile soured as something occurred to her. "Tell your friend he owes me a Barbie Dream House from when I was nine." Actually, Santa owed her a LOT of Christmas presents. The holidays with Carla weren't exactly festive. Far from it actually. Her idea of Christmas was getting drunk on store-bought eggnog and drunkenly dancing to Christmas carols on the radio until she either passed out or the neighbors called the cops. Alex had spent the majority of time in her room, reading Christmas-centered books over and over again where the characters were miserable at the start, but blossomed at the end, all the while wishing she could be like them.

The Doctor saw pain flash through her eyes at the memory of what must've been a terrible Christmas. He winced, wishing, not for the first time, that he could've been there for her. He wished he had stayed in Bristol for the thirteen years Alex was there, just looking out for her until she was old enough that he could take her away with him forever. Of course, he couldn't do that. It would cause a mega paradox. But he could try to make it up to her.

"Of course, Ally," he smiled, meaning every word of it. While he rather doubted 21-year-old Alex would get much use from a Barbie Dream House, if it made her happy, he didn't care. "But it'll have to wait. Because…" He whirled around to face what looked like a giant organ, only this organ had a bunch of futuristic panels on it, covered with dials, switches, and buttons.

"Ooh! Now, what's this then?" he exclaimed, grabbing Alex's hand and pulling her along after him. "I love this! A big flashy lighty thing!" He sat down in a swivel chair in front of the device, pulling Alex down to sit in his lap. "That's what brought us here. Big flashy lighty things have got us written all over them. Not actually, but give me time, and a crayon."

"No!" Alex objected, eyes wide. "Do _not_, under any circumstances, give him a crayon." Before she had started reading to him a few hours ago, she had given him a coloring book and a box of crayons she had found, something for him to do to cease his boredom while she read. This being the Doctor….well, it hadn't ended well. Alex shuddered to think of how long it would take to scrub the scribbling's off the irate TARDIS's walls.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, pointedly ignoring her. "Now," he continued, "this big flashy lighty thing is connected to the spire in your dome, yeah?"

"And it controls the sky," Alex helpfully added.

The Doctor nodded at her. "Good job, Ally. Although, technically, it controls the clouds, which aren't clouds at all." He nudged her off his lap and got up, keeping hold of her hand as he paced over to a large metal box on the side of the room. "Well, they're clouds of tiny particles of ice. Ice clouds. Love that." They rounded the front of the box, this view allowing them to see an unconscious blonde-haired woman inside it, seemingly frozen. "Who's she?" the Doctor questioned.

"Nobody important," the old man retorted.

"Nobody important," the Doctor repeated, incredulous. "Blimey, that's amazing. Do you know, in nine hundred years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important before." He turned to smile at Alex, causing her cheeks to turn so red, they were visible even under all the soot on her face.

The Doctor and Alex went back over to the console, the Doctor leaning over to examine it more closely. "Now, this console is the key to saving that ship, or I'll eat my hat. If I had a hat. I'll eat someone's hat."

"Will you eat that ugly fez I saw you eyeing at that market in 1900 India?" Alex smirked, remembering the Doctor's 'hat-envy' when he saw someone in the market wearing the same hat he so desired.

The Doctor frowned at her as he started playing with some of the switches on the console. "Fezzes are _cool_, Ally. And no, not someone who's _using _their hat. I don't want to shock a nun, or something. Sorry, rambling, because…because this isn't working!"

"The controls are isomorphic," the old man called over. "One to one. They respond only to me."

"Oh, you fibber," the Doctor accused, remembering the times he had told his companions the TARDIS controls were isomorphic just to keep them from touching the console. "Isomorphic. There's no such thing!"

The old man just rolled his eyes and calmly walked over to them. Acting like he didn't have a care in the world, he reached over and flicked a switch. The machine shut down. He flicked the same switch again. This time, the machine turned back on. As he stepped away, the Doctor reached over and tried the same switch. All this resulted in was a bunch of beeps. Frowning, the Doctor reached over and grabbed Alex's sonic necklace, his lifting of the device causing Alex to stumble closer to him, to where she was nestled in his side. Still, even with a sonic device, nothing happened.

The Doctor released the necklace, letting it drop back down to Alex's collarbone. "These controls are isomorphic!" he exclaimed.

Alex rolled her eyes. "No. Really? Never would've guessed."

"The skies of this entire world are mine," the old man informed them before the Doctor could try and retort to Alex's sarcasm. "My family tamed them, and now I own them."

"Tamed the sky?" the Doctor repeated. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm Kazran Sardick," the old man boasted. "How can you possibly not know who I am?"

"Well, just easily bored, I suppose," the Doctor shrugged, not really caring whether or not he was being rude. "So, we need your help, then."

"Make an appointment," Kazran retorted, waving them off.

The Doctor frowned at him. "There are _4,003_ people in a spaceship trapped in _your _cloud belt."

"Two of them our best friends," Alex jumped in, glowering at the man. "Without your help, they'll die!"

"Yes," Kazran agreed.

"You don't have to let that happen," the Doctor told him.

"I know, but I'm going to. Bye, bye. Bored now…Chuck!" Immediately, one of the servants straightened to attention and marched over to the Doctor and Alex. He grabbed the Doctor by one elbow and Alex by the arm before leading them out.

However, the Doctor was able to wriggle out of the man's grasp and, after a few sharp kicks to the man's ankle, Alex got free as well. The two hurried over to Kazran, who was calmly settling down in a large leather chair by the fireplace.

"Ooo, look at you, looking all tough now," Kazran wryly laughed.

"There are 4,003 people we won't allow to die tonight," the Doctor said, ignoring the dig. "Do you know where that puts you?"

"Where?"

Alex smiled, knowing where the Doctor was going. "4,004."

Kazran's eyes narrowed at them. "Was that a sort of threaty thing?"

"Whatever happens tonight," the Doctor continued, ignoring the question, "remember you brought it on yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, right," Kazran said, nervously clearing his throat, the duo's words having got to him, though he would never admit it. "Get them out of here! And next time, try and find me some funny poor people."

The Doctor and Alex were grabbed by two more servants who led them towards the door, along with the family. However, the young boy copied their earlier moves and broke free of the servant holding on to him. He ran into the middle of the room, quickly spotting a lump of coal that had rolled out when the Doctor and Alex made their little entrance by fireplace. He picked it up and hurled it at Kazran, the lump hitting the old man square on the head.

Kazran whirled around, an angry look on his face. He stormed over to the young lad, who was currently frozen in place. Everyone watched, horrified, as Kazran raised a hand to hit him.

"No, stop, don't!" the Doctor shouted, thrashing around as he tried to break free of his guard.

"Get away from him!" Alex cried.

"Don't you dare!" the father in the family shouted. "You leave him!"

Alex tensely watched as Kazran's hand froze in the air. It shook a little, as if Kazran was unsure whether or not to actually go through with the hit. After a tense few seconds, Kazran lowered his hand. "Get him out of here!" he ordered. "Get that foul-smelling family out of here! Out!"

"We're going!" the boy cried as he and the rest of his family were pushed out the door.

Kazran stalked back over to his chair, but stopped when he saw the Doctor and Alex still standing in the room. "What? What do you want?"

"A simple life," the Doctor answered. _Preferably with Ally,_ he added silently. "But you didn't hit the boy."

"Well, I will next time!"

The Doctor shook his head. "You see, you won't. Now why?" He tugged Alex along as he began to pace. "What am I missing?"

"Get out," Kazran ordered. "Get out of this house!"

The Doctor ignored him, instead choosing to look around the room. His gaze traveled over to a large portrait on one of the walls. It was of a terrifying looking man, a Christmas tree in the background. He then eyed the rest of the room. He noticed that all the chairs were facing the same way, not one of them looking at the portrait. He then looked down at Alex, who had also noticed all this. The two looked at each-other, both of them thinking the very same thing.

"The chairs," they said together.

"The chairs!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Of course, the chairs! Stupid me, the _chairs_." He leaned down and kissed Alex on the forehead, murmuring a "You're brilliant," in her ear.

Kazran looked at them confusedly. "The chairs?"

"There's a portrait on the wall behind me," the Doctor explained, nodding to the menacing painting. "Looks like you, but it's too old, so it's your father."

"All the chairs are angled away from it," Alex picked up, waving a hand around at the chairs.

"Daddy's been dead for twenty years," the Doctor jumped in, "but you still can't get comfortable where he can see you. There's a Christmas tree in the painting, but none in this house, on Christmas Eve. You're scared of him, and you're scared of being like him, and good for you, you're not like him, not really. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you didn't hit the boy," Alex answered, having already figured this out.

The Doctor smiled in agreement. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Sardick."

"I despise Christmas!" Kazran snapped.

"You shouldn't," the Doctor said. "It's very you."

"It's what?" Kazran frowned. "What do you mean?"

But the Doctor only smiled mysteriously. "Halfway out of the dark," he murmured, just before the servants arrived and grabbed him and Alex, taking them out of the room.

Kazran watched them for a moment before turning to look at the large metal box with the woman inside it. "Get her downstairs with the others," he commanded. "And clean up this mess."

* * *

"_Have you got a plan yet?_" Amy asked over the comm the Doctor had managed to connect to her.

"Yes, I do," the Doctor affirmed. At the moment, he and Alex were walking through Sardicktown. It was a large bustling place that reminded Alex of a Dickens London. Cobblestones decorated the streets and all the wooden houses were close together, a real fire hazard, though in the future, it was likely they had done something to the houses to prevent this.

"_Alex, is he lying?_"

Alex laughed. "What do you think Amy?"

"_I think I'd better start writing out my will._"

"_Was he lying?_" they heard Rory distantly ask.

"_No, no,_" Amy lied.

"Okay, the good news," the Doctor began. "I've tracked the machine that unlocks the cloud belt. I could use it to clear you a flight corridor and you could land easily."

"_Oh, hey! Hey, that's great news!_" Amy cheered.

"But I can't control the machine," the Doctor added.

A short silence and then "_Less great._"

"But we've met a man who can!" the Doctor said enthusiastically.

"_Ah well, there you go!_"

"But he hates the Doctor," Alex revealed.

"_Were you being extra charming and clever?_" Amy asked the Doctor.

"Yeah," the Doctor confirmed, looking rather surprised that Amy had guessed this. "How did you know?"

"_Lucky guess._"

"Sir…ma'am!" a new voice called out. The duo turned to see the father of the family they had encountered a few minutes prior rushing over to them.

"Hang on," the Doctor murmured to Amy just as the man approached.

"I've never seen anybody stand up to Mr. Sardick like that!" the man gushed as she shook their hands. "Bless you sir, bless you, ma'am, and merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Alex smiled.

The Doctor nodded his agreement, though he looked more frazzled and worried than jolly. "Lovely. Sorry, bit busy."

"You and your wife better get inside, sir," the man continued. "The fog's thick tonight, and there's a fish warning."

"All right, yeah," the Doctor agreed.

Alex only blinked. "Fish?" she skeptically repeated.

"Yeah," the man nodded. "You know what they're like when they get a bit hungry."

The Doctor nodded along, although anyone could tell he was just as confused as Alex. "Yeah, fish, we know fish. Fish?"

"It's all Mr. Sardick's fault, I reckon," the man explained. "He always lets a few fish through the cloud layer when he's in a bad mood. Thank you. Bless you once again, sir, ma'am." With that, the man went off.

Once he was out of earshot, the Doctor and Alex turned to each-other. "Fish?" they simultaneously wondered.

"_Doctor,_" Amy's voice rang out. "_The Captain says we've got less than an hour. What should we be doing?_"

But the two barely heard her, for at that moment, they spotted a bunch of tiny fish actually swimming around a nearby streetlamp. Alex marveled at the sight while the Doctor murmured "Fish."

"_Sorry, what?_" Amy questioned, obviously confused by the switch in topic.

"Fish that can swim in fog," Alex murmured, trying to wrap her head around such a thing.

The Doctor looked down at her and grinned. "Don't you just love new planets, Ally?"

"_Doctor. Doctor! Alex, please don't let him get distracted!_"

"Now, why would people be frightened of you tiny little fellows?" the Doctor wondered, holding out his fingers so that the fish could nibble on them. Alex, a little bit more wary, stayed slightly behind the Doctor, though that didn't stop some of the fish from circling her legs. "Look at you, sweet little fishy-wishies. Mind you, fish in a fog, so the cloud cover…"

"Ooh," Alex winced, knowing what he was thinking. "Amy, be careful up there!"

"_Oh, great, thanks, Alex, because there was a real danger we were all going to nod off!_" Amy retorted. "_We've got less than an hour!_"

Right at that moment, a nearby clock stuck eleven. The Doctor glanced at it as it bonged the hour. "I know," he said, his voice slightly grim.

"_Ding Dong Merrily on High!_" a singer's voice rang out from nearby loudspeakers.

"_Doctor? Alex? How are you getting us off here?_" Amy questioned.

"Oh, just give me a minute!" the Doctor cried as he began to pace.

"We can't use the TARDIS," Alex frowned, "because you said it couldn't lock on."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "So, that ship needs to land. But it can't land unless a very bad man suddenly decides to turn nice just in time for Christmas Day."

"_Doctor, I can't hear you,_" Amy protested. "_What is that? Is that singing?_"

"This whole thing is like 'A Christmas Carol'," Alex said absently.

The Doctor stopped in his tracks. "A Christmas Carol," he murmured, thinking this over.

"_A what?_"

"A Christmas Carol…"

"A CHRISTMAS CAROL!" the Doctor shouted in delight. He whirled around and rushed over to Alex. "Alex Locke, you are _brilliant_!" He kissed her forehead while Alex smiled, having a good guess as to what he was thinking.

"_Hosanna in excelsis!_" the carol continued.

"_Doctor?_" Amy questioned.

"_Gloria…_"

"Kazran Sardick," the Doctor smirked at Alex.

"_Doctor!_"

But the Doctor only ignored her. "Merry Christmas, Kazran Sardick," he beamed, before leading Alex back to the TARDIS.

"_Hosanna in excelsis!_"

"So, we're going back in time to try and change Kazran from bad to good?" Alex asked as the Doctor ran around the console.

"Exactly, Ally!"

Alex's brow furrowed. "But won't that cause a paradox? I mean, messing with a person's timeline… You told me when we were with Van Gogh that it was really risky."

"Yes, but that was with Vincent Van Gogh," the Doctor said as he typed some coordinates in. "Special circumstances. Here, we're dealing with a mostly average citizen. As long as we get the same outcome in the future – Kazran being in control of the cloud belt – we're good."

Alex nodded. "Okay, I think I got that. So where do we start?"

"First, we have to determine why Kazran became the way he did. I believe the answer to that lies with his father."

"Makes sense," Alex agreed. Her hometown, as great as it was, had some horrible citizens, some worse than Carla. Alex had gone to school with classmates whose parents were in prison, made meth in their basements, were alcoholics and/or druggies, and some who did horrible things to their kids in their bedrooms late at night. Alex could see that all those kids were affected by these things and it wasn't for the better.

Now, Alex shrugged off her bomber jacket, wincing as a large mound of soot and ash dripped onto the glass floor. "Um, I'm going to go change. When we do go back in Kazran's timeline, I don't want to be looking like a Santa-in-training."

"Or a Locke Ness," the Doctor quipped.

Alex blinked. "Sorry, what?"

This time, the Doctor turned to face her. "Locke Ness? Hot mess?"

Alex groaned. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the 'pond water' joke you made during our adventure on Base Diana, would it?"

"You were lucky I didn't make a comparison to 'locke and key' or something."

Alex laughed. "Okay, Doc. Fair enough. Now, I'd better go from looking like a Locke Ness to hot."

* * *

Kazran slept in his big easy chair, rather exhausted from the pressures being a miser/almost dictator bring. Just then, a recording began playing on the wall in front of him.

"_Hello, my name is Kazran Sardick,_" a young Kazran said into the camera. "_I'm twelve and a half, and this is my bedroom._"

"Top secret special project," the elder Kazran murmured as his subconscious detected the recording.

"_This is my top secret special project. For my eyes only. Merry Christmas!_"

"_KAZRAN!_"

The sound of this all-too familiar voice caused Kazran to awaken. He stared in shock at the recording, watching his younger self turn from eager and excited to utterly terrified.

"_Kazran! Kazran, what are you doing?_" his father demanded as he entered young Kazran's bedroom. "_What are you doing?_" He peered at the camera, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "_I've warned you before about this, you stupid, ignorant, __**ridiculous **__child!_"

"_I was just going to make a film of the fish,_" young Kazran whimpered.

"_The fish are dangerous!_" his father snapped.

"_I just want to see them!_"

"_Don't be stupid,_" his father protested. "_You're far too young._"

"_Everyone at school's seen the fish!_" young Kazran argued.

"_That's enough! You'll be singing to them next, like gypsies._"

"_The singing works!_" young Kazran protested. "_I've seen it! The fish like the singing._"

"_What does it matter what fish like?_"

"_People say we don't have to be afraid of the fish. They're not really interested in us._"

"_You don't listen to people! You listen to __**me**__!_" Then, as if to punctuate this, he hit the young boy. The elder Kazran flinched and rubbed his cheek, remembering the sharp sting that had lasted for hours.

"_OW!_" young Kazran cried out, before dissolving into tears. "_I'm sorry, Father!_"

"_This is __**my **__house! While you're under my roof, you'll obey __**my **__instructions! I don't care what you…_"

The Doctor and Alex stepped up behind Kazran. Alex turned away from the video, trying to hide her tears. That young boy had been horribly treated by someone who was supposed to love him and care for him. Alex had buried her face in the Doctor's jacket at the slapping part, unable to see it, though just hearing it wasn't any better. She winced, watching as the Kazran on the video buried his head into his folded arms on the desk while his father stood by, watching with a detached interest.

The Doctor kept one arm wrapped around Alex's back as they stepped closer to Kazran. He knew seeing the video had affected her. It had affected him too. He had heard and seen child abuse before in his travels and, though it was hardly ever mentioned, there had been some on Gallifrey as well, thankfully not with his family, but with the Master's, which may have influenced the man more than anything. He glanced up at the crying Kazran on the video. His hearts pained. How could people be so heartless?

This thought in mind, he reached out with his free hand to touch Kazran on the shoulder. "It's okay. It's okay," he murmured.

Kazran jumped, tugged free of his grasp, and whirled around to glare at them. "What have you done?" he demanded. "What is this?"

"Found it on an old drive," the Doctor answered. "Sorry about the picture quality. Had to recover the data using quantum enfolding and a paperclip."

"Don't bother calling your servants. They quit," Alex called as Kazran moved towards the bell. "Apparently," she continued, casting a mischievous look at the Doctor, "they all won the lottery at the exact same time."

"A bit lucky when you think about it," the Doctor added, shooting Alex a conspiratorial smile.

"There isn't a lottery," Kazran protested.

"Yeah, as I say, _lucky_."

"_There's a fog warning tonight,_" Kazran's father continued on the video. "_You keep these windows closed, understand? Closed._"

"Who are you?" Kazran asked them.

"Tonight," the Doctor smirked, "I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past."

"_Mrs. Mantovani will be looking after you tonight,_" Kazran's father added. "_You stay here till she comes. Do you understand? Do you understand?_" Young Kazran didn't respond, for his head was still buried in the desk, his sobs echoing out.

"Did you ever get to see a fish back then?" Alex asked, watching this. "When you were a kid?"

"What does that matter to you?" Kazran glared.

"Look how it mattered to you," the Doctor said, nodding his head at the video.

Kazran turned to look at the video, his expression unemotional. "I cried all night," he told them, "and I learned life's most invaluable lesson."

"Ah," the Doctor nodded. "Which is?"

"Nobody comes," Kazran said sourly. "Get out! Get out of my house!"

The Doctor's arm around Alex tightened a little as he backed her up. "Okay. Okay," he agreed, "but we'll be back. Way back. Way, _way _back." They backed into the room the TARDIS was in and rushed inside.

The Doctor leapt up to the console, turning to grin at Alex. "Ready to surprise a twelve year old, Ally?"

"Twelve a_nd a half_, Doc," Alex corrected. "And yes, yes I am! Let's go!"

A/N: And here's the first part of 'A Christmas Carol'! This episode will be five chapters long, with a possibly epilogue chapter after that. Then, this story will be over! :(

Some notes on reviews...

**Timeywimey12 **- Not until the sequel, no. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Glad you liked the possessive moments! There will be more in this episode, between the Doctor and Alex. :)

**Gwilwillith **- I know! Yeah, I don't want it to end either. :(

**TheUltimateGuest **- Yes, only 5-6 days left! It'll take me a little while to write the sequel, but I hope to have it up before Christmas. :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- We'll have to wait and see if the getting-together is in the finale or not. Lol, no, I don't practice being a tease. :) Glad you liked the possession moments and Alex's chat with Sarah-Jane. I felt like it was important for her to talk to someone who knew what she was going through with her feelings for the Doctor. And the possessive parts came because it's Jack. :)

**We're All M-M-Mad Here **- Glad you liked that part! Don't worry, they will tell each-other eventually. :)

**mayfire21 **- Thank you! I can't wait to reveal the title of the sequel! I think it'll make you all think and ponder it while I'm writing the sequel. :)

**Guest **- Thank you for the advice! Like I've said before, it means a lot. :) I agree, those stories are kind of old. I have an idea for a Whovian OC story, but she probably won't get written for a while, if I even write her at all. Yes, the progression for this story is normal. I'll say that in OC stories I have planned for the future, the relationship won't take as long as it does here to happen. Lol, the majority of this story is already written up, so that's how I can post every day! I just have to finish up the last few bits of 'A Christmas Carol', which I should get done with in the next 2 days. :)

**lalala00123 **- They're my ship too! But we've still got a few chapters to go on this, so we'll see what happens. :) No, I didn't know that! I thought they were two separate species where they both lived pretty long, but only the Time Lords could regenerate. :)

**jesterlover **- I know, I so want a sonic necklace! :)

**rycbar15 **- Don't worry, I'm not going to forget. I hate when people do that. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- I know, I hate that it's ending too. But I'm going to try my hardest to get the sequel posted up real soon. And you all can enjoy the new OC story I'm launching in the next couple weeks. :) Yes, she did get into them first... Must've been more on her mind than just saving the kids. :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- I don't want it to end either! :( But, Q&A time! :) The Doctor doesn't meet other Time Lords in his travels because they're all in the Time War which was time-locked, meaning they can't go anywhere and they can't escape the time-lock. And, unfortunately, the Doctor can regenerate into a girl. It was said in 'The Doctor's Wife' that his friend the Corsair regenerated into a girl a couple times. Hopefully, that won't happen to the Doctor. I don't think Alex could take it. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and favored/followed this story! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	72. A Christmas Carol Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. I only own Alex.

The TARDIS rematerialized outside young Kazran's bedroom window. Of course, they had to make a pit stop before they could go there.

"How do you get all these lottery tickets to people?" Alex asked as they stepped out of the TARDIS and up to the window.

"I've had a lot of practice," the Doctor said as he looked into the window. Just as he expected, young Kazran had lifted his head upon hearing the TARDIS materialization noise and was staring at them bafflingly. "See?" the Doctor crowed into Kazran's camera, knowing that the elder Kazran was watching them right now. "Back!"

"Who are you?" Kazran questioned as the Doctor pushed open the window and began climbing in.

"Hi. I'm the Doctor."

"And I'm Alex," Alex said, poking her head through the window as the Doctor entered the room.

"We're your new babysitters," the Doctor explained as he helped Alex into the room.

"Where's Mrs. Mantovani?" Kazran frowned.

"Oh, you'll never guess!" the Doctor grinned. "Clever old Mrs. Manters, she only went and won the lottery!"

"There isn't any lottery," Kazran objected.

"So we keep hearing," Alex said, smoothing out wrinkles in her skirt. Her new outfit consisted of a black long-sleeved shirt, a blue blazer, a white skirt with black roses on it that hovered several inches above her knees, black tights, calf-length black suede boots, a white scarf, a black belt, large hoop earrings, and her sonic necklace.

"I know!" the Doctor exclaimed, jumping up and down on the bed. "What a woman."

"If you're my babysitters, why are you climbing in the window?"

"Because if we were climbing out of the window, we'd be going in the wrong direction," the Doctor answered, hopping off the bed. "Pay attention."

"But Mrs. Mantovani's always my babysitter."

"Times change," the Doctor shrugged, peering closer into the camera. "Wouldn't you say? You see?" He gestured to himself. "Christmas Past."

"Who are you talking to?" Kazran questioned.

"You," the Doctor said, which didn't serve to clear things up for the boy at all. He turned back to the camera, addressing the older Kazran watching the video. "Now, your past is going to change. That means your memories will too. Bit scary, but you'll get the hang of it."

"I don't understand," Kazran said, shaking his head.

"I'll bet you don't!" the Doctor grinned at him. "I wish I could see your face." Then, clapping his hands, he plopped down onto the bed, automatically reaching out and pulling Alex onto his lap. "Right then! Your bedroom. Great! Let's see. You're twelve years old, so we'll stay away from under the bed. Cupboard! Big cupboard! I love a cupboard." He nudged Alex off his lap and raced over to the thing, opening it up and sticking his head inside.

"Do you know," he said over his shoulder, "there's a thing called a face spider. It's just like a tiny baby's head with spider legs, and it's specifically evolved to scuttle up the backs of bedroom cupboards-,"

"Which you _really _shouldn't have mentioned," Alex interrupted, placing a hand on the terrified-looking Kazran's shoulder.

The Doctor winced. "Right." He shut the cupboard doors and came back over to them. "So. What are we going to do? Eat crisps and talk about girls? I've never actually done that, but I bet it's easy. Girls? Yeah?"

While Alex snickered at the Doctor's lack of babysitting knowledge, Kazran asked "Are you _really _babysitters?"

"I am," Alex confirmed, sitting back on the bed. She eyed the Doctor. "Can't say the same for him though."

The Doctor glared at her, affronted, before turning back to Kazran. "I think you'll find I'm universally recognized as a mature and responsible adult," he boasted proudly while handing the boy the psychic paper.

Kazran squinted at the paper and frowned. "It's just a lot of wavy lines," he reported.

The Doctor took the paper from him and examined it. "Yeah, it's shorted out," he explained. "Finally, a lie too big." Alex burst out laughing, though she was silenced by the sharp look the Doctor gave her.

"Okay, no," the Doctor admitted once Alex was quiet. "Not really a babysitter, but it's Christmas Eve. You don't want a real one. You want us."

"Why? What's so special about you?"

"Have you ever seen _Mary Poppins_?" the Doctor asked.

"No."

"Good," the Doctor nodded. "Because that comparison would've been rubbish. Fish in the fog. Fish in the clouds. How do people ever get bored? How did boredom even get invented?"

"My dad's invented a machine to control the cloud belt," Kazran told them. "Tame the sky, he says. The fish'll be able to come down, but only when we let them. We can charge whatever we like."

"Yeah," Alex nodded, thinking of what the machine was doing right now a couple decades in the future. "We've seen your dad's machine."

"What?" Kazran said, surprised. "You can't have."

"Tame the sky," the Doctor repeated, ignoring the boy's protests. "Human beings. You always manage to find the boring alternative, don't you?"

_Boring, but safer,_ Alex thought.

"You want to see one?" the Doctor asked Kazran. "A fish. We can do that. We can see a fish."

Kazran eyed him suspiciously. "Aren't you going to tell me it's dangerous?"

Alex opened her mouth to do just that, but the Doctor beat her to it. "Dangerous?" he laughed. "Come on, we're boys! And you know what boys say in the face of danger."

"What?"

"Mummy," the Doctor grinned.

"Or 'Ally', in somebody's case," Alex smirked.

The Doctor shrugged good-naturedly, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Well, yes, that's true. But only in my case. Only I can call her Ally. So, if there is danger, don't go yelling 'Ally'. Got it?"

"Are you a couple?" Kazran asked instead.

The Doctor made a _why-me _expression up at the ceiling while Alex shook her head. "No, not a couple," she replied.

"Nope, most certainly not!" the Doctor agreed, his voice squeaking a little.

Kazran nodded, trying to hide his smile. Oh, the Doctor was so far gone for this Alex…

* * *

A few minutes later, the trio were seated against the back wall of Kazran's closet. The Doctor had concocted a pulley that was currently dangling his sonic screwdriver out into the bedroom. The other end of the pulley was a string wrapped around the Doctor's finger.

Kazran looked around the dark closet worriedly. "Are there any face spiders in here?"

"Nah, not at this time of night," the Doctor answered. He was currently seated on Kazran's right while Alex was on Kazran's left. "They'll all be sleeping in your mattress."

"He's kidding," Alex said quickly, noticing the look of alarm on Kazran's face. Knowing he needed a distraction, she asked "Why are you so interested in the fish?"

"Because they're scary," Kazran told her.

"Good answer," the Doctor smiled.

Kazran turned to face him, his eyes shooting down to the Doctor's bowtie. "What kind of tie is that?"

"A cool one," the Doctor defended.

"Why is it cool?"

"God knows," Alex giggled.

The Doctor pointedly ignored her. "Why are you really interested in the fish?"

"My school," Kazran sighed sadly. "During the last fog belt, the nets broke and there was an attack. Loads of them. A whole shoal. No one was hurt, but it was the most fish ever seen below the mountains."

"Weren't you scared?" Alex asked.

"I wasn't there," Kazran admitted. "I was off sick."

"Ooh, lucky you," the Doctor said. Kazran shook his head. "Not lucky."

"It's all anyone ever talks about now. The day the fish came. Everyone's got a story."

"But you don't," the Doctor and Alex said together. On his own, the Doctor said "I see."

"Why are you recording this?" Kazran asked, nodding at the camera the Doctor had set up across from them.

"Do you pay attention at school, Kazran?" the Doctor asked.

"Sorry, what?"

"Because you're not paying attention now." The Doctor nodded down to the string, which was tugging at his finger. He stood up and made his way over to the door, motioning Alex up. "Shush."

"Doctor, are you sure?" Kazran asked.

"Trust me."

"Okay," Kazran sighed.

"Oi!" The Doctor turned and knelt down next to him, looking the boy right in the eye. "Eyes on the tie. Look at me. I wear it and I don't care. Trust me."

Kazran nodded, looking more ready to trust him now. "Yes."

"That's why it's cool," the Doctor explained, before getting up and rejoining Alex by the door. The two exchanged a look before stepping outside together.

A small fish was in the center of the room, examining the sonic. The Doctor watched it as he shut the closet door and maneuvered Alex behind him, just to be safe.

"Hello, fishy," the Doctor smiled as they stepped closer to the sonic. "Let's see."

"Crystalline fog," Alex announced, having already used her sonic necklace to scan the environment. She was getting much better at using it. The Doctor always found some way to get her to practice using it on their travels.

The Doctor nodded approvingly at her. "Good job, Ally. Crystalline fog, eh? Maybe carrying a tiny electrical charge. Is that how you fly, little fishy?"

"What is it?" Kazran called from the closet. "What kind? Can I see?"

"Just stay there a moment!" the Doctor replied.

"Is it big?" Kazran asked.

"No, it's just a little one," Alex answered.

"So, little fellow," the Doctor murmured, leaning closer to examine the fish. "What do you eat?"

But right at that moment, a huge great-white shark burst into the room. The Doctor and Alex, eyes outrageously wide, hastily backed up against the wall as the shark swam forwards and devoured the sonic screwdriver and the fish in one gulp. Alex probably would've screamed in terror had the Doctor not put a hand over her mouth to keep her from doing so and scaring Kazran half to death.

"How little?" Kazran questioned, blissfully unaware of the danger his 'babysitters' were in.

"Er…" the Doctor choked as he and Alex started inching their way around the room and towards the closet. He moved his hand off Alex's mouth and placed her fully behind him, his hands on her hips to keep her moving. Behind him, he heard Alex whimper and felt her clutch the back of his jacket.

"Can I come out?" Kazran asked.

"No, no," the Doctor hastily answered. That was _not _a good idea.

"Just…wait there for a moment," Alex gulped, her eyes fixated on the shark, who was watching them with what she was pretty sure was a hungering stare.

"What color is it?" Kazran wondered.

"Big," the Doctor gasped. "Big color." Then, before he could change his mind, he grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her along as he made a mad dash to the closet. He threw the door open, shoving Alex inside ahead of him, just barely managing to shut the door before the shark threw itself against it.

"What's happening?" Kazran demanded as the Doctor leaned against the door and Alex threw herself down onto the ground next to the boy. She reached out and pulled him closer to her, hoping to protect him should the shark break through the fragile wooden door.

"Well, concentrating on the plusses, you've definitely got a story of your own now!" the Doctor said in a reassuring voice, which was ruined a little as the shark banged against the door. The Doctor grimaced and pressed himself tighter against the wood. "Also, we got a good look at the fish, and I think I understand how the fog works, which is going to help me land a spaceship in the future and save a lot of lives. And I bet I get some very interesting readings off my sonic screwdriver when I get it back from the shark in your bedroom."

"There's a shark in my bedroom?!" Kazran shouted.

"Oh fine, focus on that part!" the Doctor snapped.

There was another bang on the door and then, nothing. It had stopped. "Has it gone?" Kazran breathed. "What's it doing?"

The Doctor looked at them, a mixture of worry and graveness on his face. "What do you call it if you don't have any feet, and you're taking a run-up?"

_Us being screwed,_ Alex thought as the Doctor dived down beside her, pressing them all into a corner away from the doorway. And just in time too, for right then, the shark burst through the door.

"It's going to eat us!" Kazran shouted while Alex screamed bloody murder. "It's going to eat us! It's going to eat us…is it going to eat us?"

"Well, maybe we're going to eat it," the Doctor suggested, eyeing the glowing green sonic screwdriver in the shark's open mouth, stuck that way since only its upper portion was in the doorway. "But I don't like the odds. It's stuck, though. Let's see. Tiny shark brain. If I had my screwdriver, I could probably send a pulse and stun it."

"Well, where's your screwdriver?" Kazran asked.

"Well, concentrating on the plusses, within reach. You know, there's a real chance the way it's wedged in the doorway is keeping its mouth open."

"There is?" Kazran questioned skeptically.

"Just agree with me, because I've only got two goes, and then it's Alex's turn."

"Two goes?" Kazran and Alex wondered.

"Two arms!" the Doctor exclaimed, holding up his arms for emphasis.

But before he could even attempt to stick a hand into the shark's mouth, a sudden buzzing rang out and the shark's mouth closed and it fell to the ground, unconscious.

The Doctor and Kazran whirled around, only to see Alex beaming victoriously, her sonic necklace held out in front of her. "Aren't you glad you gave me a sonic necklace, Doc?" she chirped.

The Doctor blushed. In all the excitement, he'd actually forgotten that Alex had her sonic necklace. "Yes, immensely. Good job, Ally."

"No problem, Doc," Alex said modestly, dropping her necklace back down to her collarbone. Then, she reached out and whacked the Doctor upside the head.

"Ow!" the Doctor cried, putting a hand to the spot she'd hit. "What was that for?!"

"You were going to stick your hand down a shark's mouth, you idiot!" Alex snapped. "And then make me and Kazran do it if you lost both limbs!"

The Doctor winced. "Ah. Yes. Right. Sorry?"

Alex huffed and rolled her eyes, but ultimately scooted forward and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. "It's cool, Doc," she said, not noticing how red the Doctor's face had gotten at her kiss. "But don't do that again."

"Yes, Ally."

Kazran bit his lip to keep from grinning. They were so a couple.

* * *

A few minutes and a lot of heavy lifting later, the trio were on the patio outside Kazran's bedroom. Behind them, the cloud dome was still under construction. The stunned shark was lying at the Doctor's feet, Kazran kneeling beside it. The Doctor and Alex were standing a few feet away, examining the remains of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

"What's the big bad fishy done to you?" the Doctor crooned to the piece of sonic lying in the palm of his hand. "Swallowed half of you, that's what! Half a screwdriver, what use is that?" He frowned down at the shark. "Bad, big fishy," he scolded.

"You can build another one," Alex sighed. "And not all's lost; we have my necklace."

"Doctor? Alex?" Kazran called. The two turned to him, taking in the boy's worried face. "I think she's dying."

"Half my screwdriver's still inside, but yeah, I think so," the Doctor sighed.

"They probably can't survive long outside the cloud belt," Alex guessed.

The Doctor nodded his agreement. "Just quick raiding trips on a foggy night."

"Can't we get it back up there?" Kazran asked. He sniffled a little. "We were just going to stun it. I didn't want to kill it."

"She was trying to eat you," the Doctor reminded him. _And Ally,_ he thought, but didn't say.

"She was hungry," Kazran countered.

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Kazran. I can't save her. I could take her back up there, but she'd never survive the trip. We need a fully functioning life-support."

"You mean like an icebox?" Kazran said, his face turning from sad to hopeful in the blink of an eye. "Okay!"

* * *

The Doctor and Alex followed Kazran down some stairs and into a sitting room. A large tree had been set up in there, lights twinkling merrily, making the big blue, green, and red ball ornaments shine like they were jewels.

This, of course, distracted the Doctor. "Ooh, a tree," he marveled as Kazran grabbed a lamp off a nearby table.

"Doctor, come on!" Alex said, tugging on his hand to lead him down some more stairs after Kazran. They soon entered a basement area where a large round door with a window and wheel was.

The Doctor peered through the window to see a large room full of big metal boxes, all lined up in neat rows. "What is this?" he asked as Alex bounced up and down a little to try and see. Rolling his eyes at her antics, he reached down and lifted her up by the waist, ignoring the tingling in his fingertips as he did this.

"The surplus population," Kazran explained. "That's what my dad calls it."

The Doctor set Alex down and moved to help Kazran open the door. "Oh, it's not turning!" Kazran groaned as they strained against the wheel. "Oh, why won't it turn?"

"I think this is why," Alex said. The Doctor and Kazran turned to look at her. She was leaning against the wall next to the door. She reached up and tapped a keypad with her nail.

The Doctor hurried over to examine it. "Ah, what's the number?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kazran admitted.

"This place is full of alarms. It's not just the door. I need the number."

"I'm not allowed to know until I'm older," Kazran confessed.

"Lucky we have another sonic," Alex chirped, balancing up on tip-toe to reach the keypad. She buzzed her sonic charm over the keypad for a few moments, the light in the topaz on the charm turning her face copper, before there was a beep and the door unlocked. "There we go!" she beamed, settling back down. "And it's seven, two, five, eight, by the way."

As Kazran headed inside, the Doctor grinned and said "Have I mentioned you're brilliant lately?"

"Not in the last hour, but thank you," Alex smiled.

The Doctor laughed and put an arm around her waist, leading her into the cryovault. The vault was very cold, making Alex thank God for her long-sleeved shirt and blazer. A thick fog ran across their knees, which the Doctor scanned with Alex's necklace.

"Crystalline fog," Alex read. "Same kind of fog upstairs, which means…"

"There's fish down here, too," the Doctor finished, pointing at a few small fish swimming by.

"Yeah, but only tiny ones," Kazran explained as he led them through the vault. "The house is built on a fog lake. That's how Dad freezes the people. They're all full, but we could borrow one." He led them further along before stopping in front of one storage unit. "Yeah, this one."

The Doctor and Alex peered inside. It was the same woman they had seen earlier, the one Kazran had deemed 'unimportant'. "Hello again," the Doctor murmured.

"You know her?" Kazran said, surprised.

"Why her?" Alex asked. "Important, is she?"

"She won't mind," Kazran assured her. "She loves the fish." He went to the side of the box where a keypad was. Tapping in a few numbers, he started a video recording that began playing on the box's window.

"_My name is Abigail Pettigrew,_" the young woman began, "_and I'm very grateful for Mr. Sardick's kindness. My father…_"

"She starts to talk about the fish in a minute," Kazran told them.

"_…but I would not allow it. I could not have chosen this path were it not for the compassion and generosity of the great philanthropist and patron of the poor, Mr. Elliot Sardick. But I'm also surrounded by the fish, the beautiful, iridescent, magical fish…_" As Kazran and Alex continued watching and listening, the Doctor began wandering through the rows of storage units, looking into a few to see people frozen like Abigail.

"Why are these people here?" he asked Kazran.

"_…they dash beneath the light as they dart through the fog…_"

"What's all this for?"

Kazran shifted a little. "My dad lends money," he explained. "He always takes a family member as….he calls it security."

"Hard man to love, your dad," the Doctor commented. "But I suppose you know that." Kazran's only response was to look down at the floor. Alex put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, thinking about how her grandmother was very much the same way.

"…_nature. I am not alone, and I am at peace._" With that, Abigail's recording ended.

Kazran hit another button on the side of the storage unit, this one starting the thawing process. As the container lit up and the icicles on Abigail's face began melting, a strange radar-like beeping sounded. Kazran and Alex turned to see the Doctor examining his lone half of the sonic screwdriver, holding it up in the air.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Just my half a screwdriver trying to repair itself," the Doctor answered. "It's signaling the other half."

Alex's eyes widened just before Kazran reminded them "The other half's inside the shark."

_Oh, shit, _Alex thought.

"Yeah?" the Doctor said, like he hadn't remembered this. "Sounds like she's woken up. Okay, so it's homing on the screwdriver…"

Right then, like the shark in _Jaws _popping out of the water, their shark popped up over the fogbank, its mouth wide and gaping, exposing row upon row of sharp, pointy teeth. "Run! Run!" Kazran shouted, taking off in one direction with Alex while the Doctor ran off in the other. Halfway into his run, the Doctor realized that Alex wasn't with him. He debated going back for her, but immediately decided against that as the shark lunged at him, sending him toppling to the ground, knocking down a few storage units along the way.

Meanwhile, Alex ushered Kazran behind a large storage unit. She kept the boy pressed against her side, her hands on his shoulders, ready to shove him behind her in a moment's notice. She had briefly thought about going with the Doctor, but she didn't want to leave Kazran alone and at the mercy of a hungry, possibly pissed-off shark.

They stayed behind that storage unit for what felt like an hour, though it was really a few seconds. Just as Alex was imagining the _Jaws _shark score in her head, a sudden, melodious voice rang out.

"_In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan. Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow. In the bleak midwinter long ago…_"

Ever so cautiously, Alex and Kazran made their way out of their hiding place and over to the source of the voice. They soon came upon the Doctor, who was staring ahead of him at the sight of a newly unfrozen Abigail singing to the shark, the formally hostile creature now lying peacefully on the floor.

"It's not really the singing, of course," the Doctor said as they approached them.

Kazran frowned. "Yes, it is!"

"Nah."

"The fish love the singing!" Kazran argued. "It's true!"

"Nah," the Doctor dismissed again. "The notes resonate in the ice crystals, causing a delta wave pattern in the fog-," Suddenly, he slapped the back of his neck. "Ow! A fish bit me!"

"Shut up, then," Alex suggested, Kazran nodding in approval.

"_Heaven and Earth shall flee away…_"

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed, ignoring her advice. "That's how the machine controls the cloud belt. The clouds are ice crystals. If you vibrate the crystals at exactly the right frequency, you could align them into, ow!" He slapped the back of his neck again. "Why do they keep biting me?!"

"Look, the fish like the singing, okay?" Kazran glared at him. "Now, shut up!"

"Okay," the Doctor agreed, pouting slightly, making Alex giggle into her hand.

"_In the bleak midwinter, falling down before, the ox and ass and camel adore._"

* * *

"It's bigger on the inside!" Kazran exclaimed a few minutes later. He and Abigail were gaping at the dimensionally transcendental TARDIS while the Doctor and Alex were attempting to fit the shark into the icebox.

"Yeah, it's the color," the Doctor quipped as he shoved the lid of the icebox down, Alex sitting on top of it for good measure. "Really knocks the walls back."

Alex looked down the window at the currently peaceful shark and shook her head. "Of all the things I imagined doing with you on our travels, putting a shark in a box was not one of them."

"Expectations are boring, Ally," the Doctor smirked. After making sure the lid was secure, he leaped up, looking pleased with himself. "Shark in a box, to go!"

While the Doctor and Alex were pushing the icebox inside, Kazran and Abigail stepped through the TARDIS doorway. "This is amazing!" Abigail breathed as she turned around every which way, trying to take in as much of the control room as she could. She fell back a bit as the Doctor started piloting the TARDIS, though their flight this time was nowhere near as bumpy as it usually was.

"Nah, this is transport!" the Doctor said, racing down from the console to the doors. "I keep amazing out here." With that, he threw open the doors, showing off a brilliant view. They were now up in the cloud layer, surrounded by fish of every type, size, and color.

"Come on, then!" the Doctor called as Kazran, Abigail and Alex admired the view. "Let's get this shark out!" He rushed over to the box and pressed a few numbers into the keypad, defrosting the frozen shark. A few moments later, it burst out and sped towards the doors. Kazran, Abigail, and Alex leaped out of the way as the shark swam outside, home once again.

"Hey, look at her go!" Kazran cheered, snapping a photograph with a camera he just happened to have.

Alex laughed and turned away, only to see the Doctor frowning at Abigail's icebox. Sensing a pair of eyes on him, he looked up and waved Alex over. Alex hurried over to him. "What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling down next to him.

The Doctor pointed to a set of dials on the front of the icebox. They read 000 0008. Alex frowned at them. What could they possibly mean? _Maybe it's a number Mr. Sardick uses to identify her? _She guessed. It wasn't completely outside the realm of possibility.

"Abigail, this number," the Doctor's voice rang out. "What does it mean?"

Abigail moved over to them and took a brief glance at the number before sighing. "It pertains to me, sir, not the fish."

"Yeah, but how?" the Doctor asked.

"You are a doctor, you say?" Abigail recalled. "Are you one of mine?"

Alex frowned worriedly. Abigail certainly seemed healthy. "Do you need a doctor?" she asked gently.

But before Abigail could answer, something on the console went _ding!_ The Doctor whirled around and ran back over to the console. "Ah. Sorry! Time's up, kids!"

"Why?" Kazran questioned, wandering over to them.

The Doctor smiled at him. "It's nearly Christmas Day."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Doctor, Alex, and Kazran were standing in front of Abigail icebox, Abigail back inside, ready to be frozen again.

"If you ever wish to visit again…" Abigail began as she adjusted herself inside.

"Well, you know," the Doctor shrugged, putting one hand up against the icebox, trying to figure out a polite way to say no, "if we're ever in the neighborhood…"

"They come every Christmas Eve!" Kazran cut in.

The Doctor gaped at him while Alex snickered. "What?!"

"Yeah, they do!" Kazran continued, ignoring him. "Every time! They promise!"

"No, I don't!" the Doctor started to protest as Kazran shut the door to the icebox, plunging Abigail back into a deep-freeze.

"Are you out of your mind?!" the Doctor cried when Kazran finished doing this.

"Oh, come on!" Kazran pleaded.

The Doctor shook his head. "No! Absolutely not! Forget it. _I won't._"

Kazran frowned, beginning to look disappointed, when Alex stepped up. "Don't worry, Kazran," she assured, winking conspiratorially at him. "_I _can get him to say yes."

The Doctor's eyes widened, knowing exactly what Alex was about to do. They both knew she had him wrapped around her finger, and there was nothing he could do to change that. "Alex…" he began, hoping that his voice expressed the desire that she not do this to him.

"Doc…" Alex matched in the same voice. Behind her, Kazran watched them curiously, wondering what Alex was about to do to him.

"Ally, if you respect me at all, please don't do this," the Doctor begged.

"Doctor, will you,"

"Stop!"

"Visit Abigail every,"

"Ally, please!"

"Christmas Eve, for me, _please_?"

Kazran watched the Doctor close his eyes and breathe deeply. It was like Alex's question was causing him physical pain. But finally, a moment later, he said, almost inaudibly, "Yes. Yes, Ally."

Alex grinned at Kazran over her shoulder, the boy stunned that Alex, with only a simple question, could get the Doctor to change his mind. "Thank you, Doc!" she squealed, hugging him before darting over to the TARDIS. "Kazran, hug the Doctor, and we'll see you next Christmas!"

Kazran did as she said, beaming up at the Doctor. "Thank you, Doctor! Thank you, Alex! See you both next Christmas!" With that, Kazran ran out of the cryo-storage room, completely enthused with the excitement only a twelve year old could have.

The Doctor sighed and leaned against Abigail's box. They really didn't have the time to make a bunch of trips through Kazran's timeline, not when Amy and Rory's lives were on the line a couple decades in the future. However, maybe these trips could soften the elder Kazran a little. With this reassuring thought now in his head, the Doctor straightened up and headed back to the TARDIS.

A/N: So many fluffy bits! Who liked the part where Alex got the Doctor to agree to visit Kazran and Abigail every Christmas? He's so wrapped around her finger. :)

Some notes on reviews...

**Red **- No, Alex doesn't only own velvet clothing. And actually, I don't think her clothing is consisted of velvet. Leggings, at least the ones I wear, are cotton. But I do understand your opinion about Alex's wardrobe. I'm not sure if she'll branch out into other types of clothing, but we'll see. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Lol, yeah I don't think he'd forget about the Ponds either, just...avoid going back for them for a while so he could spend more time with Alex. :) Glad you liked the chapter!

**Gwilwillith - **Thank you! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Thank you! I try hard to make sure her being in there looks natural and not forced. :) Yes, I can see the Doctor scribbling all over the TARDIS walls after he got finished or bored with the coloring book. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**rycbar15 **- Thank you! I did want to put a little spin onto the crayon thing, considering how childlike the Doctor can be. He'd be like a maniac sugar-high toddler. :)

**Guest - **I can't say! Sorry! :)

**jesterlover **- Yeah, probably not his best line. I couldn't resist though. Another reviewer said I should put the 'Locke Ness' bit in like that, because I wanted to do it in the 'Apollo 23' adventure, but couldn't find a good spot, so it went in here! :)

**Neko 97** - Lol, I love that part! I have honestly no idea how that popped into my head. :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- YES! I used your thing! I'm glad you liked it! :) I think 'A Christmas Carol' is usually classified with Season 6, but I've read stories where it's included with Season 5, so I put it in here. Lol, that's okay! I love the show, but I think I like my version a little better too. :) Have fun camping! I've been once and didn't like it, but I'm sure you'll have fun! See you Friday! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Lol, glad to hear your sister liked that I put her suggestion about the 'Locke Ness' in here. :) Nope, this isn't an original adventure. This is an actual episode. :) Nope, the OC isn't a part of the 'Living the Life of Ally' universe. She's completely separate, but I think you'll like her. I haven't seen an OC like her on here yet. :) Ahem...*coughs*...um, to be honest, I am not writing from experience. That's my imagination coming into play. I also read stuff like that. A lot. Hope that answered your question. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and followed/favored this story! Please review and see you tomorrow!


	73. A Christmas Carol Part 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

Abigail's icebox door flung open, releasing Abigail out of her cryogenic state. The Doctor, Alex, and Kazran were standing before her, the men wearing Santa hats while Alex was wearing a green elf hat. "Merry Christmas!" they all cheered.

"Doctor! Alex!" Abigail cried. As Kazran helped her out of the icebox, she asked "What are we going to do?"

"The Doctor's got a great plan!" Kazran enthused as they all hurried to the TARDIS. "Wait till you hear!"

"I personally think it's completely insane and dangerous, but feel free to make your own opinions," Alex told her.

Abigail laughed heartily. "I'm sure it's something brilliant!"

* * *

"You are out of your mind," Abigail said flatly a few minutes later. She, Kazran, and Alex were all currently seated in a two-wheel carriage outside Kazran's house, the street completely devoid of people. The Doctor was standing on the cobblestoned street, his half a sonic screwdriver pointed up towards the sky. "This will never work!"

"Thank you," Alex nodded. Honestly, they couldn't go on a normal horse-drawn carriage ride, they had to go on a…

"Oh, don't think shark," the Doctor retorted, not moving his eyes away from the sonic. "Think dolphin!"

Abigail and Alex frowned. "A shark isn't a dolphin," Abigail protested.

"It's nearly a dolphin," the Doctor persisted.

Alex and Abigail rolled their eyes. "No, it isn't," they argued.

"That's where you're both wrong, because…" The Doctor trailed off, unable to come up with a logical argument. "Shut up!"

"It could be anywhere," Kazran pointed out as the two women giggled and high-fived. "Will it really come?"

"No chance," the Doctor replied. "Completely impossible." Suddenly, he beamed as the sonic began emitting its radar noise again. "Except at Christmas."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Doctor was at the reins, flying the shark over the rooftops of Sardicktown. Behind him, Kazran and Abigail laughed in delight while Alex who, while surprisingly liking the shark-carriage ride, was clutching the edge of her seat, hoping that the Doctor didn't fly a carriage like he did the TARDIS.

The Doctor whooped with delight as Kazran called out "How are we going to get back?"

"I don't know!" the Doctor shouted.

"Do you have a plan?" Abigail questioned.

"Abigail, he _never _has a plan!" Alex cried. "He makes them up as he goes along!" This sparked a bunch of laughter and cheering, which continued as they flew farther and farther out into the sky.

* * *

"Best Christmas ever!" Abigail enthused as she climbed back into her icebox a little while later.

"Till the next one!" Kazran beamed, him, Alex, and the Doctor waving as Kazran shut the door and Abigail resumed her cryogenic state.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" the trio cried as the icebox door opened.

"Doctor! Alex! Where to this time?"

The Doctor grinned at her. "Did I mention, at any point, all of time and space?"

* * *

"Merry Christmas!"

"Doctor! Alex!" Abigail studied them. The Doctor and Kazran were wearing fezzes while Alex stood off to the side, arms crossed, shaking her head. Alex, of course, had declined to wear their choice of hat.

"Where are we going?" Abigail asked her as Alex helped her down.

Alex smiled at her eagerly. "Oh, you'll love it! The Doctor and I went there not too long ago and it's absolutely marvelous!"

"Where is it?" Abigail asked eagerly, Alex's enthusiasm rubbing off on her almost instantly.

Alex's smile grew into a giant grin. "Egypt."

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" the Doctor and Alex greeted when Abigail's icebox door opened. Kazran stayed silent. This year, he was going through puberty and was currently at that special time where boys' voices change. He had stayed silent the majority of the time so far. As he had explained to Alex, he really didn't want Abigail to hear his voice crack.

"Doctor! Alex!" Abigail exclaimed, taking in their apparel. All three were wearing long, stripy scarves of differing lengths and colors. Alex's was dark blue and purple, matching her outfit perfectly, while the Doctor's and Kazran's were decked out in every color imaginable. Regardless, all three of them looked splendid.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" they all shouted.

Abigail beamed and started to greet them…when her eyes fell on the older, much handsomer teen Kazran. "Kazran…" she breathed.

Alex wordlessly helped her out of the icebox, smiling to herself. She could tell by the nervous and excited look on Kazran's face that he was starting to get a crush on Abigail. Now, based on Abigail's reaction, it was looking like that crush was being reciprocated.

As Alex and the Doctor walked ahead, Abigail lingered behind so that she could walk with Kazran. "You've grown," she remarked, pointing out the obvious as they headed into the TARDIS, the Doctor and Alex already up at the console.

"Yes," Kazran blushed. He was incredibly worried about this Christmas. What if Abigail didn't like that he had changed? The Doctor and Alex never got any older, and because Abigail was kept frozen in ice, she didn't change either. He was the only one of the four who did. What if she didn't want to keep coming on their Christmas adventures anymore?!

"And now you're blushing," Abigail noticed, her words only serving to make Kazran blush even more.

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay."

Up at her place by the console, Alex watched the two and smiled. She _knew _a romance was blooming! She could just feel it! She had an eye for these things.

"So, Doctor," Kazran said now, "where this time?"

"Pick a Christmas Eve," the Doctor told them. "I've got them all right here." He patted the console for emphasis, the TARDIS letting out a little hum at the action.

"Might I make a request?" Abigail asked.

"Of course," the Doctor nodded.

"This one."

* * *

A few minutes later, the four were standing on a side street in a part of Sardicktown's slum district. Abigail, clad in a long dark cloak, was standing outside the door to her family home, watching her relatives through a window, while the Doctor, Alex, and Kazran stood a little ways away.

"Thank you, darling," they heard Abigail's brother-in-law Eric say to his wife. He kissed her on the cheek, making Abigail smile a little.

"Who are they?" Kazran asked.

"Her family," the Doctor answered. "The lady's her sister."

"We met her once," Alex picked up, "when she was older."

Kazran nodded and turned back to Abigail, who now had tears running down her face. "Abigail's crying," he observed, his voice sounding worried and protective.

"Yes," Alex nodded.

"When girls are crying, are you supposed to talk to them?"

The Doctor shrugged and shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're no help at all!" she retorted. She marched over to Kazran and placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look her right in the eye. "Yes. Of course! Girls want to be comforted. Now, go! Shoo." She shoved Kazran away and over to Abigail. When Kazran turned to look at her questioningly, Alex just made a shooing motion with her hands.

Kazran continued over to Abigail, knowing that Alex would hit him if he didn't. He stood beside her for a moment, staying silent as she continued to cry and watch her family. He felt a little awkward, even though he liked Abigail very much, and he was starting to wonder whether Alex was wrong or not. Then, Abigail spoke.

"My sister's family," she explained, sniffling a little. "They're so happy."

"They look very poor," Kazran observed, noticing the family's raggedy and tattered clothing and lack of fine possessions. It was all so different from his way of living.

"They are very poor," Abigail confirmed. "Doesn't mean you can't be happy."

"Close the curtains!" Eric ordered someone. A second later, their view into the house was cut off.

"And then why aren't you?" Kazran asked.

Abigail sniffled a little more. "Because this is the life I can never have."

Kazran's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why not?"

Abigail didn't answer, instead taking his hand and squeezing it. "I think you're blushing again."

Then, much to their shock and surprise, the Doctor threw open the curtains from inside, Alex standing next to him. So caught up in their talking, they hadn't even heard the TARDIS dematerializing and reappearing inside the house. "Come in!" the Doctor cried as Alex waved her hand in a beckoning manner.

* * *

The Doctor sat in front of a young boy, Ben, who he and Alex recognized as Benjamin, the father of the family from the future. The Doctor had a pack of cards out in front of him, getting ready to show the boy a card trick. Alex stood off to the side, watching dubiously as the Doctor began.

"Pick a card," the Doctor instructed, holding out a fan of cards. "Any card at all."

"Every Christmas Eve?" Alex heard Abigail's sister, Isabella, exclaim off to the side of the room. "I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do," Abigail admitted.

"You memorize the card, you put in back in the deck," the Doctor continued. "Don't let me see it."

"Is this what it looked like last year?" Eric asked, holding up some stockings before the fireplace mantel, as Ben picked a card from the deck, studied it, and then put it back.

"It doesn't have to be exactly the same," Isabella told him.

"I'm starting again," Eric declared. He turned to Kazran, who had offered to help him with the decorating. "Come on, Kazran, we're starting again."

"That's Kazran's boy, isn't it?" Isabella whispered to Abigail as the men began rearranging the stockings. Alex, from her angle, was able to hear the whole conversation.

"He's not like his father," Abigail said, as if she knew where her sister was going with the conversation.

Isabella shook her head. "His father treats everyone like cattle," she argued, her words making Alex frown, her eyes narrowing. "One day that boy will do the same."

"No. He's different," Abigail protested, causing Alex's frown to loosen a little and her eyes to cease their narrowing.

"The three of clubs!" the Doctor guessed, pulling Alex back into the card-playing. The Doctor held up a card before Ben.

Ben shook his head. "No."

"You sure?" the Doctor asked, eyeing him. "Because I'm very good at card tricks."

"It wasn't the three of clubs."

"Well, of course it wasn't." The Doctor pulled another card out of the deck. "Because it was the seven of diamonds!"

Ben gave him a flat look. "No."

Alex sighed, unable to take much more of this. "Oh move!" she cried, shoving the Doctor off the couch. "You're doing it wrong. Let _me_." The Doctor stood to his feet and stood behind the couch, watching as Alex reshuffled the deck before holding out a fan of cards. "Pick a card, Ben."

Ben obeyed and pulled out a card, examining it for a few seconds before putting it back in the deck. The two watched as Alex reshuffled the deck before pulling out a card. "Is this your card?" she asked, holding out the three of diamonds.

Ben shook his head. "No."

"Ha!" the Doctor crowed.

Alex just shot him an impish smirk before putting down the cards and leaning closer to Ben. "Of course it wasn't," she agreed, reaching for Ben's ear. "Because…" A card appeared in her hand, looking like she had pulled it out of Ben's ear, much to the boy and the Doctor's shock. "It was the Queen of Spades, wasn't it?" she smiled, holding out the card before her.

Ben nodded, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. "Yes! How'd you do that?"

"Yes, how _did _you do that?" the Doctor wondered.

"Magic!" Alex whispered excitedly, much to Ben's delight.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "The truth?"

Alex laughed and reshuffled the deck. "Ross taught me. Taught me how to play poker and Texas Hold 'Em too."

_Oh, ROSS taught you,_ the Doctor inwardly sneered, his jealousy of the good-looking country boy flaring up.

"I see him around town sometimes," Alex heard Isabella say to Abigail as she reshuffled the deck. "Never any friends."

"He's got me," Abigail replied. Alex smiled and looked over at Kazran, who seemed to be bonding with Abigail's family pretty well. He had been quiet and unsure at first, but Abigail had made a point of introducing him to everyone and, after a little while, the young man began to loosen up.

"All those Christmas Eves, you never once came to see us," Isabella accused.

"I'm here now," Abigail pointed out.

"Then stay," Isabella requested. "Stay for tomorrow. Have Christmas dinner with us."

"I can't," Abigail sorrowfully replied, causing Alex to frown a little. Abigail could stay outside the box for as long as she wanted. The TARDIS was a time-machine and they could get her back before anyone noticed she was gone. But, for some strange reason, Abigail would only stay one day, actually less than that. And it wasn't the first time she had done that. Alex had seen her constantly checking clocks on their travels. Why was she so worried about timing?

_It doesn't have anything to do with why she has so many doctors, does it? _Alex worried. But before she could pose her thoughts to the Doctor, Isabella stepped forward.

"Tomorrow's Christmas dinner is canceled," she announced, everyone turning to look at her in shock, "as my sisters refuses to attend."

"Isabella!" Abigail hissed.

"Instead…" Isabella's grim face broke out into a smile. "We'll have it tonight."

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone was sitting around the table, even the Doctor and Alex despite their attempts to break away and step back into the TARDIS. Now, Alex was sitting on the Doctor's right, Ben on his left. Alex watched as they each gripped an end of a Christmas cracker, something Alex had been scared by more than once during holidays with Amy and Rory. Those two loved making her shriek because of those things, even if they did get pelted with pillows afterwards.

"Three, two, one," the Doctor counted down, "pull!" He and Ben pulled and a second later, the cracker burst open with a loud POP. Though she had been expecting it, Alex still jumped and yelped.

"Scared, Ally?" the Doctor teased, having heard her yelp when the cracker popped.

Alex mock-glared at him. "Shut up." She turned to look at the contents of the cracker, her brow furrowing in confusion as she spotted the little prize inside. "Whatcha got there, Ben?"

Ben looked down at his cracker, his face turning into an expression of befuddlement and eagerness. "How did you do that?" he asked the Doctor.

"Your card, I believe," the Doctor said, nodding to the eight of hearts in Ben's hand. After Alex one-upping him in card tricks, he was determined to figure out Ben's card from their first game.

Ben shook his head. "No."

Alex laughed while the Doctor's hopeful expression turned sour. "Oh, shut up," he muttered, though whether it was to Alex or Ben wasn't clear.

Their attention was then drawn to Kazran as the young man nervously raised his glass. "Um…Merry Christmas!" he toasted.

"Merry Christmas!" everyone chimed in, raising their glasses and clinking them together.

* * *

About an hour later, the group were heading back to the TARDIS. While Abigail was tearfully telling her relatives goodbye, Kazran standing beside her comfortingly, the Doctor and Alex headed into the living room, where the TARDIS was parked.

"You think this is working?" Alex murmured to the Doctor, glancing back just in time to see Kazran hugging Isabella. "You think we're making him kinder?"

"Definitely," the Doctor confirmed. "A few more trips and he'll be helping us land a space liner, no problem."

The Doctor moved to open the TARDIS door and let Alex inside when Isabella suddenly called out "Doctor! Alex! Wait!"

The two whirled around, expecting to see some kind of look of terror on Isabella's face, but they instead saw a mischievous smirk. "What is it?" the Doctor wondered.

"You're standing under the mistletoe," Abigail told them, a smile threatening to crop up from the corners of her mouth. She pointed above them. The two stared at her before slowly looking up. Sure enough, hanging from one of the rafters was a nice sprig of mistletoe.

"That means you have to kiss," Kazran helpfully called out. He had to admit, he was rather enjoying this. While he'd much rather it be him and Abigail instead of the Doctor and Alex, he was enjoying this too much to try and stop it. He had always thought the Doctor and Alex were a couple. Maybe kissing under the mistletoe would help hurry things along.

The Doctor and Alex looked ever so slightly terrified. "Um…we're, we a-aren't a," the Doctor weakly protested, stumbling over his words.

"No, no, probably not a good idea," Alex agreed, her words spilling out of her mouth so fast that they were almost impossible to interpret.

"It's a tradition!" Abigail cried. "And this is still my Christmas Eve."

They couldn't exactly argue with that.

"Now go ahead," Isabella urged.

"Kiss!" Ben ordered.

The Doctor and Alex turned away from them to look at each-other. Alex felt her heart pounding in excitement and nervousness. This would be the first time she kissed the Doctor since figuring out she loved him. She seriously doubted that he felt the same way about her, which was what kept her from saying anything. She couldn't risk him shunning her or sending her home. She wanted to stay with him for as long as she possibly could, even though staying around him while knowing that she loved him was beginning to get so much more difficult. Especially because of this mistletoe kiss! God, of all the traditions to last into the future, this had to be one of them?!

The Doctor eyed Alex nervously, even though his hearts were fluttering in excitement at the prospect of kissing her, his Ally. Not Ross's or Jack's, but _his_. Of course, he could never really have her, not really. Human lives were so fleeting. He would lose her eventually, to old age or when she ultimately had to leave the TARDIS, having grown up and away from his adventure-filled but dangerous lifestyle. But he could have her now, right in this moment as he kissed her.

Ever so slowly, their lips got closer and closer before ultimately touching. Unlike their _Byzantium _kiss and their Dream Lord Leadworth reality kiss, this one was slower, tenderer. Instead of tasting hot and feisty, the Doctor's lips now tasted like warm embers cooling down from a blazing fire. Alex's lips still had their sweet and sour taste, but it was much more subdued now, like a key lime pie. Hesitantly, their lips moved together and their eyes closed, each of them unconsciously moving closer to the other.

Finally, after almost a minute had passed, Alex needed to breathe. She reluctantly moved away, gasping for breath as her eyes fluttered open. She watched as the Doctor's eyes opened, also slightly gasping for breath. In the excitement he felt in kissing Alex, he had forgotten to use his respiratory bypass system.

"Hi," Alex breathed nervously, wondering what had just transpired between them.

"Hello," the Doctor chuckled lowly, the low timber of his voice sending shivers down Alex's spine.

It was then that they remembered they weren't alone. Rather awkwardly, the two turned to see Abigail, Kazran, and Abigail's relatives staring at them, all of them totally silent. They had all seen how tender and sweet that kiss was. A kiss like that didn't happen between two people who claimed not to be a couple.

"Right, well!" The Doctor clapped his hands together, hoping to move along and get Abigail back to her icebox before taking another trip into the future so they could make Kazran nicer and save the Ponds, who probably wouldn't be happy to learn that the two had spent their time kissing instead of figuring out ways to save them.

Then again, based on how the two had been pushing him in Alex's direction for months now, maybe not.

_Shut up!_ The Doctor inwardly snapped. He could not think about that! He had to concentrate. "Come along, Alex, Kazran, Abigail!" Then, before anyone could stop him with another mistletoe kiss, he ducked into the TARDIS, Alex following him a beat later, her brain still tingly and muddled from their kiss.

* * *

"Best Christmas Eve ever!" Abigail beamed, hugging the Doctor outside her icebox.

Alex chuckled. She said that every year. Although, since she had seen her family this year, she probably really meant it this time. "Till the next one," she said.

"I look forward to it," Abigail smiled. She looked away from them for a moment, taking a sideways glance at Kazran. "Now, I'd like to say good night to Kazran."

"Of course, yes," the Doctor nodded, not moving away even though that was what Abigail had clearly implied. "Well, on you go."

Alex rolled her eyes as Kazran shot the Doctor a glare. God, the man was oblivious. No wonder he hadn't realized her feelings for him. "You are an idiot," she sighed, grabbing his jacket sleeve and pulling him away towards the TARDIS. "They want to be _alone_."

"Oh. Oh!" the Doctor cried, now getting it. "Yes. Right! Sorry! I'll…er…we'll go, then. Good night." He turned to look at Kazran. "Good luck. Night! Good night!"

They were about halfway to the TARDIS when Kazran came running after them. "Doctor!" he cried, causing them to turn around. "I…er…I think she's going to kiss me."

_What did you think she was going to do? _Alex wondered. _Ask you to teach her how to play checkers?_

"Yeah, I think you're right," the Doctor agreed.

"I've never kissed anyone before!" Kazran said worriedly. "What do I do?"

"Well, try and be nervous and rubbish and a bit shaky," the Doctor advised.

Kazran and Alex stared at him. "Why should he do that?" Alex questioned.

"Because he's going to be like that anyway," the Doctor shrugged. "Might as well make it part of the plan, then it'll feel on purpose."

Alex shook her head. The Doctor's lack of romantic expertise was truly astounding. _You didn't seem that nervous when you kissed me,_ she thought, but didn't say. She knew better than to say that. She turned to Kazran. "Just…be yourself," she advised. "As long as you're yourself and confident, you'll be okay." She reached out and shoved Kazran back towards Abigail. "Now, shoo! Go!"

"What, now?" Kazran questioned, turning back to her with nervous eyes. "I kiss her now?"

The Doctor looked at him seriously, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Kazran, trust me. It's this or go to your room and design a new kind of screwdriver. Don't make my mistakes."

Alex stared at him. "You must've been quite the ladies man in school," she wryly commented.

The Doctor ignored her. "Now, like Ally said, shoo!" He shoved Kazran towards Abigail and, after a brief over the shoulder glance at them, Kazran went on. The two watched as he approached Abigail. The second he regained his place in front of her, Abigail pulled him in for a deep, long kiss. They were so absorbed in it, that they didn't even hear the TARDIS leave.

* * *

They went to several places. The Statue of Liberty – the old one, not the New New York one – Uluru, the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building – the Doctor triple checking to make sure they hadn't landed in 1930, for some reason – even the Eiffel Tower. Alex loved all of those trips, except for one. That would be the party the Doctor took them to in Hollywood, 1952.

Alex stood off by herself in some bushes behind the pool outside a huge Hollywood mansion that belonged to some huge star from this time period. Frank Sinatra? Humphrey Bogart? Regardless, the party was positively thrilling, full of celebrities she remembered watching on Turner Classic Movies when she was a little girl. She had even dressed up for the occasion, now wearing a light pink strapless lace cocktail dress with matching pink heels and silver dangly earrings.

She fiddled with her sonic necklace a little, glancing behind her at the laughter coming from the house. The Doctor had ushered her to the balcony doors a few minutes ago, right when she was in the middle of chatting with Spencer Tracy of all people. Alex hadn't been sure what his motivation for separating her from Spencer Tracy had been. He couldn't possibly think the handsome actor was interested in her, could he? Everyone at this party knew he was having an affair with Katharine Hepburn!

Alex sighed and made a move towards the house. She was going to go back in there and party, regardless of whether or not the Doctor thought all the male celebrities in there had amorous intentions towards her. Just as she was starting to walk up, Kazran came running down from the house. He headed to the entrance of the pool, completely missing Alex.

"Abigail, are you coming back?" he asked as he rushed up. Alex turned to see him approaching Abigail, who was standing by the pool. Apparently, she had been there for some time, because Alex had completely missed her. "The Doctor is going to do a duet with Frank!"

_Now that I have to see, _Alex thought, but her good mood was interrupted when Kazran suddenly said "Abigail? What's wrong?"

Alex frowned and inched closer to the bushes to try and listen. "I have something to tell you," Abigail admitted, her voice fragile and clearly upset.

"A bad thing?" Kazran guessed.

"A very bad thing."

"What is it?"

"The truth."

Alex shifted even closer to try and hear them, but was unable to for two reasons; one, they were too far away and were now whispering, and two, the Doctor was now running up, and his appearance pretty much became the epicenter of Alex's concentration. She turned and gaped at him. His bowtie was undone and the print of a pair of lips was outlined on his face in red lipstick.

"Doctor? What happened to you?" Alex questioned. Honestly, what could have he gotten into? She had only been gone for five minutes!

The Doctor tugged his shirt collar. He had gotten changed for the party too, in a nice white shirt and dinner jacket that Alex had been eyeing him in ever since he put it on. "Well…long story. I sort of, accidentally, got engaged to Marilyn Monroe and now she's phoning a car. Oh. Not as long a story as I thought it would be!"

But Alex barely heard him. Her blood was boiling and pounding at the thought that Marilyn Monroe had dared to kiss her Doctor. _Her _Doctor, not Marilyn's! That bottled-blonde dared to think that she could try and marry the Doctor, just like River Song did? Well, Alex was not going to let that happen. Not at all.

"What?!" she screeched, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yes, thank you!" the Doctor said, too caught up in his own worries to focus on Alex's obvious blazing jealousy. "Now, let's go get Kazran and Abigail and get out of here!" He grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her towards the swimming pool and over to Kazran and Abigail. Much to Alex's surprise, the two were now kissing, and they didn't show any signs of stopping.

"Guys, we've really got to go quite quickly!" the Doctor chattered as he ran up to them. "I just accidentally got engaged to Marilyn Monroe!" However, it didn't seem as though Kazran and Abigail cared about his newly engaged status for they continued kissing. The Doctor peered at them, reminding Alex of what he had done with Amy and Rory during the Big Bang fiasco. "How do you keep going like that? Do you breathe out your ears? Hello? Sorry! Guys, she's phoned a _chapel_. There's a car outside! This is happening-,"

"Yoo-hoo!" a new voice called out. Alex whirled around. Squinting out into the distance, she could just barely make out the figure of Marilyn Monroe, looking like the bombshell the papers of this time labeled her as in a white dress, curled and coiffed blonde hair, and sky high heels. She waved at the Doctor, missing Alex completely.

The Doctor turned around and distractedly waved at her. "Yoo-hoo," he called back. He turned back to Kazran and Abigail, who still showed no signs of stopping their make-out session. He sighed and rolled his eyes at them. "Right. Fine. Thank you. I'll just go and get married then, shall I?"

_YOU'LL WHAT?!_ Alex mentally screamed.

The Doctor straightened his jacket lapels. He really didn't want to get married to Marilyn Monroe. Every single part of him was against it. But what else could he do? He and Alex had already objected to everyone at that party that they weren't an item. After that, it didn't take long for Marilyn to nab him, having literally pulled him into the coat closet for a snog. Therefore, he couldn't really ask Alex to cover and say she was his wife. Therefore, there really weren't any other options.

"See how you like that," he retorted to an oblivious Kazran and Abigail. He turned around to face Marilyn, not seeing the furious and upset expression on Alex's face. "Marilyn! Get your coat!" He started to stride off, when he suddenly turned to address Alex. "Ally, you coming?"

_To watch you get married to that blonde slut? No! _But of course, Alex didn't say this. Instead, she just shook her head and tried her best to look indifferent. "No, I think I'll stay here, Doc. Um…keep these two in line," she said slightly awkwardly, nodding her head at the still lip-locked Kazran and Abigail.

The Doctor nodded. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he wanted Alex to witness his marriage to Marilyn. It would feel like…like she was watching him marry River Song. "Oh, um, of course. Yes, probably best anyway."

Alex nodded, her eyes becoming enraptured with the cracks in the concrete surrounding the pool. "Yeah. Um….have fun."

The Doctor nodded, his eyes also fixated on the ground. "Yeah," he murmured before abruptly swirling around and heading off towards his future of becoming Mr. Marilyn Monroe.

Alex waited until he was out of sight before storming back up to the house. She felt like her heart was shattering into a million pieces. Her bottom lip quivered and she bit down on it harshly. No! She would not cry. She would not cry over that absolutely brilliant, perfect man that at this very moment was off getting hitched to _Marilyn Monroe _of all people. Instead, she would do what she always did back in Bristol whenever a guy did her wrong; have as much fun without him as possible.

Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floors of the back entranceway. Cigarette smoke floated in little wisps above her head, the air wreaking of it, expensive perfume, and money. Alex was vaguely aware of people noticing her stormy glare and hastening out of her way. She spotted Clark Gable and Gregory Peck ducking into an alcove to try and avoid her and Audrey Hepburn watching her with a slightly worried expression over the tip of her long cigarette holder. Alex ignored them. There were bigger things on her mind and right now, she was going to try and make them disappear.

She marched up to the sleek oak bar that had been set up in a corner of the study she had just entered. The bartender looked up expectantly as she approached.

Alex gave him a cat-like grin and leaned against the bar. "Flaming Dr. Pepper and a shot of bourbon," she requested. "And make both _extra _dirty."

* * *

The Doctor lugged Alex over his shoulder, the girl giggling crazily and flopping around like a sack of feathers as he carried her out of the TARDIS. Honestly, what had possessed her? How could she get so drunk like that?

Thank God Frank had found the number for the chapel that Marilyn had dragged him to so that he could call and warn him that Alex was drinking a tumbler of whiskey by the minute and didn't look like she was going to stop anytime soon. Frank had sounded rather mad at the Doctor, as though he had caused all of this. The Doctor, needless to say, had ran off down the aisle before the priest could even finish the vows and had raced back to the house to get Alex and a now smooching-less Kazran and Abigail.

"Whee!" Alex whooped as the Doctor turned around quickly to set her down against an icebox.

The Doctor shook his head at her, absently wondering whether he still had any of those hangover-dissolution pills in the TARDIS med bay. He turned away from the drunk Alex to watch Kazran escorting Abigail back to her icebox.

"Good night, Abigail," Kazran said, his voice slightly hard and distant.

"Good night, Kazran," Abigail said, her voice breaking a little as she stepped inside the box. Kazran wordlessly shut the door, plunging Abigail back into a deep-freeze.

The Doctor stepped away from Alex, who was giggling at a nearby school of fish. "There we go," he said, stepping up to Kazran. "Another day, another Christmas Eve. I'll see you in a minute, eh? I mean, a year." He then looked back at Alex. "Well, maybe an hour for me. Rassilon knows how long it will take for her to sober up."

Kazran shifted a little, not even amused by the Doctor's quip on Alex's drunk state. "Doctor? Listen…why don't we leave it?"

The Doctor blinked at him. "Sorry, leave what?"

"Oh, you know, this. Every Christmas Eve. It's getting a bit old."

The two didn't even notice Alex suddenly stiffen, her alcohol-addled brain suddenly clearing up upon hearing these words. "Old?" the Doctor repeated.

"Well, Christmas is for kids, isn't it?" Kazran reasoned. "I've got some work with my dad now. I'm going to focus on that. Get that cloud belt under control."

_What did Abigail tell him? _Alex wondered, her mind clear of all alcohol-related thoughts, now replaced by worry for what the future held now that Kazran seemed to be reverting back to his miser state.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was boring you," the Doctor apologized, even though he was wondering what could've happened in the time that he was gone with Marilyn.

"Not your fault," Kazran shrugged. He started to walk away. "Times change."

"Not as much as I hoped," the Doctor muttered. Then, noticing that Kazran was walking off, he hastened to catch up with him. "Kazran! I'll be needing a new one, anyway. What the hell?" He handed him his half of the sonic screwdriver. "Merry Christmas. And if you ever need us, just activate it. We'll hear you."

"I won't need you," Kazran said stiffly.

"What happened?" Alex demanded, coming up behind the Doctor. The two men stared at her, surprised by her sudden lucidity. "What did Abigail tell you? Why are you acting like you barely even care about her anymore?"

"I do care about her!" Kazran snapped.

Alex stared him down. "Really. So you're just going to leave her in her icebox for the rest of your life? You're just going to completely forget about her now?"

Kazran glared at her, but if he meant to intimidate her, he obviously didn't know who he was dealing with. "I know where to find her," he coolly, gesturing to the vault around him before storming up to the door.

The Doctor and Alex watched him go, their hearts heavy. "Yeah," they muttered.

* * *

"Here, take these," the Doctor ordered, thrusting two small round white pills and a glass of water at Alex.

Alex took the items, but eyed them suspiciously. "What are they?"

"Hangover-dissolution pills," the Doctor replied as he shook off his dinner jacket and disappeared down the hall towards the wardrobe room. Alex followed along behind him, biting her lip to keep from moaning as she saw him unbuttoning his shirt. "They literally rid your system of all alcohol you've drank in the past twelve hours and prevent a hangover. Quite remarkable, really."

Well, that was handy. Alex obediently took the pills and leaned against the doorframe leading to the wardrobe room, watching as the Doctor disappeared behind a changing screen. "So how did the wedding go, Mr. Monroe?" she called out, hoping her voice didn't sound as bitter as she felt.

"There _was _no wedding," the Doctor revealed as he turned to grab a new shirt off a hanger, completely missing Alex's ecstatic grin. "I received a call from Frank during the ceremony telling me that _you_ were drinking yourself into oblivion."

Alex allowed herself a little smirk. She knew her little drinking fit would've worked out in the end. "Oh, really?" she said, trying her best to sound innocent.

The Doctor let out a huff of breath. "Honestly Alexandria, what _possessed _you?!" he exclaimed, fastening the buttons on his shirt. "Do you know how much trouble you could've gotten into?"

"I could've gotten us kicked out for throwing up on Frank Sinatra's carpet?" Alex guessed.

"No," the Doctor deadpanned. "Someone could've tried to take advantage of you in your intoxicated state. Some of the celebrities there were real ladies men, Alexandria. They took who they wanted and they didn't always ask permission. If something had happened, you would've been defenseless. I wasn't there to protect you and Kazran and Abigail were doing God-knows-what and weren't much help either!"

Alex's face paled. She honestly hadn't considered that. All she had been focused on was trying to forget the Doctor's agreeing to marrying Marilyn Monroe. She had been trying to block out the image of him with another woman's lipstick on his cheek. She had been trying not to imagine the blonde undoing his bowtie in the confines of some coat closet. She had been trying to forget the physical pain that came whenever she saw someone flirting with him, and how that pain intensified by a thousand whenever he flirted back.

Oh God. She had set herself in danger tonight. What had she been thinking?! She was smarter than this! Back in Bristol, she had been responsible with her drinking. She hardly ever drank on school-nights and at parties on the weekend, she kept her drink close on her, sometimes switching it out for another just to make sure no one had slipped her something when she wasn't looking. However, it seemed that her love for the Doctor clouded her judgment. It was like she had been thinking earlier; all this time of spending so much time with the Doctor and nothing happening was becoming too much for her. What if….what if she needed to leave?

_Don't think that! _Alex snapped to herself. No, she couldn't, _shouldn't_, be thinking things like that. Right now, she needed to concentrate on the problem at hand. "Um…right. I'm sorry." Alex bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't hate her for what she had done in a bitter and jealous mood.

The Doctor sighed, not finding the energy or the heart to be mad or disappointed in her. She was safe. That was all that mattered. That and saving Amy and Rory. "It's okay, Ally," he assured her, stepping out from behind the screen, now back in his original outfit. "Just forget it, because now, we have to figure out what went wrong with Kazran."

* * *

The Doctor landed the TARDIS outside Kazran's bedroom window, a year after he had last saw them. The Doctor stepped out first, followed by Alex, who had changed back into the outfit she had been wearing before. The two stepped up to the window. Inside, they could see Kazran at his desk, holding the Doctor's half of the sonic screwdriver.

Alex reached out to knock on the window. Kazran spun around almost instantly. For a moment, he gaped at the two. But just as quickly, an expression of stony displeasure appeared. He stormed up to the window and shut the curtains in their faces.

The Doctor sighed. "I was afraid this would happen. Time for Plan B then."

"Plan B?" Alex repeated. "We're way past Plan B, Doc. It's more like D or E."

The Doctor didn't respond, instead taking out the comm he had linked with the Ponds. "Amy?" he called into it. "We're going to need your help. Does your ship, by any chance, have a hologram app?"

A/N: They kissed under the mistletoe! Aw! Also, a little bit angsty at the end, but it worked out okay. :)

Notes on reviews...

**ShadowTeir **- Thank you! That means so much! Hope you liked this chapter! :)

**Gwilwillith ****- **Thank you! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Yes, more Dalex fluff! Lol, yeah, I love that part. Yep, a twelve year old sees it! They are so oblivious... Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**mayfire21 **- Oh, wow, I never thought that! Yeah, the spider in that movie was creepy! :)

**jesterlover **- I know, how oblivious can two people be? Unfortunately, it's quite common. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yep, she told me, and I hope she's having fun! :) Lol, yes, Alex can make the Doctor do pretty much whatever she wants, something that will be brought up in a future story. :) Yeah, it would be cool to have random fish swimming everywhere, although I think my cat would have a nervous breakdown trying to catch them all. :) Ooh...I make no promises! :)

**rycbar15 **- Yes, I think that describes him to a tee. :) Glad you liked that part! It was one of my favorites to write. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!


	74. A Christmas Carol Part 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who.

Kazran looked up from the newly created photos he had been looking through as the phone rang. Glaring at the device a little, he reluctantly got up and answered it. "Yes, what?" he barked. "Oh, Mr. President, we've been through this. It's not going to crash on my house, so what's it got to do with me? Yes, I know, four thousand and three. As a very old friend of mine once took a long time to explain, life isn't fair." With that, he slammed down the receiver.

"Hello!" a new voice cried as a green holographic Amy suddenly appeared before him.

"Who are you?!" Kazran exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think this was over, did you?" Amy asked almost sarcastically. "I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present."

"A ghost?" Kazran eyed her kissogram police outfit skeptically. "Dressed like that?"

It seemed like Amy was about to say something, when she was shoved out of sight by Rory…dressed as a Roman Centurion. "Eyes off the skirt!" he ordered before Amy pushed him out of the way.

"You turned into a Roman," Kazran stated.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do that. I also do this." She disappeared.

"Do what?" Kazran cried into empty air. "What are you talking about?"

"_Silent night, holy night,_" a new round of voices rang out. Kazran spun around, trying to spot the source of the voices. Seeing none but still hearing them, he followed the sound all the way down the stairs and into the cryo-storage vault. There, several green-colored holograms were standing around singing.

"_All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild. Christ the Savior is born. Christ the Savior is born!_"

"They're holograms," Amy explained, appearing behind the baffled Kazran. "Projections, like me."

"Who are they?" Kazran demanded.

"The people on the ship up there. The ones that you're going to let die tonight."

"Why are they singing?"

"For their lives. Which one's Abigail?" When Kazran shot her a questionable glare, Amy added "The Doctor and Alex told me."

"Did they now?" Kazran deadpanned.

"Ah, they don't hold back. Alex especially. You know them."

"How do I?" Kazran wondered. "I never met them before tonight. Now I seem to have known them all my life. How? Why?"

"You're the only person that can let that ship land," Amy said softly. "They were trying to turn you into a nicer person. And they were trying to do it nicely."

"They've changed my past, my whole life!" Kazran yelled.

"Time can be rewritten."

"You tell the Doctor and Alex, tell them from me, people can't!" Kazran snapped before storming past the holograms, causing them to disappear. He continued storming through the sea of doomed carolers until he reached Abigail's icebox.

Amy followed him, staying a step behind him once she reached Abigail's icebox. "That's Abigail?"

Kazran stared at Abigail's frozen form almost tenderly. "I would never have known her if the Doctor and Alex hadn't changed the course of my life to suit themselves."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"No."

"Why is she still in there?" Amy asked. "You could let her out any time."

"Oh, yes," Kazran agreed, laying a hand on the icebox window. "Any time at all. Any time I choose."

Amy looked at him questioningly. "Then why don't you?"

Kazran let out a slight bitter laugh. "This is what the Doctor and Alex did to me. Abigail was ill when she went into the ice. On the point of death. I suppose the rest in the ice helped her. But she's used up her time. All those Christmas Eves with me. I could release her any time I want, and she would live a single day."

He turned around to look at Amy head-on. "So tell me, Ghost of Christmas Present, how do I choose which day?"

Amy looked at him sadly. Alex had worried about why Abigail had required so many doctors and now, she knew why. "I'm sorry," Amy apologized. "I really am. I'm very, very sorry. But you know what? She's got more time left than I have. More than anyone on this ship."

"Good," Kazran nodded approvingly.

Amy sighed. "Rory," she called over her shoulder. "Widen the beam."

All of a sudden, Kazran's surroundings changed. He was no longer standing in the dark fog-infested cryo-storage room, but in a huge bright white room. In front of him, white-uniformed people desperately worked over a bunch of controls as a huge window in front of them exposed the brutal storm outside. Lights flickered as the ship was tossed and thrashed around by thunder and lightning, but this didn't stop the passengers continuous carol singing.

"Status update on engine one," the captain called out.

Kazran looked around in shock. "How did I get here?!"

Amy came up behind him, no longer a hologram. "You didn't. It's your turn to be the hologram. Since you're going to let a lot of people die, I thought you might like to see where it's all going to happen."

"The singing…what is it? I don't understand."

"It's the Doctor's idea," Rory explained, coming up to him. "The harmonies resonate in the ice crystals. That's why the fish like it. He thought maybe it would stabilize the ship. But it isn't working. It's not powerful enough."

"Why are they still singing then?"

"Because we haven't told them," the captain replied, turning around to face them. She approached Kazran. "Sir, I understand you have a machine that controls this cloud layer. If you can release us from it, we still have time to make a landing. Nobody has to die."

"_Everybody _has to die," Kazran retorted.

"Not tonight," Amy argued.

"Tonight's as good as any other. How do you choose?"

Amy sighed, knowing he was thinking of Abigail and how she had only one day left. "Doctor?" she called out. "Alex?"

"_Yeah?_" the Doctor's voice rang out from the speakers.

"Are you hearing this?"

"_Unfortunately, yes,_" Alex replied.

"_We can hear,_" the Doctor confirmed.

"They're here?" Kazran cried. He looked around crazily, Amy and Rory getting the sense that he was just a little scared of what the Doctor and Alex could do to him if they decided to be mean to him. "Where are they? Doctor? Alex?!"

All of a sudden, Kazran was back in the cryo-vault. He almost didn't register his surroundings, still concentrated on finding the Doctor and Alex. "Doctor! Alex!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor's voice said from behind him. Kazran whirled around to see the man leaning against an icebox, Alex resting in his side. "I didn't realize." Alex only looked at him sympathetically, her sadness for him breaking a chord inside Kazran.

"All my life, I've been called heartless," Kazran told them. "My other life, my _real _life, the one you two rewrote. Now look at me!"

"Better a broken heart than no heart at all," the Doctor replied.

"Oh, try it," Kazran challenged. "You try it!"

_Who says I haven't? _Alex thought, thinking about how brokenhearted she was at the thought that the Doctor could never be with her, a simple human.

"Why are you here?" Kazran now questioned, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Because we're not finished with you yet," Alex revealed, stepping away from the Doctor and over to Kazran. "You've seen the past, the present, and now I, the Ghost of Christmas Future, will show you what is to come."

"Fine! Do it!" Kazran challenged her. "Show me! I'll die cold, alone, and afraid. Of course I will! We all do! What difference does showing me make? Do you know why I'm going to let those people die? It's not a plan. I don't get anything from it! It's just that I don't care! I'm not like you two. I don't even want to _be _like you two! I don't and never, _ever _will care!"

The Doctor just shook his head, not all bothered by Kazran's rant. "And I don't believe that."

"Neither do I," Alex agreed.

"Then show me the future! Prove me wrong!"

"We are showing it to you," Alex revealed.

"She's showing it to you right now," the Doctor said. Louder, he called out "So what do you think?"

"Is this who you want to become, Kazran?" Alex asked, looking over Kazran's shoulder.

Kazran spun around to see his young twelve-year old self standing there, dressed in the pajamas and robe he had been wearing when he first met the Doctor and Alex. Young Kazran stared at his older self in fright. "Dad?" he breathed.

Kazran dropped his cane in shock at being called and misidentified as that monster. He lifted his hand, rearing to strike his younger self. Young Kazran backed up in fear. Seeing this, something inside the elder Kazran snapped and he began to cry. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so, so, sorry." He reached out to touch his younger self, but young Kazran backed away, still afraid. "It's okay, don't be frightened," he assured him, pulling his younger self into a hug. "I'm so, so, so…"

"Kazran," the Doctor interrupted, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around Alex's waist. "We don't have much time."

* * *

"Hello? Hello?" the Doctor called into a computer comm in Kazran's sitting room. He brought up an image on the computer, now able to see Amy and Rory in the ship's flight deck. "Ah, hello, everyone! Prepare to lock onto my signal."

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amy demanded.

"Alex and I just saved Christmas," the Doctor vaguely replied. "Don't go away!" With that, he cut the signal and jumped up, heading to the back of the room where Kazran and Alex were standing by Kazran's organ-like cloud layer controls. Young Kazran was standing a little ways away, trying to keep out of the way.

"We good to go, then?" the Doctor asked as he approached. Then, he noticed the frantic and worried look on Alex's face. "Ally, what's wrong?" he demanded.

"The controls," Alex said.

"They won't respond," Kazran revealed.

_That's impossible!_ The Doctor thought, but didn't say. Instead, he opted for some optimism. "Of course they will. They're isomorphic. They're tuned to your brainwaves. They'll only respond to you."

"They won't respond," Kazran insisted, shaking his head as he flicked an unresponsive switch.

"That doesn't make sense." The Doctor began pacing back and forth, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. "That's ridiculous! Why wouldn't…oh."

Alex's eyes widened as realization clicked in her brain. "Oh," she breathed.

"Of course!" the Doctor cried, slapping his forehead irritably. "Stupid, stupid Doctor!"

"What's wrong?" Kazran demanded. "Tell me, what is it?"

"It's you," the Doctor and Alex replied.

"We've changed you too much," the Doctor added. "The machine doesn't recognize you."

"But my father programmed it."

Alex shook her head. "Your father would have never programmed it for the man you are now."

"Then what do we do?"

The Doctor began pacing again. "Er…er…I don't know. I don't know!"

"There must be something!" young Kazran cried.

"This!" elder Kazran exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Doctor's half of the sonic screwdriver. "You can use this. I kept it, see?"

"What, half a screwdriver?" the Doctor scoffed. "With the other half in a big old shark, right in the heart of the cloud layer…" He trailed off as an idea began to form.

"Doctor?" Alex asked, wondering what he was thinking.

"If we use your aerial to boost the signal," the Doctor told the elder Kazran, "set up a resolution pattern between the two halves…ooh…come on, that could work! My screwdriver, coolest bit of kit on this planet! Coolest _two _bits! It could do it."

"Do what?" Kazran questioned.

"Well, my screwdriver is still trying to repair. It's signaling itself. We use the signal, but send something else."

"Send what?" young Kazran wondered.

The Doctor didn't answer. In fact, he looked rather reluctant to answer. His reluctance was a big clue to Alex and upon realizing what it was he intended to send, she sucked in a breath.

This caught the attention of both Kazran's. "Well, what?" elder Kazran demanded. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Kazran," the Doctor apologized. "I truly am."

"I don't understand."

"We need to transmit something into the cloud belt," the Doctor explained. "Something we know works."

Alex turned to look at the elder Kazran. "We need Abigail to sing."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were back down in the cryo-vault, all of them standing before Abigail's icebox. The young woman inside was unconscious, oblivious to the heartbreak and upset that was happening just outside the confines of her box.

"Her voice resonates perfectly with the ice crystals," the Doctor explained as Kazran started the thawing and heating process on Abigail. "It calmed the shark. It will calm the sky, too."

"Could you do it?" Kazran questioned. "Could you do this?" He eyed the Doctor and Alex critically. "Think about it, both of you. One last day with your beloved. Which day would you choose?"

"Christmas," a voice came from behind him. Kazran turned to see Abigail standing before him, looking just as she did the last time he saw her, after their Christmas Eve in 1952 Hollywood. "Christmas Day." She smiled sweetly at Kazran, Alex knowing that despite his aged looks, Abigail's feelings for him hadn't changed in the slightest.

"Look at you," Abigail breathed, placing a hand on Kazran's wrinkled check. "You're so old now. I think you waited a bit too long, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry," Kazran apologized.

"Hoarding my days, like an old miser."

"But if you leave the ice now-,"

"We've had so many Christmas Eves, Kazran," Abigail interrupted. "I think it's time for Christmas Day."

Kazran hesitated. He really didn't want to say good-bye to Abigail. It was why he had hoarded her days. He was too afraid to do it and he wanted to keep her with him for as long as possible. But it wasn't fair to her and besides, four thousand and three people were counting on him to save them. He took a glance at his younger self. Make that four thousand and four.

Almost inaudibly, he nodded and murmured "Yes."

* * *

Just a few minutes later, the group were standing outside. The Doctor had managed to hook up his half of the sonic screwdriver to the beam transmitter in the dome. Now, as both Kazran's, Alex, and the Doctor stood by the wires running up to the beam, the Doctor monitoring and adjusting them carefully, Abigail sang into the sonic, watching the sky as she did so.

"_When you're alone, silence is all you know…_"

"Well?" Kazran questioned as the Doctor stepped away from some wires. "Well?!"

"Well, the singing resonates in the crystals," the Doctor explained. "It's feeding back and forth between the two halves of the screwdriver. Now, one song, filling the sky. The crystals will align and I'll feed in a controlled phase loop, and the clouds will unlock."

Young Kazran wrinkled his nose in confusion. "What does that mean, 'unlock'? What happens when a cloud unlocks?"

Alex bent down next to him and grinned. "Something magical," she promised.

The Doctor smiled. Alex was amazing with kids. She'd make one great mom someday. Trying to shrug off the sudden envy coursing through his system that it would be with some other man and not him, he said "Something that hasn't happened in this town for a very long time now."

"_When you're alone, silence is all you see,_" Abigail sang. "_When you're alone, silence is all you'll be. Give me your hand and come to me!_"

All of a sudden, it began snowing. Young Kazran gasped while Alex laughed delightedly, causing the Doctor's smile to grow even wider. Even the elder Kazran grinned. Around them, families rushed out of their houses, little kids gasping and squealing and diving into piles of snow as the adults murmured about the magical Christmas surprise.

And still, Abigail continued to sing. "_When you are here, music is all around. When you are near, music is all around. Open your eyes, don't make a sound._"

Just then, the shark carrying the other half of the sonic screwdriver flew overhead. The elder Kazran watched it glide by wistfully. "Hello, my old friend," he murmured.

"_Let in the shadow…_"

"Let's go," the Doctor said to young Kazran, Alex leading the boy over to the TARDIS.

As the three departed into the TARDIS, the elder Kazran approached Abigail. Abigail looked over and smiled widely at him. She placed a hand on his cheek as she continued to sing, this time really only to him.

"_Let in the shadow, let in the light of your bright shadow. Let in the shadow, let in the shadow._"

Behind them, the TARDIS dematerialized, leaving behind the carriage and shark harness from many Christmases ago. If Kazran and Abigail noticed the Doctor and Alex's departure, they didn't say anything, too caught up in looking at each-other as they tried to make the most of Abigail's last moments.

"_Let in the light of your bright shadow._"

* * *

A little while later, after dropping young Kazran back in his proper time, the Doctor and Alex were back in Sardicktown. The Doctor knelt down in front of a snowman and rubbed his nose against the snowman's carrot one. Alex stood by, shaking her head and rolling her eyes in a fond manner. She was about to tease the Doctor when a new voice rang out.

"You know, that could almost be mistaken for a real person." Alex looked up to see none other than Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Amy smirked and added "The snowman isn't bad, either."

"Amy! Rory!" Alex squealed, launching herself at the Ponds. Amy laughed and hugged her best friend back while Rory ruffled the girl's hair. Alex pulled back, laughing in relief that her best friends were okay….then she noticed their attire. Amy was wearing the police kissogram outfit from their Atraxi adventure, their first proper meeting with the Doctor, while Rory was wearing the Roman Centurion outfit he'd been sporting when they found him at the Pandorica.

Alex raised an eyebrow, an impish smirk forming on her face. She was about to say something when the Doctor said "Ah, yes, you two. About time. Why are you dressed like that?"

Amy and Rory's faces turned slightly red. "Er…kind of lost our luggage," Rory weakly answered. "Kind of crash landed?"

Alex nodded along, pretending to go along with their explanation. "Okay, of course, that makes sense," she acknowledged. "But that brings up the question on why you were wearing them at all."

"Yeah, they really love their snowmen around here, don't they?" Amy chattered, eager to change the subject. "I've counted about twenty."

"Yeah, we've been busy," the Doctor replied.

"Yeah," Amy nodded, looking at him gratefully. "Yeah, you have. Thank you." She moved over and hugged him and Alex at the same time, spreading her arms around them so tight, the two were literally squeezed together.

"Pleasure," the Doctor said, accepting the hug while Alex shifted back a little, feeling the adrenaline coursing through her body at being in such close contact with him and trying to dispel it a little.

The Doctor separated from Amy a few moments later and clapped his hands. "Right, come on then, let's go!" he called, leading them towards the TARDIS.

"Got anymore honeymoon ideas?" Rory joked.

The Doctor cocked his head in thought. "Well, there's a moon that's made of actual honey. Well, not actual honey, and it's not actually a moon, and technically it's alive, and a bit carnivorous, but there are some lovely views."

"Sounds like the feel-good romantic planet of the century," Alex dryly quipped.

Rory nodded his head and rolled his eyes in agreement. "Yeah. Great. Thanks," he said before disappearing into the TARDIS.

Amy started to follow him, but hesitated. "Are you, are you two okay?" she asked.

"Of course I'm okay," the Doctor said.

"Ditto," Alex lied, not feeling okay at all. This whole adventure had tested her feelings for the Doctor so much. She had to kiss him and it had been so wonderfully good…then he went and almost got married to Marilyn Monroe! And the worst part was, he was so _oblivious _to her feelings for him. Of course, she couldn't tell Amy any of this, not with the Doctor standing right there.

"You?" the Doctor asked Amy, as always oblivious to Alex's inner torment.

Amy nodded, but she was watching Alex with a guarded expression. "Of course." She paused and then looked up into the sky. "It'll be their last day together, won't it?"

The Doctor nodded. "Everything has got to end sometime, otherwise nothing would ever get started."

The door to the TARDIS opened and Rory came out. "Your phone was ringing," he reported to the Doctor. "Someone called Marilyn." Alex tensed up. "Actually sounds like THE Marilyn."

Amy looked over at Alex, who was so tense you could see the muscles clenched beneath her skin, and then to the Doctor, who had a look of utter horror on his face. "Doctor?"

"Tell her I'll phone her back," he muttered to Rory.

Alex stepped up to the doors. "Don't worry, Doc. I'll handle it," she told him before heading inside and shutting the door behind her.

Rory had set the phone down between some levers on the console. Alex stepped up to the console, eyeing the phone as if were a rattlesnake. The TARDIS hummed reassuringly, making Alex smile.

"I know," she murmured, patting the console gently. "You don't like her either, do you?" An affirmative hum rang out. Alex sighed and reached for the phone. "Let's get this over with," she muttered before lifting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"_It's Marilyn,_" a breathy voice rang out. "_Who's this?_"

Alex rolled her eyes. Frank Sinatra had introduced her to half the celebrities there, Marilyn one of them. "Alex Locke. I was with the Doctor at the party, remember?"

"_Oh, right!_" Marilyn recalled. "_The brunette with the split ends!_"

Alex almost let out a squawk of outrage. Okay, she did _not _have split ends. She got a trim every month, thank you very much. And second of all, even if she did have split ends, they weren't noticeable. But, instead of snapping at Marilyn and telling her this, she took a deep breath and said "So what do you want?"

"_The Doctor,_" Marilyn sighed in that annoying wispy voice of hers. "_He's so handsome and dreamy…and he's supposed to be my husband._"

_Over my dead body,_ Alex thought.

"_Or,_" Marilyn continued, "_if not my husband, I'm perfectly willing to be his love, you know?_"

Alex stuck a finger down her throat and swallowed a gag. Dear God, she wanted to throttle Marilyn. But she was in 1952 and Alex was in…whatever year it was here in Sardicktown. And she couldn't fly the TARDIS. Oh, she wanted to do SOMETHING to the blonde! Then…an idea popped into Alex's head. She grinned. Oh, she was brilliant! It was a brilliant idea! And she knew it would work, because she had seen it used on an episode of _Hart of Dixie_.

"Oh yes, I know," Alex said, allowing a knowing tone to enter her voice.

Marilyn, despite her ditzy behavior, noticed this, just as Alex hoped she would. "_You do?_"

"Yep," Alex smirked into the receiver. "Oh, just one request. Could you be done with him by eleven?"

"_Why?_"

Alex sucked in her breath and swore. "Oh, hell, oh God, I thought he told you! Oh, Jesus. Oh, God, this is so awkward."

"_Told me what?_" Marilyn demanded, her voice actually sounding a little worried.

"All of that denying that we're a couple and flirting with other people," Alex began, pausing for dramatic effect, "it's _foreplay_."

"_What?_"

"Yep, foreplay," Alex nodded, even though she knew Marilyn couldn't see her. "All of that jealousy we get when we see or hear about the other with someone else, it makes the sex that much hotter and steamier and _incredible_. My husband comes up with some pretty fantastic ideas."

"_WHAT?!_"

"Yeah, you'll have a blast," Alex gushed before going back to the regular tone she had started this conversation with. "But yeah, eleven. That would be fantastic. And tell him I'm so sorry I let the cat out of the bag."

"_EW!_" Marilyn screeched. "_That's sick! You people are disgusting! Forget it! Go play your sick games elsewhere!_" And with that, Marilyn Monroe slammed the phone down and hung up.

Alex placed the phone back in its cradle, smiling victoriously to herself. There. That was taken care of. Take that, Marilyn!

"'Hotter, steamier, and _incredible_?!'" a Scottish-accented voice rang out. Startled, Alex whirled around to see Amy and Rory standing on the platform with her, both of them laughing hysterically.

"'Foreplay?!'" Rory echoed, gripping the railing with one hand as his body bent forward in laughter.

Alex gawked at them, eyes wide. "How long were you standing there?!"

"Long enough!" Amy gasped, falling back against the railing as she clutched her stomach. "I can't believe you told her that!"

"Is the Doctor here?" Alex asked worriedly, looking around for the tweed jacket and bowtie-wearing figure. If he had heard any of that, she'd die of embarrassment.

"No," Amy reassured her, still snickering. "He's outside."

_Thank God_, Alex thought.

"What did she say to you before she hung up?" Rory asked, straightening back up as his laughter died down.

Alex leaned against the console and dryly repeated "Ew. That's sick. You people are disgusting. Forget it. Go play your sick games elsewhere." This launched Amy and Rory into another round of hysterical laughter.

"I…can't…breathe!" Amy gasped as Rory fell into a chair, literally collapsing from laughter.

Alex was about to tell them to keep it down in case the Doctor heard, when that very person walked in. He eyed the Ponds with a confused and wary look on his face, as if they had caught some horribly contagious alien disease and it was only a matter of time before he caught it as well.

"What are you two laughing at?" he asked as he went over to the console.

"Alex just told us a funny joke," Amy dismissed, giving Alex a wink.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Must've been some joke."

"You have no idea," Rory muttered, getting up from his seat.

Alex hastened to change the subject, less the Doctor pry anymore and discover what she told Marilyn. "So where are Kazran and Abigail?" she asked.

The Doctor pressed a few buttons and smiled. "Off on a little trip, I should think."

"Where?"

"Christmas."

"Christmas?" Alex repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, looking up to smile at her. "Christmas. Halfway out of the dark."

Alex smiled and leaned against the console. "Not bad for one day's work."

"No," the Doctor agreed, pulling a lever down. "Not bad at all. Oh, what did you say to Marilyn?" Amy and Rory sucked in their breaths.

Alex ignored them and casually placed a hand on the console, gripping it tightly as she prepared for the lie to leave her mouth. "Oh, I just told her you'd come later." Behind her, Amy coughed, trying to keep her laughter reigned in.

The Doctor nodded, not noticing this. "Thank you, Ally. Not that I will be going back of course." He shuddered, trying to put the image of him and Marilyn at the altar out of his mind. If he wanted anyone at the altar with him, it would be Alex. _Stop thinking that! _He snapped to himself.

Shaking his head, he threw down another lever and turned to grin at the Ponds and Alex. "So, where to now?"

A/N: And there's the final part of 'A Christmas Carol'! Tomorrow's the final chapter of 'Living the Life of Ally'! :( BUT, to cheer you up, tomorrow we get the title of the sequel, the title of my new OC story that I'm launching in a couple weeks, AND a sneak peek of that story! Also, I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating yesterday. I attended Big Blue Madness, the big launching event of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, men and women, and I didn't get back home until eleven and I was so tired that I went straight to bed. But I've updated tonight! :)

Notes on reviews...

**SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister **- Yes, they kissed! I can say that Alex will be with Amy and Rory at the start of 'The Impossible Astronaut' so it's a definite possibility. We'll know for sure in tomorrow's chapter. :) The sequel is outlined, but still needs to be rewritten. Nope, the new OC fic will be in its own story. The sequel will also be separate. :) Aw, I'm glad you figured out why you hadn't seen this episode. I hope you enjoy it! :)

**rycbar15 **- Glad you liked the added in bits! :) Truthfully, I haven't thought much of any of Alex's other relatives. She definitely has relatives that run G-Locke in New York City, but I'm not sure of the specific names and relations. We may see more of them in a future adventure though. :) I don't see any harm in revealing the new OC's name is Esme Grigori. :)

**jesterlover **- YES! THEY KISSED! :D

**Gwilwillith **- Thank you! :)

**The-Lonely-Assassins **- Yes, Alex does get jealous a lot and easily. It's supposed to be a flaw of hers, but I can see how it flares up a lot and may get tiring. Thanks for the input and I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :)

**ElysiumPhoenix **- Glad I made you so confused on that chapter! Glad you loved or hated it! :)

**We're All M-M-Mad Here **- I'm glad you liked that bit. I'll say that tomorrow, we'll be getting a lot more of it. A lot. I think the Doctor's reaction to Alex leaving would be reluctant acceptance and he would try to hide his true feelings about it. :)

**mayfire21 **- Lol, yep, they had an app for that! :)

**SopherGopherroxursox **- That's exactly what my cats would do. The cat I consider mine, Sparky, would go crazy and run all around trying to grab everything while the other one, who is already mentally unhinged, would have a nervous breakdown. :) Yep, the mistletoe kiss! I loved writing that part. :) Glad you love the jealousy parts! Hmm, that's one option, but I wouldn't promote it. :)

**Neko 97 **- I know, I feel so bad for Amy in that part! :( Liz is pretty cool with all her cryptic hints. And I love Alex's 'Doctor' moment too. He would be proud I think, while also scolding her for baiting the alien when he wasn't there to protect her. :) Glad you love the Pandorica chapters! :)

**Cigar Fancy Pants **- I know, it's taking a while, but that's the way real relationships develop. But, if it makes you feel better, the romance in my new OC story will be moving much faster than the one in here :) I said that as far as we knew, she didn't have a pocket watch and I can't say whether she's human or not. But we'll find out in the sequel! :) We'll see if she's with him in those 200 years he's running from Lake Silencio. I can say we'll find out for sure in 'The God Complex'. :)

**ShadowTeir **- Good thing Kazran changed in this chapter. :) The kiss was cute! I loved that part. Yeah, the romance is taking forever in this and we'll find out tomorrow, in the final chapter, what happens between them. }:) Glad you liked the chapter! :)

**fangirl00123 **- That's a good idea, but that won't be happening. I can say that Alex does travel through the Doctor's timeline in a future story where she has to fix a time discrepancy and meets all the other Doctor's, including 9 and 10, and some will get crushes on her. So it's very possible we get a kiss in 'Smith and Jones'! I've also got an idea for an AU meeting of the Doctor and Alex, where she meets him in Season 4 when he's the 10th Doctor. So, we'll see her with 10 and 9, but not in what you suggested. It's still a cool idea though! :)

**Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass **- Yes, they finally kissed! *dances along with reader* Yep, they really are oblivious. I know! Poor Alex! :( I love the Christmas specials too! I know I'll be sobbing at this year's Christmas special and I already have ideas for how Alex will react to the Doctor's regeneration. }:) Oh yeah, fish can be scary, especially sharks. I've never thought of babies as scary, but I don't really pay much attention to them. I don't really like kids. Nope, no cancer Alex, I don't think I could write that. :) Well, we know at Lake Silencio, River shoots at the Doctor's 'girlfriend' and we all know who that is. Yeah, River will still be flirting with the Doctor, but I'll say that her attempts won't work out in the way she wants them to. :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow for the final chapter! }:)


	75. Goodbye Ally

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who.

_"Oh God!" Alex gasped as the Doctor's lips trailed lower and lower over her body. "Doctor, please!"_

_ He looked up at her, his eyes as dark as night. His lips were curved in the shape of a smirk, infuriating Alex while also serving to make her more aroused than she already was. "Please what, Ally?"_

_ Alex whimpered slightly. He wanted her to tell him? "Doctor," she mumbled, reaching down to try and push his head back to her skin so he could continue his hotter-than-fire kissing, but he moved out of reach and pressed her palm down on the mattress._

_ "No, no, no, Ally," he said, sitting up, far away from where he wanted her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear "You know the rules. You have to tell me."_

_ Alex's breath quickened as she tried to make her lust and love-addled brain formulate a response. "Please…take me," she finally gasped out._

_ She was pretty sure that wasn't the response the Doctor had been angling for, but he seemed content with what he got for he began nibbling on her ear. "That's it, Ally. Good girl. I knew you'd come through in the end." Alex moaned at his praise of her, feeling a hot fire run through her veins and downwards._

_ The Doctor moved away from her ear and back to his original position. Alex watched with eager eyes as he continued his kissing, getting closer and closer to where she wanted him. "Wanted this for so long," he murmured against her skin. He looked up and Alex saw the happiness in his eyes that he was finally with her, a sure reflection of what was in her own eyes. "Worth it though." _

_ Alex's head fell back against the pillow as he continued downwards. Her eyes fluttered and her breaths became short gasps. And then… "OH MY GOD! DOCTOR!"_

Alex bolted upright, her breath panting and gasping just like in her dream. Sweat glistened on every part of her body and Alex was aware of a warmness in a certain part of her that had not been there went she went to bed. Grabbing the hair at the base of her neck, she pulled it over one shoulder, kicked the covers and sheets away, and fell back against the pillows.

She rolled over to check the clock on the nightstand. Three twenty-three am. She groaned and rolled onto her back. It was the middle of the night and she was awake because of a really erotic dream about the Doctor.

Her cheeks burned scarlet as she recalled the dream. Oh God…it had been…well, it certainly wasn't _bad_, but it wasn't good either. She could not be dreaming things like that. Granted, she had no control of her subconscious when she was asleep, but still.

She sighed and placed her hands on her stomach. She had never had dreams like that before. There had been kissing before and the suggestion of sex, but never anything as explicit as this latest dream. Her raciest one up to this point was the one she had after her adventure on Base Diana.

Alex stared up at the ceiling. This dream was just another big jolt to her already barely-functioning systems since she realized she loved the Doctor. Ever since she had admitted it, things between her and the Doctor had escalated. She hated being without him, even for five minutes, her heart thudded constantly, accompanied by the now familiar rush of adrenaline, she could sense his presence – even now, when everyone on the TARDIS was asleep – and now, her dreams had escalated into the kind of dreams she'd heard girls having about their boyfriends, but never her before, not until now.

Alex sat up in bed and ran a hand through her hair. And the worst part of all of this? The Doctor was oblivious! Absolutely, positively _oblivious_! No man was thicker than he was. This last adventure had confirmed that. He hadn't noticed her spitting jealousy about his potential marriage to Marilyn Monroe. He had even gone off to go get married to her! It didn't even matter that he hadn't gotten married; he had went. That very fact irked Alex to no end and she doubted she would be getting over it anytime soon.

What was she supposed to do? She loved him, oh how she loved him! But he didn't or wouldn't or couldn't love her. She was a human and would die in about sixty years. He was a Time Lord who still had a couple centuries to go. They couldn't be together. Alex felt her eyes water. Out of everything she had just thought, that one was probably the most troubling of all.

Now, Alex's mind wandered to what she had been thinking after the Doctor chastised her for her drinking after he rescued her from Frank Sinatra's party. Should she leave? Alex felt her heart twist at the thought. She didn't want to leave. It was like she told Lacey; even if the Doctor didn't love her back, she still wanted to stay here and see the wonders of the universe. Who wouldn't? But still, her love for the Doctor was clouding her judgment, Frank's party being a proven point.

Alex sighed and swung her feet over the bed. She needed to talk to someone about this. The Doctor would most likely be up, but he was an absolute no-no. Rory? Alex shook her head. No. He may be like an older brother to her, but he wouldn't understand what she was going through. She practically had to teach about romance when he was dating Amy. No, there was only one person she could talk to about this. That person wouldn't be happy about being woken up at three thirty, but Alex couldn't wait until morning.

She cautiously opened her door and stuck her head out. The lights in the hallway had dimmed, simulating nighttime, and there didn't seem to be a soul out here. Alex shut her door, the thump it made as it closed sounding as loud as a gunshot in the quiet corridor. Alex winced and inched away from it, looking around for the Doctor. She knew she'd be able to sense him if he approached. After a moment, after determining the Doctor was nowhere nearby, Alex continued on down the corridor.

Amy and Rory's room was only a corridor away from Alex's. Alex crept up to the door and pressed her ear to the wood, making sure the couple was asleep and not in the middle of….other activities. Hearing nothing, Alex grasped the knob and carefully opened the door.

Amy and Rory's room was slightly larger than Alex's, which made sense, considering they were a married couple. The walls were wallpapered in TARDIS blue with purple and silver accents. An oak dresser sat next to the door, cluttered with picture frames, a jewelry box, a lamp, and other paraphernalia. A large mirror hung above it, little photos stuck into the frame. Next to this was a bookcase that Alex knew was filled with Rory's medical journals and James Patterson books and Amy's fashion magazines. Directly opposite this was Amy's big white three-mirrored vanity, cluttered with cosmetics and perfumes. The small blue stool underneath it had an unplugged curling iron resting on it. Next to the vanity was another dresser, this one larger than the other one, Alex knowing it contained all of Amy's numerous skirts and tops.

Finally, directly opposite the flat screen TV hanging on the wall was the bed. It was a gorgeous four-poster oak one, nightstands bordering each side. One side was Rory's, neat with only a lamp and a book on it. Amy's nightstand was cluttered with a few lipsticks, one of her childhood TARDIS models, a stack of fashion magazines, and a water glass. Alex crept closer to the bed, squinting in the darkness until she was able to make out the sleeping forms of Amy and Rory. Rory, for once, wasn't snoring, his breath easy and slow as he slept on his back. Amy sleeping next to him on her side.

Alex knelt down and tapped Amy's arm. "Amy," she whispered. Amy didn't respond. Alex poked her a little more. "Amy, wake up."

Amy's arm moved away from Alex's poking, the young woman making a discontented little face as she slept on. Alex frowned and increased her poking. "Amy!" she hissed. "Wake up!"

"Five more minutes, Mum," Amy muttered, now entering a half-awake state.

"Not your mother, Amelia," Alex said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes wandered over to the water glass on Amy's nightstand. "Amy, wake up, or I'm going to sprinkle you with water." Amy didn't respond. Sighing, Alex reached out and stuck her fingers into the glass. The water was ice cold, perfect for what she was about to do. Alex crept closer to the side of the bed before lifting her fingers out of the glass and dangling the wet tips above Amy's face. Water gently dripped down, landing on Amy's cheek. A moment later, Amy's eyes fluttered open and she cursed.

"Shit, Alex!" she hissed, glaring up at her friend as Alex wiped her fingers on her blue and black plaid sleep pants. "I am going to kill you!"

"Sorry, Ames," Alex apologized. "But I really need to talk to you."

Amy glanced at the clock and groaned. "Now?"

Alex nodded. "It's really important, Amy. Please."

Hearing the desperation in her friend's voice, Amy shifted and lifted the covers. "Fine," she muttered, sitting up on the mattress and stretching. Her movements echoed over to Rory, who yawned and rolled over.

"Amy?" he said, blinking sleepily. His eyes wandered over to Alex. "Alex?"

"Sorry, Rory," Alex apologized. "But I only need Amy. I'm having a female problem."

"There's ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet and Amy's got an unopened box under the sink," Rory dismissed, rolling over.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Not _that _kind of female problem!"

"Ignore him," Amy dismissed, getting up and grabbing her white cotton robe from the foot of the bed. She put it on, tying it over her white strappy nightgown. "Come on. If we're going to talk at the three thirty in the morning, I need coffee."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the two were in the library in front of the fire, cups of steaming coffee in their hands. The girls sat on the couch, Amy stretched out and leaning against an armrest while Alex had her legs tucked underneath her. She stared down into the coffee cup, steam rising up and warming her face.

Amy took a long sip of coffee, feeling the caffeine run through her veins and reenergize her. "Okay," she said as she set the coffee down on a nearby table and began rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What did you wake me up in the middle of the night to talk to me about?"

Alex looked up at her. "I'm in love with the Doctor," she said.

Amy was really glad she had set her coffee down because had she been holding it when Alex said those words, she would've likely dropped it and burned herself. Amy gaped at her friend, eyes wide and unblinking. "No," she breathed, unable to believe it.

Alex nodded. "Yes."

Amy's jaw dropped and scooted up, crawling over to Alex. "No!" she gasped. She settled down on her legs, copying Alex's current seating. She cocked her head curiously. "How long have you realized that?"

"A few weeks," Alex answered. "Remember what I told you about those Shansheeth faking the Doctor's death? I realized the night they told me he was dead. It took a freaking lie about him being dead for me to finally admit it to myself."

"Alex," Amy breathed, reaching down and squeezing her friend's hand.

"And he doesn't love me back," Alex finished.

Amy shook her head. "That's not true, Alex."

"It is true!" Alex looked at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. She set her coffee down on a table and tugged at the three-quarter length sleeves on her dark blue shirt. "Amy, I didn't get a chance to tell you this, but he _chose _to go off and marry Marilyn Monroe. He didn't see how jealous I was about it! In fact, he asked if I was coming. He expected me to watch him get married to that bottled-blonde idiot!"

Amy immediately wrapped her hands around her friend, feeling Alex shake with silent sobs. After a moment, Alex pulled back to expose her red-rimmed eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks that she didn't even bother to wipe away.

"And everyday I'm here those feelings increase!" Alex cried. "My senses are so heightened now, more than they were when we first got here. I can sense him all the time. I can detect him if he's even a few corridors away. My heart is pounding all the time and I'm always hyper and ready to go. And I…I can't think straight anymore!"

"Alex, this is normal," Amy tried to reassure her, but Alex shook her head and pushed her away, getting up to face in front of the couch.

"No, it's not!" Alex objected. She ran her hands through her hair as she paced back and forth. "Amy, it's so much so fast! And he doesn't feel the same way for me!"

"Alex, I've seen the way he looks at you," Amy argued. "He always looks to you first before me or Rory. His eyes light up when you come into a room. He keeps you attached to his side all the time. He holds your hand constantly. He's told you things he'll never breathe to me or Rory. He loves you!"

Alex sniffled and shook her head a little. "Maybe, but even if he does, I can't be with him. He's _907_, Amy. I'm 21. He'll live for centuries while I'll live less than eighty years. I know this and I have to accept it." Alex stepped away from the fire and sat back down. She was quiet for a moment before finally announcing "I think I need to leave."

Amy's eyes widened. "What?" she gasped.

"Not forever," Alex corrected. "Just…I need a little time away from the Doctor. Time to let these feelings settle down."

"Love doesn't disappear overnight, Alex," Amy warned.

"Maybe not, but I can't stay around here for much longer without doing something foolish." She might tell the Doctor she loved him and he could reject her. She couldn't go through that.

Alex stood up, taking a few deep breaths before speaking again. "I'm going to leave tomorrow, Amy. You and Rory don't need to come with me. I'll have the Doctor drop me back in Leadworth in the morning."

"Are you going to tell him?" Amy asked.

"In the morning," Alex nodded. She headed off towards the door. "Night, Amy. Thanks." And with that, she was gone.

* * *

Amy crept back into her room a few minutes later. She shut the door and hurried over to the bed. "Rory," she hissed, leaping onto the mattress and shaking her husband's back. "Rory, wake up!" When Rory didn't respond fast enough, Amy grabbed her pillow and used it to hit Rory in the face.

"Ow!" Rory cried, pushing the pillow away and sitting up. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong, Amy? What did Alex talk to you about?"

"Alex is leaving," Amy announced without preamble.

Any and all traces of sleep left Rory with these three words. "What?" he cried, staring in shock at his wife.

Amy nodded. "And that's not all. She's in love with him."

"What?"

"She's in love with him!"

"_What_?"

Amy rolled her eyes and gripped his shoulders. "Rory, get it through your head! Alex, our friend, is in love with the Doctor!"

"She just realized this now?"

"A few weeks ago actually."

"Well, that's great! But why is she leaving?"

"She says he'll never love her back because she's human and he's a Time Lord and her reactions around him are getting more intense and she's scared of it."

"Alex, scared?"

"I know it's a difficult concept, but it's the truth. She didn't say she was scared outright, but I read between the lines."

"Huh." Rory stared down at the sheets. "So she's leaving."

"Tomorrow morning after she tells the Doctor," Amy told him, playing with the cool silk sheets.

"Huh."

"Yeah."

* * *

Alex zipped up the large black rolling suitcase the TARDIS had reluctantly provided her. She looked around her room. She had packed up several of the personal touches she had added over the couple months she had been here, but had left a few as well, as a reminder that she wasn't leaving forever. She'd be back. She just needed a break.

Alex ran a hand through her hair and paced into her bathroom. She studied her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a long-sleeved camouflage print shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, old and scuffed black combat boots, a black leather jacket, hoop earrings, her sonic necklace, and another necklace with a glittery white peace charm on it. She rubbed her lips together, flicking her tongue out to taste her cotton-candy flavored lipgloss. She played with her sonic necklace a little.

It was time.

Taking a deep breath, Alex switched the lights in her bathroom off and stepped out of her bedroom and down the hall towards the console room. She had to tell him now. She was leaving, temporarily of course, but she was leaving.

Upon reaching the door leading to the control room, Alex paused. This was her last chance to reconsider. She could change her mind right now, go back to her room and unpack her things, and he would never know. Amy and Rory would be happy. But, remembering what she had been feeling last night, Alex knew she couldn't change her mind. She had to do this. Taking a deep breath, she descended the steps and went over to the console.

The Doctor was there of course. He was flicking a few switches on the console, patting the surface as the TARDIS hummed, hums that faded when Alex walked in. The TARDIS, Alex knew, was completely against the idea of her leaving and had made her suitcase disappear a few times when Alex had been packing it, just to get the point across.

He looked up and grinned at her. Man, his eyes really did light up. "Ally!" he greeted enthusiastically, none the wiser to what Alex was about to tell him. "How about this for a planet? Oribus Orion. They worship the constellation Orion and their capital city is built out in an _exact _formation of the constellation!"

Alex smiled a little. "Sounds great, Doctor, only…" She trailed off, not sure how to tell him what she wanted to tell him. _Sounds great, Doctor, only I'm leaving today?_ No, that wouldn't work.

The Doctor looked at her. Alex was being quiet, and she was _never _quiet. This was alarming. What was wrong? Was she sick? "Ally, what's wrong?" he asked, stepping around the console over to her. He reached down for her hand, rubbing soothing circles around her knuckles. "Please tell me."

Alex sighed. "I do have something to tell you….I just don't know how to tell you."

"Just spit it out," the Doctor urged, desperate to know what was troubling his Ally.

Alex took a deep breath. "Very well. Doctor, I want to go back to Leadworth."

The Doctor stared at her. "That's it? You want to visit Leadworth today? Oh, Ally, that's no trouble! Course, I can't imagine why you would want to spend one minute in such a dull town, but whatever you want!"

Alex shook her head. "No, Doc, not just for a visit. Um….I want to go back there for a few months. I want to leave."

The Doctor felt like he had been slapped, actually, properly slapped. Alex's words echoed in his ears. _I want to leave, I want to leave, I want to leave, I want to leave…_ It was a never-ending loop in his mind that he wanted stopped.

How could she be leaving?! _Why _was he leaving? Had he done something? Did he do something to make her want to leave? Did his revelation about him killing the Time Lords finally sink in and she realized what a monster he truly was? Was she getting back at him for accidentally getting her engaged to the prince at the Trojan Gardens? What had he done?!

"Ally," he finally gasped out, looking at her with wide and panicked eyes. "Why? Why do you want to leave? Is it something I've done? If so, please tell me and I'll make it right! I promise! Please, Ally!"

"Doctor!" Alex cried, interrupting his rant. "No, no, you haven't done anything." _Except make me fall in love with you._

The Doctor relaxed a little. "Oh." He paced over to the console. He stared down at the surface as he flicked a small switch back and forth for a few moments, processing her words. Well, good that it wasn't him! But that still didn't explain why she wanted to leave. He turned back to her. "Well, why do you want to leave?"

"I just…need a break," Alex said. It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. "I'm not leaving forever. You can't get rid of me that easily."

The Doctor allowed himself a little smile. She wasn't leaving forever! That was good. He couldn't bear it if she left forever. He wouldn't allow something like that to happen. He'd tie her kicking and screaming to the console before he allowed that to happen. "Okay. How long?"

Alex shrugged. "A few months. Not too long."

The Doctor nodded. "And you're leaving today?"

"Right," Alex nodded.

"Do Amy and Rory know?"

Alex was about to answer when a sudden thumping and banging came from above her. "Rory!" Amy's irate voice snapped. "Just carry it! It's not that heavy!"

"Yes it is!" Rory objected. "What do you have in here, bricks?" There was another series of thumping and banging, which got steadily louder. Finally, Rory appeared, descending the stairs. His back was to them and he was wheeling down a large rolling suitcase, the cause of all the banging and thumping. Once he got the suitcase down the final step, he turned around, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Hey," he greeted.

Alex frowned. "What's with the suitcase?"

"You didn't really think we were letting you leave all alone, did you?" Amy questioned, appearing before them. She was carrying two duffel bags, which she set beside the large rolling suitcase.

Alex stared at them. "Guys, I told you! You don't have to leave with me. Stay!"

Rory shook his head. "Nah, we're coming. And don't try to talk us out of it!"

"Now that we're married, we need a little break anyways," Amy explained. Alex narrowed her eyes at her. That was total bullshit. They were only leaving because they didn't want her to be alone and sulking while she tried to figure her love-life out. "We need to buy a house, I need to get to know my parents better, all of that."

"So you're leaving too," the Doctor stated. Alex didn't turn around to look at him, knowing it would sadden her too much. All of his companions leaving in one day. Granted, it was on a break, but still.

"Oh, you can't get rid of us that easily!" Amy said, stepping up and hugging him. "A few months and we'll be back." She turned to give Alex a significant look. "_All _of us."

"Right," Rory confirmed.

"Right," Alex nodded.

The Doctor sighed, trying to hide his true feelings about all of this. He knew the Ponds and Ally would be back soon, but he hated when companions left him. It always broke his hearts when they grew up and left him, abandoning him for a life of electrical bills and leaky faucets. _They'll be back, they'll be back, _he chanted to himself as he reluctantly piloted the TARDIS to Leadworth, Alex disappearing upstairs to get her suitcase.

A few moments later, the TARDIS landed with a depressed thump. The Doctor turned away from the controls and put a fake smile on his face, forcing cheer into his voice. "We're here!" he announced as Alex descended the stairs with her heavy black suitcase.

Alex set her suitcase down, flicking the handle up. She took a tight grip on it as she wheeled it over to the stairs leading down from the console, Amy and Rory telling the Doctor good-bye, their stuff already resting by the doors. Alex waited until they stepped away and made their way to the doors before going over to the Doctor. She released her suitcase and looked into his dark green eyes for a moment, committing them to memory. Finally, she hugged him. The Doctor's arms immediately wrapped around her and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

A few moments later, they wordlessly pulled away. Alex smiled at him in a fake reassuring manner as she carried her suitcase down the stairs and over to the doors. Amy and Rory were already outside waiting for her. Alex was just about to join them when she hesitated. She turned around to see the Doctor leaning against the console, arms crossed, watching her.

Seeing her looking at him, the Doctor forced the words he most hated to say up his throat and out his mouth. "Goodbye Ally."

Alex gave him a little wave. "See you, Doc." She adjusted her grip on the suitcase handle and stepped outside, knowing that whatever happened in the weeks and months to come would impact her life forever.

To be continued in...'The Pros and Cons of Silence'!

A/N: AHHH! It's over! I can't believe it. Are you all freaking out about the title? :)

Also, here's the new sneak peek for my brand new OC series, introducing Esme Grigori! :)

* * *

"You okay?" the Doctor asked worriedly, putting her down.

Esme nodded and lifted a hand to block the sun from her rays. "I'm fine, it's just the sun…" She trailed off, not needing to elaborate.

The Doctor grasped her hand, which was quite cool, and pulled her over into the shade. Esme smiled and lowered her hand. "Thanks," she said, leaning against the wall.

"Not a problem," the Doctor told her. He leaned back next to her, liking the strange tingling that ran through his body when he was close to her. "I take it the process Signora Calvierri is running on you is already starting to change you."

Esme grimaced. "A little," she admitted. She gazed up at the sky, watching as the sun glittered over the canal. "Aside from the sun, I also find myself taking longer to do simple tasks. It's why my hair looks like this." She reached up and fingered one of the high strands.

The Doctor chuckled. He actually liked Esme's hair like that. It looked exotic and mysterious. "Anything else you can think of? Your body changing in any way?"

Esme thought for a moment then shook her head. "No, I don't believe so."

"No green skin anywhere?"

Esme jolted and looked over at him, completely baffled. "Green skin?" she repeated. "Why would I have green skin? Vampires don't have green skin!"

The Doctor snorted a little. "Is that what you think Signora Calvierri is? A vampire?"

Esme was about to say yes, but then she remembered the creature she saw Signora Calvierri turn into back in the torture chamber. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. "Well, now that you mention it…"

"Amy said she kicked Rosanna's perception filter, turning her back into her true form."

Esme gaped at him. "You mean, t-that…_thing_, is really what Signora Calvierri looks like?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep," he said, crossing his arms and looking off into the distance. "A genuine Sister of the Water. I have to admit, I did not see that coming."

* * *

All and more will be revealed in 'Bitten', the first in 'The Bitten Chronicles'! :)

Quick note about release dates. I hope to get 'Bitten' up before or on November 23rd. :) That'd be a nice treat, don't you think? For 'The Pros and Cons of Silence', I want to get it up by Christmas, but we'll see. :) I'll put up a small note on here that will be taken down in exactly one week to let everyone know the sequel's up when I post it. :)

Now, I'd like to thank every single one of you who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story and me. You all are amazing! I never dreamed I would get to over 700 reviews with my first story and your support made me want to write to my very, very best. :) So thank you, each and every one of you! :D

So, please review and I'll see you soon!


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